Round 2: Chiang Mai Global Studies Scavenger Hunt

Notes

• You get one point for each sub-bullet answered

• At the end of round 2, if you have at least 13 (out of 17) points from round 2, you get to choose a treat

• Gray is not relevant in that round

• 9 need to have a website pasted in your answer and 8 can be from Google AI

Round 2: Online

Government (2)

• What is the form of government in Thailand - ie democracy, monarchy, etc. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. https://www.britannica.com/place/Thailand/Government-and-society 

• How is Chiang Mai represented in the national government body (ie Parliament or Congress). Actually no, Chiang Mai is not represented by a congress. Chiang Mai is a province in Thailand and is not represented in the way a US state would be. 

Gender Equality (3)

• How does gender equality seem in Chiang Mai? There is a ban of discrimination from what one’s gender is or how one expresses themself through gender. https://www.equaldex.com/region/chiang-mai#:~:text=LGBT%20discrimination%20in%20Chiang%20Mai%20is%20illegal%20in%20some%20contexts.&text=The%20Gender%20Equality%20Act%20B.E.,discrimination%20based%20on%20gender%20expression. 

  • Do you see women out in public life - working, spending time with friends, driving, etc?

  • What is the women’s labor force rate? 45.85 % in 2023: https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/labor-force-female-percent-of-total-labor-force-wb-data.html#:~:text=Labor%20force%2C 

  • What is the rate of domestic violence? Sadly, Thailand ranks in the top 10 countries with the most domestic violence by this news source: https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40031638 

  • Are women represented in elected and appointed government?  And, if so, at what rate? Thailand's parliament is overwhelmingly male, with only 19.4% being female. This being said, the current president of Thailand is Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Which is a female, and also the youngest president Thailand has seen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assembly_(Thailand)#:~:text=Thailand's%20parliament%20is%20overwhelmingly%20male,female%20parliamentarians%20of%2024%20percent. 

Economics (1)

• How well off does Chiang Mai seem? 

  • Do you see a lot of homelessness?

  • Do you see people begging? 

  • Are there lots of men hanging out on the street unemployed?

• Does it seem like there are good social services in Chiang Mai?

  • Locate a school or hospital and observe how well maintained it seems to be

  • Is there garbage on the street?

  • Do you see street lamps?

• In the space of a block, record the various businesses

  •  What does the predominant economy of this area seem to be?

  • Does it seem like there are a good amount of customers?

  • If you were to open a business in Chiang Mai, what would it be?

  • Why do you think things are so affordable in Chiang Mai?

• Black market

  • What is the government doing to counter the proliferation of the opium trade? The Thai government does not permit, encourage, nor facilitate the trade of opium. Opium has been outlawed since 1959. https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2015/vol1/239018.htm#:~:text=As%20a%20matter%20of%20policy,by%20individuals%20or%20government%20agencies. https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2015/vol1/239018.htm#:~:text=As%20a%20matter%20of%20policy,by%20individuals%20or%20government%20agencies. 

History (2)

• Visit the Chiang Mai City Heritage Center and either see a photo exhibit or the Lanna Folklife Center or the Chiang Mai Historical Center

  • What are two things about Chiang Mai that you learned from this visit?

  • What was the Lanna Kingdom and what role did Chiang Mai play in it? The Lanna kingdom was one of the first major Thai Kingdoms, founded by Mangrai. Chiang Mai just so happened to be the kingdom's capital city. https://www.britannica.com/place/Lan-Na

  • How long did the Lanna Kingdom last? The Lanna kingdom was formed in 1292 and ended in 1775. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lan_Na 

  • Do you see any remnants of the Lanna Kingdom still in Chiang Mai today?

Culture (4)

• What do you observe about the culture in Chiang Mai? For example:

  • Is it conservative? (Are women covered? Are there bars? Are men and women together on the street?)

  • What religious institutions do you see?

  • What is something about the culture in Chiang Mai that seems different from the other places we have visited in Thailand?

  • What is a holiday that is celebrated in Chiang Mai that reflects its culture? Māgha Pūjā is a Buddhist festival on the day of the full moon, not only is it celebrated in Chiang Mai, but also in Cambodia, Loas, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Māgha_Pūjā 

  • Is there food that is special to the region around Chiang Mai? Khao Soi is a creamy soup/curry that is especially known in northern Thailand. But the dish isn’t actually special to the area’s religion. Instead, a dish called “Buddha's delight” or “Lo Han Jai” is a traditional vegetarian buddhist meal.  

  • Why is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple considered to be so important to Thai people? its relic as well as the influence from Chiang Mai being the center of the Lanna Kingdom back in the 13th century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Phra_That_Doi_Suthep#:~:text=Wat%20Phra%20That%20Doi%20Suthep%20is%20considered%20to%20be%20one,back%20in%20the%2014th%20century. 

  • What is sihuhata? Sihuhata is a mythical beast form of Phra Indra, the heavenly king. Sihuhata is normally shown as having four eyes and four ears. 

• Does it seem like traditional culture is still practiced?

  • Are there a lot of religious institutions?

  • Cultural centers?

  • Traditional clothing still being worn on the street? 

Geography (6)

• Look on a map 

  • What is noteworthy about Chiang Mai’s geographic location? Chiang Mai is situated in an intermontane basin on the Ping river. Making it saturated with religion, culture, and economy. 

• Impact of Geography

  • How are the citizens of Chiang Mai impacted by the environment? Chiang Mai citizens face significant environmental impacts, particularly during the “haze season,” where the air Fula with pollution from and forest fires. 

  • Are the main economic areas impacted by Chiang Mai’s geography? I.e. a big logging sector or solar panel usage, etc. I would say yes, because the old town is big among tourists.

• Human intervention

  • Has Chiang Mai’s geography been impacted by human intervention? Human activity, particularly rapid urbanization and its associated land use changes, has significantly altered Chiang Mai, leading to increased air and water pollution, and traffic congestion.

  • Does climate change impact Chiang Mai and, if so, how? Chiang Mai has been hardly impacted by air pollution. 

  • Are there other environmental impacts of humans on the geography? (ie deforestation, soil erosion, water depletion). There are many forest fires created by climate change and global warming. This leads to deforestation and air pollution. 

• What do you observe about Chiang Mai’s geography from walking around?