29/09/2025
𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 “𝐍𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝” — 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐢’𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝-𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚?
From news reports, someone unfamiliar with Chiang Mai’s geography might think the entire city is regularly submerged by floods. In reality, it’s primarily one specific area that bears the brunt — 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐡𝐥𝐚𝐧.
● Historical Chiang Mai, enclosed by walls with towers and a moat — what we now call the “Old City” — was deliberately built at a distance from the Ping River for a reason. To the west of the river there used to be a swampy, low-lying floodplain where water from Doi Suthep mountain would flow, turning the area into a seasonal lake during the rainy season.
● To reclaim some of this land, the Mae Kha Canal was dug parallel to the river in the 19th century. You’ve likely seen it if you’ve wandered east of the Old City — for instance, on Loi Kroh Road, where it’s spanned by a bridge adorned with lion statues. Today, much of the canal has become a neglected, overgrown ditch, hidden behind buildings, except for a small, beautified section known as the Mae Kha Canal Walking Street (more on that below). The earth excavated from the canal formed a city rampart, and the street running along its inner side is still called Kampeng Din, meaning “Earth Wall.” You may have noticed the tree-covered remnants of this rampart near the bridge with lion statues.
● Since its creation, the Mae Kha Canal and Kampeng Din Street have separated the flood-prone parts of Chiang Mai from areas that almost never flood.
● (Over time, the rampart and canal took on another role: when they became overgrown with trees and bushes, Kampeng Din Street became home to numerous brothels with back exits leading into the dense, rubbish-filled thickets where police rarely ventured. S*x workers and their clients could hide there during nighttime raids. But that’s a story for another time! :)
● Within the fortified walls and moats of the “sacred city,” the Lanna-Thai elite and monasteries resided. The land east of Thapae Gate, up to the earth wall and canal, served as a suburb, while the area along the wall was considered the city’s seedy outskirts. The flood-prone lands east of the canal, stretching to the Ping River, were deemed undesirable and even “impure,” with no permanent residents.
● Meanwhile, at the site of the current pedestrian bridge near the Flower Market, there were landing places where goods were transferred from elephants to boats and vice versa. Elephant caravans arrived from Burma, while boats came from Siam (first Ayutthaya, then Bangkok). Over time, this place developed into what is now Warorot Market.
● The name “Chang Khlan” (“ช้างคลาน”), originally referring to the entire low-lying strip of land between the Mae Kha Canal and the Ping River, translates from Thai as “crawling elephants.” The roads here were so muddy and rutted that elephants had to slog through belly-deep muck. Later, the name became associated with the main road in the district, running south from Warorot Market parallel to the river and canal.
● In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chiang Mai saw an influx of foreign traders: Muslim Chinese from Yunnan province, Teochew Chinese from Guangdong province, and Indian textile merchants—Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. The Thai administration allocated land for these “aliens” (ต่างด้าว) outside the Thai city, along the Ping River. These communities formed distinct neighborhoods along Chang Khlan Road, each with their own temples, which still indicate who lived where.
● Europeans were also granted land solely along the Ping River. As a result, Chiang Mai’s oldest foreign consulates, Christian churches, and international schools are now located in this area. The riverside restaurants in historic colonial-style buildings on the eastern bank of the river, north of Nawarat Bridge and opposite the Flower Market, were once part of the “missionary quarter” centered around the American First Church of Chiang Mai. The former British Consulate building (closed in 1978) is now part of the Anantara Chiang Mai Resort, where it also houses a bar and restaurant.
● The Chang Khlan area continued to flood annually. Foreign traders in Chiang Mai had to build their homes and warehouses on stilts or platforms and keep boats on hand. Over time, however, they settled in and prospered — especially the Teochew Chinese, renowned for their entrepreneurial spirit. The Thai-Chinese community built solid сoncrete markets along Chang Khlan Road, transforming it into Chiang Mai’s main commercial street. Unfortunately, flooding continues to this day.
𝟗 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐡𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 (9 is a highly auspicious number in Chinese culture, symbolizing completeness and fulfillment :)
Moving from north to south:
1. Warorot Market - The place to go if you need exotic fabrics that Indian traders purchase in small batches through their Indian networks. In the evenings, a small Chinese market operates here with street food (though mostly Thai cuisine).
2. The Pung Tao Gong Ancestral Temple - Once the heart of the Teochew Chinese community, this is a must-visit if you love colorful Chinese temples. Located near Warorot Market.
3. Friday Halal Market opposite the Yunnan Chinese Mosque - Visit here to try authentic Chinese food (not exclusively halal) and Kao Soi Islam, the predecessor of Northern Thai Kao Soi. Located behind Kalare Market. We wrote about this market here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1afyvhgCEn/
4. Anusarn and Kalare Markets (the section of Chang Khlan Road between them transforms into the Night Bazaar in the evening) - For souvenir shopping and Thai street food. Not the cheapest or most authentic spot in the city.
5. SK Exchange - Usually offers the best exchange rates in Chiang Mai. We always exchange currency here ourselves, including what our clients occasionally pay with (prepare your Thai baht in advance!). Located between Kalare Market and the Iron Bridge. The owners are, naturally, Thai-Chinese.
6. The Iron Bridge - A popular spot for wedding photos, selfies, and Instagram shots. Here you can conveniently observe yet another critical rise in the Ping River water level.
7. Wat Chai Mongkhon - A Thai-Chinese temple on the banks of the Ping River. Boats laden with goods were blessed here before being sent downriver. Now you can take a river cruise from here (reviews are mixed). Located slightly off Chang Khlan Road.
8. Kunlarat Massage - Because we're considered one of the best massage parlors in the city, as evidenced by our clients' reviews on Google Maps. Walk 600 meters from Anusarn Market further down Chang Khlan Road, past the Shangri-La Hotel.
9. Mae Kha Canal Walking Street - A weekend market and pedestrian area stretching 1.5 km alongside a beautified section of Mae Kha Canal (Khlong). It's a great place for a leisurely stroll, photoshoot, eating, drinking, people-watching, and total relaxation. Located 400 meters from Kunlarat Massage.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐨 𝐈𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐢 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
During periods of expected flooding, avoid staying in the Chang Khlan district and the Wat Ket area (on the other side of the river). All other districts of Chiang Mai west of these areas never suffer from river flooding.