Thai Chinese
Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais), Thais of Chinese origin (Thai: ชาวไทยเชื้อสายจีน; exonym and also domestically) are Chinese descendants in Thailand. Thai Chinese are the largest minority group in the country and the largest overseas Chinese community in the world with a population of approximately 10–14 million people, accounting for 15–20 percent of the total population of the country as of 2012. It is also the oldest and most prominently integrated overseas Chinese community, with a history dating back to the 1100s. Slightly more than half of the ethnic Chinese population in Thailand trace their ancestry to Chaoshan. This is evidenced by the prevalence of the Teochew dialect among the Chinese community in Thailand as well as other Chinese languages.: 93 The term as commonly understood signifies those whose ancestors immigrated to Thailand before 1949.
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, a Chinese Buddhist temple in Thailand | |
| Total population | |
| c. 7–10 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Thailand | |
| 9.5 million (2013)
Throughout the country Significant diaspora in: Australia United States Canada Taiwan Malaysia Singapore | |
| Languages | |
| Central Thai (native) Historically Teochew, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainanese, Cantonese, Southwestern Mandarin & Hokchew | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Theravada Buddhism Minorities Agnostic, Chinese folk religion, Mahayana Buddhism, Christianity, Chinese Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Thais Peranakans Overseas Chinese Han Chinese |
| Thai Chinese | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 華裔泰國人 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 华裔泰国人 | ||||||||||||||||||
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The Thai Chinese have been deeply ingrained into all elements of Thai society over the past 200 years. The present Thai royal family, the Chakri dynasty, was founded by King Rama I who himself was partly Chinese. His predecessor, King Taksin of the Thonburi Kingdom, was the son of a Chinese father from Chaoshan. With the successful integration of historic Chinese immigrant communities in Thailand, a significant number of Thai Chinese are the descendants of intermarriages between ethnic Chinese and native Thais. Many of these descendants have assimilated into Thai society and self-identify solely as Thai.
The Thai Chinese are well-established in the middle class and upper classes of Thai society and are well represented at all levels of Thai society.: 3, 43 They play a leading role in Thailand's business sector and dominate the Thai economy today.: 22 : 179 In addition, Thai Chinese elites of Thailand have a strong presence in Thailand's political scene with most of Thailand's former Prime Ministers and the majority of parliament having at least some Chinese ancestry.: 58 Thai Chinese elites of Thailand are well represented among Thailand's rulers and other sectors.