Ep. 261 | The History of the Thai Chinese (Part 3)
In this Part 3 episode, we’ll take the Thai Chinese history a little further up the timeline to the Thonburi Kingdom of Taksin the Great and into the Chakri Dynasty with King Rama I. After shaking things up profoundly in China, the Age of Imperialism will now come knocking on Siam’s door.
As before and in the years to follow, Siam’s ethnic Chinese proved to be a formidable force in keeping the ship of state afloat and prospering while colonialism raged across Southeast Asia.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | Thai | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaungpaya | 雍笈牙 | အလောင်းဘုရား | Founder of the Burmese Alaungpaya Dynasty. Reigned 1752 to 1760. Unified Upper and lower Burma |
| Ayudhya | 艾尤塔雅 | อยุธยา | Also written Ayutthaya and Ayodhya, City north of Bangkok that was site of a Siamese kingdom that lasted 1350 to 1767 |
| Chakri Dynasty | 查克里王朝 | ราชวงศ์จักรี | The current ruling dynasty in Thailand, founded 1782 |
| Chanthaburi | 庄他武里 | เทศบาลเมืองจันทบุรี | City located about a three and a half hour car ride from Bangkok driving southeast. Also lots of Teochews settled there |
| Chao Muong | Similar to the Chao Sua but primarily in the south of Thailand. They were also called Hokkien Rajah's | ||
| Chao Sua | Upper crust ethnic Chinese families who gained riches through their association with the royal house. | ||
| Chiang Mai | 清迈 | เชียงใหม่ | City in Northern Thailand that I might retire to one day |
| Chin Kun | Patriarch of a very distinguished ethnic Chinese Siamese family. He had made a name for himself as one of Taksin’s military commanders but had demonstrated immediate loyalty to Rama I | ||
| Cháozhōu | 潮州 | City bordering Jieyang and Shantou from whence we get the name Teochew | |
| Chénghǎi | 澄海 | Major city in Shantou | |
| Dàoguāng Emperor | 道光帝 | Qing emperor from 1820-1850 | |
| Fújiàn | 福建 | ฝูเจี้ยน | Coastal province in southern China where all Hokkien and Hokchiu people hail from |
| Guāngxù | 光绪 | Qing Emperor from 1875-1908 | |
| Guǎngdōng | 广东 | กวางตุ้ง | Continental China's southernmost province |
| Hokkien | 福建 | ฝูเจี้ยน | Overseas Fujian people who primarily came from the south, around Xiamen and Zhangzhou and all points in between |
| Huáfù Village | 华富村 | The village in Shgantou where Taksin's father came from | |
| Hán River | 韩江 | One of the major rivers of the Chaoshan region | |
| King Borommakot | 波隆摩閣 | บรมโกศ | King of Siam who reigned from 1733 to 1758 |
| King Hsinbyushin | 辛標信 | ဆင်ဖြူရှင် | Burmese king who reigned 1763 to 1776. Led the destruction of Ayudhya |
| King Thai Sa | 泰沙 | สมเด็จพระที่นั่งบรรยงค์รัตนาสน์ | Also known as King Phet. Reigned 1709-1733. Was a real friend of the ethnic Chinese |
| kǒutiān Wú | 口天吴 | The Wu character made up of the components kou 口 and tian 天, pronounced Hao in Hokkien | |
| Lan Na Kingdom | 兰纳王国 | อาณาจักรล้านนา | Another Indianized kingdom in Northern Thailand, also known as Lannathai, south of Chiang Mai |
| Pattaya | 芭達雅 | พัทยา | City located 62 miles from Bangkok |
| Phrakhlang | กรมพระคลัง | The most powerful ministry in Siam. Responsible for foregn trade, foreign relations and the treasury | |
| Qiánlóng Emperor | 乾隆帝 | จักรพรรดิเฉียนหลง | One of China's long-reigning emperors who ruled China 1735-1796 during the peak of the Qing Dynasty |
| Rayong | 羅勇 | ระยอง | City located on the Gulf of Thailand side of the country |
| Shàntóu | 汕头 | ซัวเถา | Major city of the Chaoshan region where the Teochew people came from originally |
| Shíquán Wǔgōng | 十全武功 | The Qianlong Emperor's Ten Great Campaigns | |
| Songkhla | 宋卡 | สงขลา | City located in the south of Thailand….almost at the Malaysia border |
| Tak | 达府 | จังหวัดตาก | a province halfway between Bangkok and Chiangmai |
| Taksin the Great | 达信大帝 | สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช | King of Siam 1767-1782, founded the Thonburi Kingdom |
| Teochew | 潮州人 | แต้จิ๋ว | Chinese born or descended from the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province |
| Thonburi | 吞武里 | ธนบุรี | Thonburi today is a district of Bangkok。 Formerly it was the site of Taksin's Thonburi Kingdom |
| Thong Duang | 通鑾 / 拉玛一世 | ทองด้วง / พระบาทสมเด็จพระพุทธยอดฟ้าจุฬาโลกมหาราช | Founding first monarch of the current Chakri Dynasty. Known by his simplified regnal name of Rama I. |
| Trat | 达勒 | ตราด | Town in eastern Thailand, lots of Teochews migrated there....Pol Pot too after he was overthrown |
| Tóngzhì | 同治 | Qing Emperor 1861-1875 | |
| Vajiralongkor | 玛哈·哇集拉隆功 / 拉玛十世 | วชิราลงกรณ | King Rama X, the Kingdom of Thailand's king since October 13, 2016. Coironated on May 4, 2019 |
| Wǔ Ràng | 吴让 | One of the early Hokkien Rajah's better known as Hao Yiang. They changed their surname to Na Songkhla | |
| Xiánfēng | 咸丰 | Qing Emperor 1850-1861 | |
| Yàn Wō | 燕窝 | รังนก | Birds Nest Soup |
| Zhèjiāng | 浙江 | เจ้อเจียง | Coastal Province in China just north of Fujian |
| Zhèng | 郑 | เจิ้ง | Surname of Taksin the Great and his father |
| Zhèng Zhāo | 郑昭 | เจิ้งโจว | Taksin's Chinese name |
| Zhāngzhōu | 漳州 | จางโจว | City in southern Fujian where many Hokkien Overseas Chinese originated from |
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