Tourism
Chiang Rai’s Lue Lai Kham Museum, Rare Fabrics Woven by Ethnic Tai Lue Artisans
Lue Lai Kham is a private museum of Lue textile and fabric museum. The owner, Mr. Suriya Wongchai, started collecting Lue textiles and traditional costumes by buying old clothes from Lue villagers and exhibited them in his house.
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CHIANG RAI – Lue Lai Kham is museum of Lue textile and fabric museum. The owner, Mr. Suriya Wongchai, started collecting Lue textiles and traditional costumes by buying old clothes from Lue villagers and exhibited them in his house.
Suriya Wongchai’s efforts to save an important aspect of his ancestral legacy from extinction have culminated in a wonderful new museum in Chiang Rai, dedicated to the increasingly rare fabrics woven by ethnic Tai Lue artisans.
Suriya Wongchai spent more than a decade gathering as many fine samples of the textiles and costumes as he could before opening the Lue Lai Kham Museum three weeks ago in Baan Sri Don Chai, his birthplace. As an added attraction, it also boasts a quaint cafe overlooking rice fields. The project has cost him Bt5 million thus far.
The Tai Lue are mostly Buddhists. The Lue people of Sir Don Chai has a ceremony that shows the unity of Lue in the village. Called ‘Jul Kathin’, the ceremony will see the villagers help each other to weave monks’ robes and offer to the monks in the monastery.
The private museum was Suriya’s own residence, formerly a rustic wooden house on stilts, now augmented with concrete walls and an inclined “hip roof”. With more than 1,000 exhibits on view, it tells the history of Tai Lue people – who are thinly spread out in the upper Thai North, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and southern China – and lovingly illustrates the obsession of a dedicated collector.
“My ancestors migrated from Xishuangbanna in China and settled in Baan Sri Don Chai during the reign of King Rama V,” says the former schoolteacher. “Our village, not far from the town of Chiang Khong, only has about 2,000 residents, but we all share the same surname!”
The second floor of the house is an exhibition hall. It shows fabric and costumes from various groups of Lue in Thailand and neighbouring countries such as China, Vietnam and Laos.
Around 200 villagers are weavers and Suriya acquired 60 looms for their use, selling their textiles and tapestries at the museum. It’s extra income for them and helps keep the legacy alive. “The traditional textiles and the people who have the knowledge and skills to make them are slowly disappearing, so I wanted to preserve and share what makes all of this so fascinating.”
Suriya’s guide to collecting was the book “The Cultural Heritage of Tai Lue Textiles” by Soangsak Prangwatanakun of Chiang Mai University. The first floor of the museum has display panels with excerpts from the book, used with the author’s blessing, that provide an overview of the various Tai Lue groups and their distinctive styles.
The Lue Lai Kham Museum displays rare Tai Lue textiles from the north of Thailand and neighbouring countries
On the second floor, dressmakers’ mannequins are set up to show how the remarkable textiles are worn, again with excerpts and photos from Soangsak’s book lending context.
“Baan Sri Don Chai and Baan Hat Bai are the two Tai Lue villages in Chiang Khong district with quite distinctive weaving,” Suriya points out. “Sri Don Chai is noted for its koh luang technique, in which the supplementary weft is run back and forth with different-coloured thread. Each thread as it’s added is tied into the wrap yarn to strengthen the fabric and create the intricate pattern called lai nam lai [flowing water], which signifies the Tai Lue’s resettlement along the Mekong River.
“Hat Bai is known for its chok technique, where the supplementary weft forms a complex and colourful geometric pattern.”
A glass-front cupboard holds a stunning array of century-old tube skirts and blouses that the women of Sri Don Chai would have worn when attending weddings. The long-sleeved blouses are made from dark indigo-dyed cotton and decorated with triangular patterns of coloured thread.
“The typical tube skirt consists of the waistband, the main body and the hem border,” says Suriya. “The Sri Don Chai tube skirt is recognisable from the emphasis on bright horizontal patterns at the midriff and the plain, dark-tone hem. The coloured yarn remains bright because the women wore inner garments and didn’t have to wash the skirts that often.”
From a large Tai Lue population in Chiang Rai’s eastern Wiang Kaen district comes another woman’s costume featuring a plain, long-sleeved blouse in dark indigo and a tube skirt with a waistband in alternating green and black stripes. The rest of the skirt is a colourful geometric design combining the chok and koh luang methods.
Suriya also owns a rare selection of Tai Lue weaving from Laos, particularly the northern province of Luang Namtha. A typical woman’s cotton blouse might be black or dyed dark with indigo and have embroidered bands at the front, while the tube skirt mixed the techniques of chok, koh luang, ikat (mudmee), khit (using a continuous supplementary weft) and pan kai, the last with stripes of different-coloured yarn twisted together.
