The Land and its People

The Land and its People From rice fields to rubies: a country as varied and complex as its people
images of Thailand among outsiders vary according to taste and temperament. To some, the country conjures up a King and I fantasy of gilded temples and palaces, to others a palm-fringed beach of snowy white sand, an exotic tribal village high in misty mountains or the brassy, big-city lure of Bangkok. All are valid enough as individual impressions, yet misleading in terms of the whole, for Thailand, like its food, is a complex mixture of flavors and the product of a unique history.

Covering some 198,500 square miles—roughly the size of France—it encompasses a wide range of topography. Mountains in the far north, where Thailand's borders meet those of Burma and Laos, rise to more than 8,000 feet, with verdant valleys and the remains of once-extensive teak forests.

The northeast consists of a rolling semi-arid plateau stretching all the way to the Mekong River, while the flat central plains, watered by the chao Phraya River, form one of the richest rice-growing regions on earth. The narrow southern isthmus, extending down to Malaysia, is bordered on one side by the Gulf of Thailand and on the other by the Indian Ocean, with a spine of rugged limestone mountains down the middle.

A largely benign climate allows year-round cultivation of crops, not only rice but also fruits and vegetables. Even today, despite the growth of urban areas, the great majority of the population can be found in villages of around 150 households (about 700 people) who derive their living from agriculture. Other natural resources include a variety of minerals, precious stones, such as rubies and sapphires, and an abundance of seafood along two long coastlines bordering the Indian Ocean to the west and the South China Sea to the east.

The Thais were not the first people drawn to this land of plenty. Evidence of settlers dating back to the Paleolithic Age, some 500,000 years ago, have been found in several parts of the country, and archaeologists exploring a cave near the Burmese border discovered the carbonized remains of such plants as Chinese water chestnut, bottle gourd and cucumber that were dated from 9,700 to 6,000 B.C. The most dramatic and extensive prehistoric remains have emerged in the northeast, where a remarkable culture flourished from around 4,000 B.C. to just after the start of the christian Era, numbering among its achievements rice cultivation and sophisticated bronze metallurgy.

Indian traders later established ports along the southern peninsula, bringing not only Buddhism but numerous other cultural and culinary influences. Mon settlers arrived around the same time in the chao Phraya valley and founded the Dvara-vati kingdom, a major producer of rice as well as an important religious center. Their power was eventually replaced by that of the Khmers, whose empire once extended over the northeast and much of the central region.

The ethnic Thais, originating as a minority group in what is now southern China, gradually migrated southward in search of greater independence and better land for agriculture. The earliest groups settled in the far north, forming a loose federation of city states centered around Chiang Mai. Others ventured farther down, to the northern extremities of the central plains. By the 13th century, the Thais had established themselves in such numbers that they were eventually able to overthrow their Khmer overlords and establish a kingdom of their own.

This kingdom was called Sukhothai, which in Sanskrit means "Dawn of Happiness," and though its power lasted less than two centuries, its influence proved far more enduring. Under King Ramkhamhaeng, the greatest Sukhothai ruler, the Thai alphabet was devised, splendid works of Buddhist art were created and a truly indigenous Thai culture emerged.

Ayutthaya, the next capital, began in 1350 as a small city-state on the chao Phraya River and over the next 400 years became one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Southeast Asia. Countless new ingredients were added to the Thai cultural blend

in this period, during which the first contacts were made with Europe and an active trade established with other Asian countries. At its peak in the late 17th century, Ayutthaya had a population greater than London, representing more than a dozen different cultures.

Less than a century later, Ayutthaya fell to an invading Burmese army, which proceeded to burn the great city and disperse most of its people. The Thais rallied with remarkable speed, however, and within the next fifteen years had managed to expel the Burmese and to establish a temporary capital farther down the river at Thonburi. In 1782, a dynamic young military leader assumed the throne as King Rama I, founded the present chakri Dynasty, and moved the capital across the chao Phraya to what is now Bangkok.

Bangkok began as a conscious evocation of the lost capital of Ayutthaya. Many of the early palaces and temples were replicas of similar ones in the old capital; similarly, too, an intricate network of canals served as streets, crowded with boats of all kinds.

But with growing prosperity, this traditional Thai aspect soon changed dramatically. Though skilled Chakri rulers were able to maintain the kingdom's independence, Chinese immigrants who came in large numbers to the new city, as well as Western traders, added to its diversity. By the end of the 19th century, roads stretched far from the river banks and Bangkok was well on its way to becoming a modem, Western-style city—at least in appearance.

Change was more gradual in the countryside, where the age-old patterns continued to prevail. Indeed, some areas, such as the far north and the northeast, remained relatively isolated until

well into the present century, preserving regional ways that included cooking as well as other aspects of culture. Even Bangkok, behind its facade, is still more Thai than many visitors might perceive, since it is for the most part composed of villagers attracted by city jobs but attuned to traditional ways.

Famed for their dazzling smiles, love of fun and apparent adaptability, the Thais also have other traits, perhaps less evident to the casual observer: a toughness which enabled them to prevail over others who sought the same territory, a passion for independence and, most of all, a genius for absorbing outside influences while maintaining their own distinctive identity.