The unavoidable and never-failing icebreaker -- do you have any Chinese blood? -- will always have its place in Thai society. Yet it's also something of an empty question, believes Singaporean author Jeffery Sng: "By the time Phibunsongkhram changed the country's name to Thailand, the Thais were already so mixed that it was hard to find anyone 100% Thai."
Sng's recently released book, A History Of The Thai-Chinese, co-written by his Thai wife Pimpraphai Bisalputra, who comes from a prominent Chinese family, explores just how influential the Chinese have been in Thailand throughout the ages. Whether in the spheres of politics, culture, economics or even the kitchen, it is this flow of Teochew, Hakka, Cantonese, Hokkien and Hainan immigrants that literally developed the country to what it is today -- so great was their multitude that one even became king. Since George William Skinner's Chinese Society In Thailand was published in 1957, hardly any other books on this topic have been published in English, save for PhD theses that are often too specialised for the public.
This 464-page book is a long-awaited insight into the community, bringing to light many fascinating stories and dispelling myths that would make any serious historian burst out laughing. (See full review on right). Chinese migrants have been coming to settle on Thai shores for centuries, each wave a direct reflection of China's political situation. Whether it was to escape prosecution from the Manchurians, the fall of the Ming dynasty or war with Japan, the mass migrations can all be traced to big events.
Phra Bisarn Pholpanich (Gao Li Cai).
"It's a story of war and peace," Pimpraphai says. "The Chinese respect their ancestors and need to go pay respect to burial sites. If they fail to do that, they believe the spirits of their ancestors won't look after them and they'll suffer. This alone doesn't allow the Chinese to migrate, unless they are under circumstances where they can no longer survive."
Upon touching down in Siam, in the pre-Chakri era, it was the Chinese immigrants' freedom that allowed them to work to rise above the ranks. They all came penniless, but unlike the Thai commoners, or prai, they were not bound to any lords or kings.
"Prais could not just run away because they were owned and needed to give service to their feudal lords," explains Sng. "When the economy expanded in the 19th century, there was a need for a lot of manpower. The Chinese could go anywhere and engage in any kind of work, such as building railways, thus becoming indispensable."
They gravitated towards their own kind, living under the protection of ang yi, or triads/secret societies where everyone ate, worked and helped each other.
"Thai people see the ang yi as mafia no-gooders, but they had their roles in protecting the poor," says Pimpraphai.
"Yes, they are gangsters, but they may not be criminals. It's just a self-help organisation that protects their own small community. To be a community leader, you need to be able to control and make sure everybody is behaving well. In Phuket, different groups fought one another because they needed to fight for fresh water supplies. They fought, but it was to protect their own interest for survival and if you look at it that way, there is nothing wrong with them."
Various kings made use of these societies in order to help build Siam by relying on their local power, especially in a time when policemen and bureaucracy did not yet exist. Wars were fought and masses of Chinese people were controlled by these triads for Siam, so much so you could say the Thai government was "feeding the ang yi".
Singaporean author Jeffery Sng with his Thai wife, Pimpraphai Bisalputra, authors of A History Of The Thai-Chinese.
"In the olden days, ang yi were respected and recognised as legitimate leaders of the Chinese communities, many getting elevated to nobles. Back then, kings encouraged people to have power because you wanted to have them join you and use their power. This is how Genghis Khan ran the country too -- by uniting all the regional powers," says Sng.
Unlike the Chinese that settled in other Southeast Asian countries, the Chinese in Thailand easily managed to assimilate with the locals since the Ayutthaya period. As they did not face colonial policies of segregation that the Dutch and British imposed elsewhere, they married Thai people and became "Thai" themselves. Sng points to a picture of King Chulalongkorn in a Manchu gown in his book, and explains that Siamese royalty has a significant Chinese lineage.
"But there is a change of attitude today and if you look at Thai movies such as Suriyothai and Naresuan, the emphasis is not on the Chinese side of the royalty anymore, but the Mon. The new message now is to counterbalance and dilute the old image, because in today's modern state, alliances with the Chinese are no longer necessary, like in the olden days."
Growing up in the gloom of the Cold War years, Pimpraphai remembers Thailand's hostile stance towards the Chinese. However, as China opened up and communism subsided, the Thai-Chinese felt they could easily become Thai and adopt Chinese culture. Love them or loathe them, there is no doubt about the influence this diaspora has created in Thailand, even down to the food that Thais eat. Traditionally, Thais mostly ate vegetables, chilli paste and whatever they could catch from the rivers.
"Thais were not meat eaters," Pimpraphai says. "In Ayutthaya records, it shows that Thais didn't kill animals, so the slaughter of pigs, cows and buffaloes were left to the Muslims and Chinese. All the Thai food with duck, chicken and beef is, in fact, influenced by the Chinese."
Reflecting on herself, she observes that there is a certain level of Chinese cultural revival and yearning today, to learn more about the appropriate ceremonies and foods that forebears were accustomed to before assimilating. However, being able to trace one's roots today can be but a nostalgic daydream.
Most drugstores in Thailand are operated by Thai-Chinese.
"We've been outside of China for so long that it's hard to go back," the author reflects. "When we learn of our past, we read that women from China suffer so much. But after the communist revolution, China has changed and women no longer suffer. It's a brave new world and we're not accustomed to that. The longing of the Thai-Chinese tends to be tied with the past and I don't think they know the new China."
China has become very powerful indeed, with their economy finally exceeding the American economy in terms of size in December 2014.
"The future of Thailand too, hangs on the economic clout of China," says Sng. "The Western market is in trouble now and it's very important that the Chinese buy Thai products."
The new China may be mightier than ever before, yet, Pimpraphai came across a new phenomenon in a discussion with a fellow professor at Thammasat university. The years may pass, but the old Chinese saying that migrants once offered each other for comfort -- "we're on the same sampao (junk ship) together" -- may surface again after all.
"These new Chinese are migrating to Thailand... to sell gyoza!" she exclaims. "Why now? In China, everything is very competitive, even their citizens find it hard to get to the top of their career. They feel that there are better opportunities in other places. A new migration pattern is coming."
