The Future of Chiang Mai

[mesquite]

2020, CM is packed with Chinese and other foreigners. Resident Thai are moving out. Thai biz developing to serve new customers.

2030, Most native Thai moved out of CM, now nearly totally owned by non Thai, especially Chinese.

Hey, Chinese DRIVE their personal cars to CM with Chinese license plates, allowed by ASEAN.

Thais are not going to move out of CM they are moving in and will continue to do so. Check the Bangkok number plates now they out number the local ones 2-1

These are CM residents opting for a Bangkok license plate instead CM license plates. Everyone can get Bangkok license plates regardless where you are based in Thailand. Not saying though that some people across the country have decided to move to CM.

Where do you get this? Why would a CM resident want a Bangkok license plate? Why go to all that trouble?

[mesquite]

2020, CM is packed with Chinese and other foreigners. Resident Thai are moving out. Thai biz developing to serve new customers.

2030, Most native Thai moved out of CM, now nearly totally owned by non Thai, especially Chinese.

Hey, Chinese DRIVE their personal cars to CM with Chinese license plates, allowed by ASEAN.

So we (or Thais) can drive our personal cars to China? Not that we'd want to.

[Robert24]

2020, CM is packed with Chinese and other foreigners. Resident Thai are moving out. Thai biz developing to serve new customers.

2030, Most native Thai moved out of CM, now nearly totally owned by non Thai, especially Chinese.

Hey, Chinese DRIVE their personal cars to CM with Chinese license plates, allowed by ASEAN.

Thais are not going to move out of CM they are moving in and will continue to do so. Check the Bangkok number plates now they out number the local ones 2-1

These are CM residents opting for a Bangkok license plate instead CM license plates. Everyone can get Bangkok license plates regardless where you are based in Thailand. Not saying though that some people across the country have decided to move to CM.

Where do you get this? Why would a CM resident want a Bangkok license plate? Why go to all that trouble?

I think about 30-40% of people opt for bangkok license plates. I could have done it too but I don't care about it so didn't pay the additional fee. By the way this is the same all over Thailand. Many people prefer Bangkok license plates. Nothing to do with where they are from.

[usnftcret]

I have lived in a number of Chinese cities on and off for the last 20 years. Recently I had two people I work with ask me about buying property and moving to Thailand, specifically Chiang Mai. One reason given for the move was that the cost of property in China is so high that they are looking at an affordable alternative for retirement years, not such a surprise because many Westerners have the same motivation. The other reason given to me was because they find life in China so brutal and hard that they want to live in a place where they can escape their own society. I personally know a number of well off Chinese couples who have left their homes in China because they want a better life for their children. By that they want them to be able to have a childhood without the social stress that is placed on kids at a very young age.

For me once the Chinese invasion happens I'll stop my visits to Thailand and find somewhere else to chill out. For me China is a place that I go to work in and make lots of money, it's not a place that I think about staying in any longer than I have to. If China moves to Chiang Mai the relaxed charm of the place will be destroyed.

Too late...Chiang Mai has already been destroyed by the Farang invasion!

[Mousehound]

I am thinking of lampang as an alternative to CM. I have heard it is a bit like a smaller version of what CM was like 30years ago.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I am thinking of lampang as an alternative to CM. I have heard it is a bit like a smaller version of what CM was like 30years ago.

LOL, no.

Also, 30 years ago is 1985.. There is no place in Thailand that is like Chiang Mai in 1985. Closest would actually be Chiang Mai today.

MAYBE Phrae or Mae Hong Son are candidates, but there are several things missing that Chiang Mai had in 1985.

Or Luang Prabang in Laos of course. That really is close, but not in Thailand. (Culturally / Linguistically similar enough though)

[tookwan cottage]

Yes, I see them taking over CM as you describe.

And that's just the start. They are all over the world doing the same thing.

My advice to young people is to learn to say "Yes, boss" in Mandarin.

We farangs in CM do not need to learn any more about the Thai culture. We need to learn about the Chinese culture instead.

Wai-ing is history; spitting and yelling is the future.

So all Chinese spit & yell do they?

Yep. They are yelling at the ignorant Westerners who can't help but include everyone else in their simple-minded view of the world.

[tookwan cottage]

Yes, I see them taking over CM as you describe.

And that's just the start. They are all over the world doing the same thing.

My advice to young people is to learn to say "Yes, boss" in Mandarin.

We farangs in CM do not need to learn any more about the Thai culture. We need to learn about the Chinese culture instead.

Wai-ing is history; spitting and yelling is the future.

You do realize they are the world's most-populous nation, right? With an ancient culture, right? Oh, of course, you want them to stay in their native country, where they belong, right?

[tookwan cottage]

Like every other race, there are good Chinese and bad Chinese. I've experienced both. The good was a guy I used to work with who told me I had my head up my arse so politely I burst out laughing. The bad was another person working for me who used racism as a cop-out for his poor performance.

Chiang Mai is a long way from Bangkok in terms of Chinese influence - remember, Thaksin is Chinese descent, and this is where Thaksin's power base is.

You do realize that "Chinese" is not a "race"—which is a questionable term, anyway—right?

I love how Westerners are more than happy to luxuriate in the wealth that Chinese slaves create for them, but stand up in indignation as soon as they find out about Chinese migration.