Chiangmai First Impression

 
“Chiang Mai Panorama from Doi Suthep Lookout (2014-08-08)” by Pratyeka – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Commons.

Chiang Mai means “new city” and was so named because it became the new capital of the Lan Na kingdom when it was founded in 1296, succeeding Chiang Rai, the former capital founded in 1262.^[1]:208-209

Chiang Mai gained prominence in the political sphere in May 2006, when the Chiang Mai Initiative was concluded between theASEAN nations and the “+3” countries (China, Japan, and South Korea). Chiang Mai was one of three Thai cities contending for Thailand’s bid to host the World Expo 2020 (the others were Chonburi and Ayutthaya).^[2] Ayutthaya, however, was the city ultimately chosen by the Thai Parliament to register for the international competition.^[3][4]