Are more and more mainland Chinese trading in China for a life in Northern Thailand?

[Terrance8812]

After watching this video you get the impression that the 20,000,000 to 30,000,000 mainland Chinese tourists that come here every year are no longer coming for just short stays, but are looking to eventually set themselves up here and immigrate permanently. 

 

Do you think places like Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand will eventually become overrun with mainland Chinese residents, some of whom might become involved in illegal business and other similar activities?
 

And will they eventually start to disrupt the peaceful way of life in the north if they do start building larger Chinese communities in Thailand in order to cater to their own culture and lifestyles rather than integrating into the local way of life?

https://youtu.be/oIDsvIQ0UvM

[MalcolmB]

Thank you for that. Very interesting 

 

Basically they come here for similar reasons to us, to escape the rat race and to be amongst the happy Thais, Thais that can have a lot less financially than us but still be happier.

[mokwit]

56 minutes ago, Terrance8812 said:

Do you think places like Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand will eventually become overrun with mainland Chinese residents, some of whom might become involved in illegal business and other similar activities?

Eventually?

[Lacessit]

The Thai government does seem to welcome them.

 

There are several venues in Chiang Rai that are owned by Koreans, so it's not just the Chinese.

[FriscoKid]

Is the women owning and running that farm doing it legally? Aren't jobs involving agriculture and animal husbandry prohibited occupations for foreigners? Is she a naturalized Thai citizen?

[NoDisplayName]

5 hours ago, Terrance8812 said:

After watching this video

 

I've seen this exact same video hundreds of times.

 

Only difference is all the faces in those videos are WHite and speaking English, wanting to escape the relentless rat race in (insert western country) for a more relaxed lifestyle.

[Terrance8812]

In the video, the journalist also talks about "affordable land" in northern Thailand, insinuating that Chinese nationals would have access to land for farming if they emigrate to Thailand. Should foreigners really be coming to Thailand with ambitions of obtaining land for farming? Is that what the government and the immigration department wants?

[simon43]

Yes, interesting video, and they are doing exactly the same as 'farang' are doing.

 

But you know what struck me the most about that video? The terrible air pollution, which you can clearly see in many of the external shots.

 

'Chiang Mai, a city to die in', sorry! I mean 'a city to die for'

[AndreasHG]

17 hours ago, Terrance8812 said:

Chinese tourists that come here every year are no longer coming for just short stays, but are looking to eventually set themselves up here and immigrate permanently

 

It's sad to see people leaving their country to escape dictatorship, repression and war.

 

I wonder if Thailand is the right place to seek shelter from the authoritarian rulers of the PRC, of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, etc. Recent news about the Cambodian MP shot dead in Bangkok, or extrajudicial extraditions from Thailand to neighboring countries, or evidence that Thai authorities have assisted neighboring governments to take unlawful actions against refugees, are not reassuring.

 

I hope Thailand comes to its senses and shows compassion, or karuna, a core Buddhist value, a feeling of concern for others that should motivate people to help those suffering, including those suffering from injustice in their homeland. 

 

Bangkok Post - Thailand ‘forcibly’ deports six Cambodian activists (https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2911210/thailand-forcibly-deports-six-cambodian-activists)

Bangkok Post - Court approves extradition of Vietnamese activist

(https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2877713/court-approves-extradition-of-vietnamese-activist)

[black tabby12345]

17 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

Thank you for that. Very interesting 

 

Basically they come here for similar reasons to us, to escape the rat race and to be amongst the happy Thais, Thais that can have a lot less financially than us but still be happier.

 

Escaping from the rat race.

A good quote.

There are several Chinese nations in my apartment (Chiang Mai).

Some are retirees over 50. Some are younger.

One of the young ones  called himself Tam Ping(Lying Down).

An emerging life style among young Chinese in recent years.

Getting off their unrewarding social system: Practicing Minimalist way of life instead.

As far as I can see, they are living a peaceful quite life here.

Hardly look like trying to take over this place.

While  there are some young entrepreneurs(e.g.opening a Chinese restaurant outside old city area).

 

entrepreneur

[Denim]

The interesting aspect is how expat communities , of whatever nationality , like to flock together and limit their integration to just being here and picking up a smattering of Thai. Look at places like Phuket , Pattaya , Chiang Mai etc and you will find some areas that are almost completely Russian , Chinese or Western. 

