If you happen to visit Chiang Mai, the capital of North Thailand, make sure you begin your stay with a visit to the Arts and Cultural Centre, which is located right in the heart of the old walled city. The simple fact that the city is still surrounded ancient walls and a moat shows its great age; in fact, it was established in 1296, over 700 years ago.
Before you enter the centre, pause outside to take a look at the Three Kings Monument, where King Mengrai, the city’s founder, is depicted standing on a plinth with two other kings who helped him to build the Kingdom of Lanna, which in its heyday spread far into modern-day Myanmar, China and Laos.
The centre occupies a lovely colonial building that was built in the 1920s and has been lovingly restored, complete with shuttered windows. The building’s exhibits are spread over two floors, and occupy 15 rooms that detail the region’s history, development and culture.
Exhibits are presented using a variety of media, including paintings, dioramas, digital video presentations and graphic displays. There’s a focus on Buddhism in the region, life along the Ping River, relations with neighbouring countries, agricultural life and 12 months of traditions. One room is dedicated to portraits of the rulers of the city down through the centuries.
Besides the permanent exhibits, there are always temporary exhibitions on topics such as early black and white photography of the city. Don’t miss the reconstruction on the second floor of a traditional market, where you can see examples of local customs such as betel chewing and cloth merchants at work.
The last room upstairs is provides an overview of the many ethnic groups that live in the north, such as the Akha, Lisu and Hmong. If you’re planning to go trekking to hilltribe villages, you can get a good idea of what the different groups look like before you go.
It’s easy to spend a couple of hours or more wandering from room to room, which can be tiring, but if you feel in need of refreshment, don’t worry, because there’s a café conveniently located at the back of the building, next to a gift shop, which sells typical souvenirs of Chiang Mai.
While you’re in the city centre, it’s worth visiting two other museums that are located right next to this one. The first is the Historical Centre, just to the west, which goes into greater detail about the city’s history, and the other, to the east of the Three Kings Monument and Square, is the Lanna Folklife Museum, which displays some magnificent examples of local mural painting, sculpture, lacquerware and ceramics.
Admission to each of the museums is 90 baht, or you can get a ticket to visit all three for just 180 baht.
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