Day 1: Lanna Culture & CMU Friends

We visited Chiang Mai University(CMU), where we were warmly welcomed by Dr Vithi Panichapan.  We were given a crash course on the origins of Chiang Mai. It was very entertaining to learn about the development of the Lanna state and all the history of its evolution in to present day Chiang Mai. Some examples, we’ve learnt about the origins of Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, the characteristics of the people that came and went in ancient day Lanna, where it served as a cross road for people that hailed from many different races. Most importantly, it served as starting points for our team to research on the tangible and intangible aspects of heritage perceptions. However, I soon came to the realization that the tangible and intangible aspects of heritage, culture and traditions are interwoven intricately; one aspect cannot do without the other.

Later on, we were very honoured to be able join our CMU counterparts in learning more about two fascinating fields of research by our very own Professor Andrea Nanetti and Professor Michael Walsh. I was able to feel more appreciative of the the need of heritage studies and how they impact cultures and societies. The part which I could relate to most was the data, information, knowledge and wisdom model.

We also had to opportunity to interview our new CMU friends and professors for the purpose of data collection. It was a trying experience as the language barrier was very real. We had the assistance of Son, our CMU student correspondent and Vig, an admin in CMU’s International Affairs Department in translating the interviewees’ answers into English. Indeed, the ability to be able speak Thai would have definitely be of great help in understanding their perceptions of Chiang Mai’s heritage more accurately.

The responses were not far beyond my expectations of what I thought typical students would say. When we asked them about what heritage in Chiang Mai means to them, they responded that it is the sum of all aspects in their culture and society, such as the architecture, food, dance, music and the language. They also highlighted that these are critical to their self identity, as Thais, and more importantly as people of Chiang Mai.

The CMU students also responded that their heritage should be preserved for as long as the place exists, mainly because it gives them their identity. However, upon bringing up the question of the inevitable choice of choosing either between economic development and heritage preservation, the students seemed to have hesitated, perhaps even a little surprised. They seemed to have failed to take into consideration that development of cities inevitably leads to the erosion of cultures and traditions. Ultimately, they went on to respond that they would very much like to preserve their heritage as much as they can while Chiang Mai continues to make its mark in the modern globalized arena. Perhaps, this showed their ignorance of the overall cost and benefits through their initial generic answer of just continuing to preserve heritage. In my opinion, this might also be a sign that they apathetic towards such issues, and it might also be reflective of the general youth population in Chiang Mai. However, it is not possible to draw a conclusion as our sample size remains very small.

However, what struck me was a question by their Professor Dr. Waranan during my interview with her. To rephrase a statement of what she said was, “Chiang Mai has been around for many years, why do you think that we have to always give up heritage for development. The fact that Chiang Mai still possesses rich tradition and cultural values reflects that it is possible for heritage and development to go hand in hand together.” It sparked an idea that these two aspects could co-exist, or maybe be symbiotic in nature which creates more value in the city, instead of a zero-sum game.