 

This is not so different from the UK where we see asians choosing to live in towns and cities where they can limit their integration into British society. Places where they can go for days on end just speaking their own language ,eating their own food and using their own social networks etc. 

 

They can live here for decades but have no Thais as real friends. 

[black tabby12345]

24 minutes ago, AndreasHG said:

 

It's sad to see people leaving their country to escape dictatorship, repression and war.

 

I wonder if Thailand is the right place to seek shelter from the authoritarian rulers of the PRC, of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, etc.

 

Traditionally, China has been a country of mass exodus since 18-19 century.

So departure of its people itself  isn't really new.

 

Thailand is the right place for a lot of people to seek shelter; its tolerance of the people with different face, color, and culture.  As well as its lower cost of living(compared to the 1st world).

[RayOday]

9 hours ago, simon43 said:

Yes, interesting video, and they are doing exactly the same as 'farang' are doing.

 

But you know what struck me the most about that video? The terrible air pollution, which you can clearly see in many of the external shots.

 

'Chiang Mai, a city to die in', sorry! I mean 'a city to die for'

I have been tracking the AQI for Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Huahin, Trang, Trat, Samui, and Songkhla for the month of Dec. and Jan. YTD and Bangkok has been consistently worse than Chiang Mai. Let's see if and when the ranking flips. I have empathy for the poor folks in Delhi, Dhaka, Karachi, and Lahore at over 200 AQI. All readings taken from IQair's daily website rankings or search. 

[ignore it]

I love the bullet point headline.

 

Chines

 

I'll be using that one. 

[Kinok Farang]

Could be worse.Thank god its not Arabs "yet".

[bkk6060]

I am sure there are, but I not seeing many settled in the city.  Nimman is mostly Chinese tourists.

Lamphun, Mae Taeng, and other areas outside the city I see lots of Chinese living in these areas.  

 

 

[Presnock]

20 hours ago, Terrance8812 said:

After watching this video you get the impression that the 20,000,000 to 30,000,000 mainland Chinese tourists that come here every year are no longer coming for just short stays, but are looking to eventually set themselves up here and immigrate permanently. 

 

Do you think places like Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand will eventually become overrun with mainland Chinese residents, some of whom might become involved in illegal business and other similar activities?
 

And will they eventually start to disrupt the peaceful way of life in the north if they do start building larger Chinese communities in Thailand in order to cater to their own culture and lifestyles rather than integrating into the local way of life?

https://youtu.be/oIDsvIQ0UvM

Well, based on some of the stories, as we know, many locals are from China and still have relatives there or people there wanting o purchase property (including land) .  Some farang spouses or co-habiters with a Chinese connection have indicated purhasing many properties for these Chinese folks.  I met some of them coming to my new mooban - about 50 Chinese on a bus!  I was doing my daily eveining walk and they stopped me to ask all about the mooban but...I passed speaking Spanish to them instead of English or Thai so they walked away.  But I have seen several Chinese move into some of the houses - some from HongKong as they grew tired of the 

rhetoric from Beijing.,  Fromwhat I read, The northern part of Laos is now an extension totally Chinese!  Thailand might become that too.

[spidermike007]

Yes the quality of life in Thailand is infinitely higher and the price of real estate in Thailand is significantly lower. Why live under an oppressive regime with bad intentions, if you don't have to? 

[NorthernRyland]

That girl at the start has a YouTube channel of building a super low budget hippy retreat in Chiang Dao which is catering mostly to Chinese friends. She's probably pulling lots of Chinese and who knows it could be the new Pai for Chinese since whitey has taken Pai over again. Honestly it looks like she's running an illegal tourism business and the land was bought via a nominee which she probably shouldn't be adversing on YouTube....

 

I know of an area in Mae Jo which has been colonized by Chinese by way of making a housing project decorated with Chinese artifacts and flags. 80% of people at immigration in Chiang Mai this December were Chinese so yes huge numbers there and they seem pretty permanent.

 

 

[NorthernRyland]

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

I am sure there are, but I not seeing many settled in the city.  Nimman is mostly Chinese tourists.

Lamphun, Mae Taeng, and other areas outside the city I see lots of Chinese living in these areas.  

 

 

 

They're setting up a little colony here in Mae Jo, I was told for Chinese only. Chinese still have "china town" in all the cities they were allowed to immigrate to, ever 100 years later.

