The Kingdom of Thailand, formerly known as Siam, has been one of the major countries in Southeast Asia that was influenced by Westerners during and after the imperialism period despite the fact that the country itself has never been under European colonial rule. Western technology and education were integrated into Siam’s business and tecnology, leading to a new era of modernization. Due to the increasing demand for foreign goods and workforce of the royal family, Chinese merchants and labors gathered themselves into Siam to serve the palace as well as to seek better job opportunities. This paper aims to argue that throughout the late 19th century to the 20th century, Chinese people had made a significant impact on Siam industrial economy and its technology adaptation from the Western countries.
April 18, 1855 marked an important date in the history of Siam and its people. It was the day in which the Bowring Treaty was signed by King Mongkut (Rama IV) and Sir John Bowring, Governor of Hong Kong and Britain’s envoy.[1] In exchange of the independence of Siam from Britain, the treaty...