A History of Thai Chinese - by Jeffery Sng & Pimpraphai Bisalputra (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"No book illustrates the contributions of the Chinese in Thailand and their rich shared history better than this one. Its insights are the most illuminating I have read on the subject and should reach the widest audience possible." --Wang Gungwu, University Professor Emeritus, National University of Singapore

"This masterpiece has truly opened a much needed and much anticipated new horizon in the studies of the Chinese diaspora." --Wasana Wongsurawat, Department of History, Chulalongkorn University

The Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia is the largest and most influential in the world, and its most notable product is modern Thailand. Across many centuries, the Chinese have migrated to Thailand's ports and cities as traders, laborers and adventurers--eventually becoming merchants, bankers and even royalty. They have had a huge impact on Siamese history and society well beyond the confines of Bangkok's vibrant Chinatown. Today, the Thai Chinese are well represented among the country's governing elite and their business magnates dominate national industries from rice, tin and rubber to manufacturing, banking and retail.

Former diplomat Jeffrey Sng and Sino-Thai scholar Pimpraphai Bisalputra tell the remarkable story of how this minority has been embraced and assimilated at all levels of Thai society right up to the pinnacles of power and commerce. Drawing on interviews with prominent Chinese families, archives, documents and oral histories, they weave touching human stories into a sweeping historical narrative. The book covers Chinese migrations dating back to the 14th century, followed by their rise as merchants, tax farmers and government servants in the 18th century, to their leading role in Thai business and politics in recent times.

This colorful account of the Thai Chinese is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand modern-day Thailand.

Review Quotes

"A History of the Thai Chinese does a splendid job of filling the long-neglected gap in the studies of the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. The anomalous history of the mysterious ethnic Chinese of Siam has been thoroughly investigated in the most meticulous and comprehensive manner by Pimpraphai Bisalputra and Jeffery Sng. This masterpiece has truly opened a much needed and much anticipated new horizon in the studies of the Chinese diaspora." --Wasana Wongsurawat, Assistant Professor, Chulalongkorn University

"The success of Southeast Asia remains a key mystery. One key to solving this mystery is to study the role of the Chinese diaspora. No country in Southeast Asia has been as successful as Thailand in integrating its Chinese community. This book provides deep insights into this process and should provide illumination reading for anyone interested in Southeast Asian success stories. It is a must-read." --Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, and author of The Great Convergence: Asia, the West and the Logic of One World

"The Chinese in Thailand have sunk deep roots and shared a rich history with Thai peoples at all levels. How and why this happened has been an inspiration to Chinese and other communities in the region for a long time. But no book illustrates and explains this phenomenon as well as this one. Its insights into what the Thai-Chinese have contributed to their country as Sino-Thai are the most illumination I have read and should reach the widest audience possible." --Wang Gungwu, University Professor, National University of Singapore

About the Author

Jeffery Sng and Pimpraphai Bisalputra have dedicated much of their lives to the study of Chinese and Thai history. Sng studied philosophy and literature at Singapore University then attended Cornell University for postgraduate studies at the Institute of Southeast Asian studies. He has lived in Bangkok for over 30 years, writing articles about the Chinese Diaspora, the Thai Chinese business community, Chinatown and many other topics. Pimpraphai graduated from the London School of Economics and attended Cornell for her postgraduate studies. She has published extensively on the Chinese in Thailand. The pair previously collaborated on the book Bencharong & Chinawares in the Court of Siam, The Surat Osathanugrah Collections.