 

They have 2 projects around the lake you can see on the map but I bet they build more over the years. In fact I heard the rented the rights to lake as part of their project but have been gracious and open it to the public and put a nice path around it for the uni kids. They actually did more to improve the area then the Thais ever did so there's that at least...

 

[OneManShow]

There are many Chinese girls who are looking for a decent man to have relationship with and possibly stay permanently in CM where I had lived in before I moved to seaside. 

[NorthernRyland]

2 hours ago, OneManShow said:

There are many Chinese girls who are looking for a decent man to have relationship with and possibly stay permanently in CM where I had lived in before I moved to seaside. 

 

This reminded me, in fact the woman featured in the video made such requests on her YouTube channel. She sounds like an American Feminist and speaks perfect English.  

 

 

 

[HugoFastor]

20 hours ago, simon43 said:

The terrible air pollution, which you can clearly see in many of the external shots.

 

'Chiang Mai, a city to die in', sorry! I mean 'a city to die for'

Totally agree. Around 20 years ago, I had planned to retire there, eventually. Now, forget it. The air there is awful as you know. I guess they have made some progress on reducing sugar crop burning in the last few years, but it's certainly not enough. Big Agra is the killer that can't be stopped. 
 

I was up there for a visit in late 2023, before the pollution got bad last year, but no plans to return again. Just thinking about it turns me off.
 

The link below, shared by somebody else in another forum post earlier today, openly highlights the problems within the government, not properly intervening in a meaningful way, and how Chiang Mai became the world's most polluted city:

 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/12/how-chiang-mai-became-the-worlds-most-polluted-city

 

[GammaGlobulin]

4 hours ago, OneManShow said:

There are many Chinese girls who are looking for a decent man to have relationship with and possibly stay permanently in CM where I had lived in before I moved to seaside. 

 

I am a decent man.

I also know a few Chinese girls who are looking for someone like me.

Unfortunately, at the moment, I consider myself to be unavailable for Love with the Proper Chinese Stranger.

 

If I wanted a relationship with a nice Chinese woman, than I would just ask my Chinese friends.

But most of them know that I am no longer looking.

 

Also, of course, my standards are just too high for the types of Chinese women who come to this part of the woods.

 

For one, I would need at least an MA-graduate-Chinese-woman from a decent uni.

IQ would need to be minimum of 135 on the Wechsler, (WAIS), or preferably higher.

Otherwise, what would be the point?

Would there even be any point in our pillow talk, after a few Nights in White Satin?

 

Also, what many here might NOT understand is that many of the Chinese families who arrive in Chiang Mai, or Northern Chiang Mai, are NOT here for the very long-term.

This is just a stepping stone to their REAL goal which is to get to the USA, or maybe Vancouver, Toronto, etc.

 

They come here for their children's future, in order to attend international schools, some in Phuket, for example.

But, as soon as their children are able to qualify to be admitted to far better private schools in the USA, then they will be gone in a flash.

 

What is it that YOU think that I do not know about what is happening......????

 

I have been in China, and Greater China, almost ALL of my life.

 

I have met MANY extremely intelligent Chinese women at unis, and also through teaching.

 

My Chinese brother-in-law was a PhD and postdoc at U. Penn.

Nobel Prize Laureate Advisor for his thesis....blah, blah.....

Twice as smart as I, which might not be saying much.

 

The thing is....

 

You guys here who are commenting are just GUESSING about what might be happening.

But I KNOW what is happening.

 

There are very few Chinese from China who come here to settle for a very long time.

 

Their end-goal is to emigrate to a country which they perceive to be BETTER than China.

AND, they do NOT believe that Thailand is better than China.....No Way!

 

And, when they finally do reach places like California, such as La Jolla, California...they are in paradise.

 

Or, Vancouver.

Or, other similar high-end places and environments.

 

Do you really THINK that these families wish to come from China to settle here????  Forever????

Think again...because....

 

They will be OUT OF HERE, as fast as you can say, Jack Robinson, and just as soon as they can.

 

This is just a way-station, on their way to better pastures.

 

Can you blame them?

They have money.

Why would they want to waste time here?

They have no special love for the local culture.

They want something better.

 

And, for them, and for their children, they perceive high-end places as being better.

