Even though it is thought that Chinese influence in Thailand started in the 1800s, it goes back much longer than that A famous 15 th Chinese explorer who was also a eunuch, Zheng Ho, said that even when he visited Thailand, which was then known as Siam, there were Chinese already living there because women were plentiful as there were a large number of monks in Siam Whether or not the reports were accurate, it shows that Chinese influence in Siam has been prominent for hundreds of years.
Moving to more modern times, thousands of Chinese immigrants from Southern China settled in Siam. They had a massive impact on the development of the new Thai capital city in 1782 that became Bangkok , or its local name, Krungthep Maha Nakhon. Bangkok’s Chinatown was born, which is currently known as ‘Yaowarat’ and is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world.