Thanks to their vivid shades, the textiles from Baan Doi Oup Fah in Laos’ northwest Sayaboury province are quite outstanding, and yet there are also expressions of the sorrow of war – mingled in with flowers and butterflies in the motifs are bombs and helicopters.
“The skirts were woven from small synthetic yarns using chemical dyes, so they’re much more colourful,” Suriya notes. “The decorative chok pattern on the main body might also indicate the wearer’s marital status. A married woman’s skirt would have a thinner pattern.”
Two mannequins wear the costumes of Tai Lue noble ladies from Chiang Tung in Myanmar. The blouses are Persian black velvet and rose-hued Chinese silk. The skirts have small alternating horizontal stripes and silky velvet at the hem.
From northern Vietnam there are a man’s black trousers and long-sleeved shirt with an embroidered standing collar and a woman’s blouse that’s all black except for coloured strips of prefabricated fabrics. The skirt bears geometric and symbolic motifs, rendered in the chok technique, the hems adorned with vertical embroidered fabric bands.
Also on display at the museum are ornaments and everyday items, including pha lop (a bed sheet), pha hom (a blanket) and pha chet (a shoulder cloth). These were generally woven from cotton and adorned with multi-coloured patterns.
By Khetsirin Pholdhampalit
IN THE WEAVE OF HISTORY
The Lue Lai Kham Museum is in Baan Sri Don Chai in Chiang Rai’s Chiang Khong district.
It’s open daily from 9 to 6. Admission is Bt50.
For more details, |call (089) 838 5724.
Art of Weaving: Tai Lue in northern Thailand
The Tai Lue (or Tai Lu) are a Tai ethnic group who speak a Tai language, Tai Lue, related to the Thai language.
Tai Lue are Buddhist like most Thai people are and share many of the same customs and traditions of Thai people such as building pagodas made of sand during Theravadan Buddhist New Years (Songkran).
Tai Lue live in the Golden Triangle area that stretches over many countries from Chiang Hung (or Chiang Rung or Jinghong) in the Sipsong Panna (or สิบสองปันนา or Xishuangbanna) region of Southern Yunnan, to Maesai, Chiang Khong and Chiang Kham in Thailand, to Muang Yawng in Burma and Muang Sing in northern Laos.
As for history, the mother of King Mengrai (1238–1317) the first king of the kingdom of Lanna in Chiang Mai and northern Thailand was a Tai Lue from Chiang Hung. Borders between countries or states did not exist then as they do now.
For the history of the Tai Lue and Tai in general based on Chinese, Tai and Burmese historical sources see two papers in the SOAS Bulletin of Burma Research: 1. Intra-dynastic and Inter-Tai Conflicts in the Old Kingdom of Moeng Lü in Southern Yunnan by Foon Ming Liew-Herres here and, 2. Crucible of War: Burma and the Ming in the Tai Frontier Zone (1382-1454) by Jon Fernquest here.
People from more nations will be now able to enter Thailand without a visa beginning Monday. This is part of an effort to increase tourism and encourage visitors to stay longer, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said on Friday.
According to Ms. Traisuree, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has signed four documents that will make it easier for foreigners to travel. These modifications will all take effect on Monday, provided they are published in the Royal Gazette.
The instructions include 93 more nations on the list of individuals who can visit Thailand without a visa, up from 57 previously. People from these countries can stay for a maximum of 60 days. Additionally, from 19 to 31, nearly twice as many nations will be able to obtain visas on arrival in Thailand.
To attract digital nomads, artists, and tourists interested in learning or practicing skills such as cooking and Muay Thai, the country will also introduce the Destination Thailand Visa service.
The new form of visa, which is valid for five years, allows travelers to stay for up to 180 days.
According to Ms. Traisuree, students holding visas for master’s degrees or higher will not be required to leave Thailand immediately upon graduation. They will be able to stay for an additional year to hunt for work or vacation.
In order to enhance the economy and tourism, the cabinet took a general decision on these additional measures in May. The statement was meant to be released in June, but it was pushed back.
Ms. Traisuree believes that this is the greatest sort of visa for persons who want to work from home in the Land of Smiles and explore the nation without the various restrictions and complications that come with conventional tourist visas.
Getting a DTV will give you a 5-year multiple-entry visa that lets you stay in Thailand for a total of 180 days a year, with the opportunity to stay for another 180 days.