 

Also, when they finally do attain their goal, and when their kids have been accepted to a USA school, in California, they are in bliss, believe me.

They have fought for years to attain their goal.

And they are happy.

 

There is NO WAY that Northern Thailand can provide what they are seeking in the USA, and in places such as Vancouver.

 

So.....this is the way it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

2 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

 

This reminded me, in fact the woman featured in the video made such requests on her YouTube channel. She sounds like an American Feminist and speaks perfect English.  

 

 

 

 

She is a real self-promoter.

And, she is most definitely NOT representative of most Chinese families here.

More power to her.

 

But, she is not what this Topic is about.

 

Also, definitely NOT my type.

 

 

[Woke to Sounds of Horking]

Agree.

 

I was just going to say that the smart Chinese cash has always piled into real estate in San Fran, LA, Seattle, Vancouver, New York and to a lesser extent Toronto, Calgary, Florida and Texas. We're seeing some cash injections now in the smaller midwest cities of Canada and the States. Those home prices have only one way to go - UP.

 

The USA and Canada are top tier Alpha +++ countries compared to Thailand, in terms of quality of life and basic working infrastructure.

[GammaGlobulin]

8 minutes ago, Woke to Sounds of Horking said:

Agree.

 

I was just going to say that the smart Chinese cash has always piled into real estate in San Fran, LA, Seattle, Vancouver, New York and to a lesser extent Toronto, Calgary, Florida and Texas. We're seeing some cash injections now in the smaller midwest cities of Canada and the States. Those home prices have only one way to go - UP.

 

The USA and Canada are top tier Alpha +++ countries compared to Thailand, in terms of quality of life and basic working infrastructure.

 

One other not unimportant consideration:

 

a.  In the USA/Canada, Chinese can buy land, and own it.

b. In Thailand, this is not really possible.

c. For Chinese, traditionally, land ownership is almost as important as family.

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

Just one more consideration concerning Chinese moving to Northern Thailand, and....FACE:

 

a.  Chinese care about FACE.

b.  Most Chinese do not consider moving to Thailand to be as "step up" from living in China.

c.  Most Chinese consider China to be far superior to Thailand.

d.  Do you really think most Chinese would like to WRITE HOME to their friends in China, and say....we have moved to Northern Thailand....For Good, and Forever?

e.  Give me a break!

f. Most of their friends back in China know that Chinese who come here are on their way to something BETTER than Thailand.

 

g.  For the average Chinese family, just coming to Northern China, without having a definite plan to get to a far better place than Thailand, would be a.....TOTAL loss of face. Their friends back home could just not understand something so silly.

 

h. Most Chinese are willing to sacrifice almost anything for their children and their next generation.

i.  So....leaving China just to settle forever in Thailand would be.....something that their friends could not comprehend.  And this would represent a loss of face.

 

j.  The majority of Chinese have a long game plan. They will sacrifice for many years, just in order to reach their goals, for their family.

 

NO WAY can Northern Thailand ever be worth this sacrifice.

 

No matter just HOW GREAT the Smoking Season is...here in Glorious Chiang Mai.

 

(Personally, I LOVE the smoking season...but.....I am not TRULY Chinese......yet...through and through.)

 

 

 

[Deez]

On 1/7/2025 at 6:38 PM, Terrance8812 said:

After watching this video you get the impression that the 20,000,000 to 30,000,000 mainland Chinese tourists that come here every year are no longer coming for just short stays, but are looking to eventually set themselves up here and immigrate permanently. 

 

Do you think places like Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand will eventually become overrun with mainland Chinese residents, some of whom might become involved in illegal business and other similar activities?
 

And will they eventually start to disrupt the peaceful way of life in the north if they do start building larger Chinese communities in Thailand in order to cater to their own culture and lifestyles rather than integrating into the local way of life?

https://youtu.be/oIDsvIQ0UvM

Already overrun, here. Our Moobahn is now about 30% Chinese. Lots of families with kids.  

[NorthernRyland]

1 hour ago, Deez said:

Already overrun, here. Our Moobahn is now about 30% Chinese. Lots of families with kids.  

 

Chiang Mai is going down so fast it's incredible. That "jewel of the north" line they keep saying is a fiction now. So now it's polluted, congested and lost its local culture first to due to migration from Bangkok and now due to mass tourism and Chinese in particular. Get out while you can.