The Kingdom of Thailand

Capital: Bangkok

Area: 513,115.00 square kilometers

Difference from Beijing: -1.00

International telephone code: 66

Population: 60,816,000 (1998)

Language: Thai is the national language, with Chinese and Malay also spoken.

Currency: Baht

Ethnicity: 75% Thai, 14% Chinese, 11% Lao, Malay, Khmer and others.

Religion: Buddhism is the state religion with 95% of its followers, followed by Islam at 3.8%, Christianity at 0.5% and others at 0.7%.

National Flower: Rice Flower (Gramineae)

Location:

Thailand is located in the middle of the Central and Southern Peninsula of South Asia and the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, the heart of the Central and Southern Peninsula between China and India.

Topography:

The terrain is high in the north and low in the south, with the plains and lowlands accounting for more than half of the country. In the north and west are mountains, in the center is the valley of Chao Phraya River (Mekong), and in the northeast is the Koh Minh Plateau.

Climate:

Most of the area has a tropical monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of about 27°C and an average annual precipitation of 1,000 to 3,000 millimeters. The whole year can be divided into the dry season (November to April) and the rainy season (May-October). The southern coastal plain has a tropical rainforest climate.

Folklore:

Thailand is a country of great folklore and etiquette. The people love peace, emphasize etiquette, is a state of etiquette, known as the "land of smiles". Thai people behave elegantly and courteously, young people are gentle and humble, the elderly and amiable, women are dignified. When they meet anyone, they will smile and raise their hands to greet each other with "Savadika" (Thai for "Hello"). If they walk past someone, they bow to apologize. When sitting down to talk to someone, you always listen to them with your legs together and your hands on your knees. When entering or leaving a meeting, all bow to the podium first to show respect to the host of the meeting. Thai people pay great attention to etiquette, some good manners have been agreed upon. If you are new to Thailand, you should know and observe Thai folk etiquette. As the saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" and "Sing what you like where you are". Respecting other people's traditions and customs will earn you respect from others and increase your sense of closeness and happiness when visiting or traveling in Thailand.

Religion:

Ninety-five percent of Thailand's residents are Buddhists, so Buddhism is the national religion. (The Malay people living on the Thai-Malay border practice Islam.) Regarding Buddhism in Thailand, the early beliefs practiced by the Thais were Mahayana Buddhism as practiced in our country. During the Sukhothai Dynasty, Theravada Buddhism from Burma began to be imported, and from then on, Thai Buddhism began to be divided into the urban Sermon School and the mountainous Zen School. Later, during the Bangkok dynasty, Rama IV reformed Buddhism, and due to the different views on the reform, the "Dharma School" (Dharma Correspondence) and the "Popular School" (Dabu) emerged, both of which have been preserved to the present day and are still the main schools of Buddhism in Thailand today. These two schools have survived to the present day and are still the main schools of Buddhism in Thailand. In addition, a considerable number of overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese in Thailand practise Mahayana Buddhism and claim to belong to the Rinpoche Dharma lineage. Thailand is currently the only country in the world where Buddhism is the state religion.

Overview of Rituals:

Thailand has a wide variety of rituals and rites of passage, with each ethnic group having different rituals and rites of passage. The Thais are the dominant ethnic group in Thailand, so Thai etiquette is essentially Thai etiquette as well.

Thailanders should meet each other in front of their chests to greet each other, the method is the palms together, placed between the chest and forehead, this is the meeting ceremony, equivalent to the Western handshake, the higher the palms raised, said the deeper the degree of respect. The common people to see the king's hands should be raised above his head, the younger generation to see the elders to raise their hands to the forehead, and the peers to see each other below the nose. The elders should not raise their hands higher than their chests when they return the salute to the juniors. Those of lower status or younger age should first join hands in greeting.

When someone else makes a bow to you, you must return the bow, otherwise it is a breach of etiquette. You must bow your head slightly and say "Sawattdee!" (Sawattdee, i.e. "Hello"). It is not necessary to shake hands after both parties have made the salutation; men and women do not shake hands when they meet, and lay people cannot shake hands with monks.

No sunglasses should be worn when talking with others, gestures should be moderate, and no one should point a finger at another person. When walking past others (whether they are sitting or standing), one must not hold one's head high and strut about, but must bow and apologize as a last resort. This is especially true of women when they walk in front of others. Students must bow with folded arms when walking past their teachers.

Thailand is a kingdom, the Thai people have great respect for the royal family, as a tourist should also follow the customs of the country, to their King, Queen, Prince, Princess, etc., to show respect, in the movie theater playing the national anthem or the King's portrait on the screen, should also stand up. In all cases of grand gatherings, banquets, and even theater performances before the beginning of the first to play or play the king's "hymn of praise", where the entire audience stood at attention, not to walk and talk, pedestrians on the road to stand on the ground, soldiers, police officers have to stand at attention to military salute, otherwise it will be considered disrespectful to the king.

Dress:

For most business dealings, men can wear pants and shirts, and ties can be worn with or without ties. A dark suit can be worn at parties, or a traditional Thai collarless silk shirt, both of which are also appropriate attire for formal occasions.

A white jacket and black pants with a black tie can be worn at formal celebrations.

For most social events, women are expected to wear conservative clothing or skirts and blouses, and in some places women are not allowed to wear shorts on the street.

Don't wear white clothing to weddings, as white is the bride's only color. Don't wear purple or black garments; purple is only worn by mourning widows, while black implies sadness and is only worn at funerals.

If going to a funeral, women should wear a black outfit with sleeves, and men should wear a dark suit with a white shirt and black tie, and wear a black veil on the sleeves of their tunic.

Conversation Taboos:

Good conversation topics: Thai food, weather and good impressions of the country. Thais like to talk about their cultural heritage. Soccer, table tennis, badminton and volleyball are the most popular sports (Thai Sports News is a best-selling newspaper), and talking about sports with them is also popular.

Thailanders often ask tourists what they think of Thailand, and they like to give appreciative answers, and probably won't be offended if you complain about traffic jams, air pollution, or the heat, as these are often their own favorite complaints.

Personal questions such as "How much do you earn?" or "How old are you?" , are expressions of friendly concern and are not rude. They are trying to detect your social status and authority through these types of questions, or to determine reception specifications. If you don't want to answer, give a vague answer or put a smile on your face. Don't tell the person you like something in particular or they will feel obligated to give it to you.

To avoid talking about sensitive issues, these include drug smuggling, regional politics, any negative talk about the King or Queen of Thailand, corruption. Jokes are best aimed at obvious lies; much Western humor is somehow overrated or even misunderstood. Any slight accusation against the royal system will cause resentment among Thais, and any accusation or criticism of Buddhism is also forbidden.