Ms. Traisuree said that the Destination Thailand Visa is great if you want to work from home in the Land of Smiles and see the sights without the many restrictions and problems that come with a regular tourist visa. The Destination Thailand Visa will cost 10,000 THB.
Qualifications for the Thailand Destination Visa (DTV)
According to Thai Embassy, to be eligible for the visa, you must fulfill the following conditions (which could change):
- You have to be 20 years of age or older
- You have to be able to afford the cost of the visa
- To sustain your stay in the nation, you must demonstrate that you have at least 500,000 THB in your bank account
- Proof of your employment with a recognized company is required.
For digital nomads or remote workers who want to make the most of their travels and yet have the opportunity to work while they’re there, the Destination Thailand Visa is designed just for you. Additionally, it is ideal if you are traveling to Thailand in order to partake in any of the following activities:
- Thai food prepared with Muay Thai
- Instruction and conferences
- Sports medicine therapy
- International talent International music and art events
Thailand DTV Visa Benefits
Additionally, there is uncertainty about these details and they could change:
- In comparison to other Southeast Asian nations that provide comparable visas, Thailand has less stringent income requirements and charges for the visa. For another 10,000 THB, you can extend the visa once, for a maximum of 180 days.
- There are ninety-three foreign nations that qualify for the Thailand DTV Visa.
- With this visa, you can lawfully operate remotely for foreign clients and companies while in Thailand.
- Your spouse and any children under the age of twenty may accompany you.
- You are exempt from paying taxes on your foreign income because the visa allows you to stay in Thailand for up to 180 days.
Drawbacks of a Thailand DTV Visa
You are unable to work for a Thai company that needs a Thai work visa, even though you are still able to engage in some activities and make money. Your DTV will end if you decide to change the kind of visa you are currently on.
Additional information on the visa’s release date and application process will be available in late June or early July of 2024. You will most likely be able to apply for it via the Thai immigration office, a Thai embassy, or a Royal Thai Consulate.
Thailand’s Hotels Association (THA) reports that another German tour operator has gone bankrupt, but that this will have a far less effect than the recent bankruptcy of FTI Touristik.
Following notification from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Thai Hotels Association has now confirmed that the Cologne-based luxury tour operator Itravel Group has formally filed for bankruptcy.
Southern Thailand is home to numerous high-end resorts, which Itravel aims to attract, according to Thai Hotels Association president Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun.
As a result of Itravel’s bankruptcy, he said, the hotels association is currently collecting data from its members.
On Monday, the organization wrote to the TAT and the Foreign Ministry, requesting that they assist hotel operators in keeping up with legal developments surrounding the bankruptcy of the German tour operator FTI, which resulted in a loss of almost 111 million baht for hotels around the country.
Hotels having issues with Itravel
On Monday, during the THA monthly meeting, Mr. Thienprasit noted that they also emphasized the case’s urgency to Minister Sermsak Pongpanit of Tourism and Sports.
In response to allegations that hotel operators with business partnerships with Itravel were experiencing issues with financial transactions, the agency issued an alert to the industry, according to Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, TAT deputy governor for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.
He speculated that the losses might be lower with Itravel, an online travel agency that focuses on the niche luxury market, than with FTI, the third operator.
According to the Bangkok Post, at Monday’s THA meeting, Mr. Sermsak stated that the ministry will look into measures to assist hotels, especially since the goal of 3.5 trillion baht in tourism earnings for this year is still very ambitious.
According to Mr. Thienprasit, the organization is opposed to the government’s plans to increase the legal foreign ownership of condominiums from 49% to 75%. This, he added, might lead to an increase in unlawful accommodations and make other condo residents feel uneasy about having more guests around the clock.
Unscrupulous investors
He said that some international investors are already breaking the law by renting out their rooms to day guests, even though the Hotel Act only permits rentals of at least 30 days.
An increase in the foreign ownership quota for condos, according to Mr. Thienprasit, could entice unscrupulous investors and lead to the construction of even more unlawful rooms, which now exceed the number of registered hotel rooms by a factor of two.
The success of Thailand’s hotel industry is highly dependent on the business of tour operators. These collaborations bring in a constant flow of visitors, particularly during busy seasons.
It is more convenient for passengers to book comprehensive packages offered by tour operators, which include hotel accommodations and activities. Because of this arrangement, hotels may anticipate a specific amount of bookings without having to spend a lot on advertising.
Additionally, hotels are able to provide more affordable rates, which appeals to guests who are mindful of their budget. But if tour operators go through slumps or start focusing on other places, this dependence might be disastrous.
Source: Bangkok Post, Thai PBS
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SEE ALSO: Thailand Named Top Spot for Most Popular Tourist Destination
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