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Mae Salong  -    
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 Address:        
 Known as:   Santikhiri    
 Description:   Mae Salong's early history centred on the opium trade of the Golden Triangle. Its recent history was shaped by the 93rd Division of the Chinese Nationalist Army that refused to surrender to Chinese communists after the Nationalist Kuomintang government was routed in 1949.
Unlike most of the unrelenting nationalists that fled to Taiwan in 1949, a force of 12,000 escaped from Yunnan to Burma and continued an insurgency against the Peoples' Republic. They were at first supported by Taiwan and the USA, but diplomatic shifts—which included US ambivalence towards the nationalists and improved relations between Burma and communist China—later led to the partial disbanding of the nationalist forces in Burma. While thousands left for Thailand in 1961, many remained in Burma.
The soldiers that settled in Mae Salong kept it as a military base in preparation for an eventual counter-attack against communist China. They funded their arms purchases with opium production and rubbed shoulders with notorious Burmese warlord and drug baron Khun Sa, who lived a few kilometres away in Ban Hin Taek and who initially trained with the Kuomintang before founding his own army.
In the 1970s the Thai government struck a deal with the renegades: the battle-hardened soldiers would help them fight Thailand's own communist insurgents in exchange for legitimacy and Thai citizenship. Part of their going straight involved the soldiers' cessation of opium production in favour of the cultivation of mushrooms and above all oolong tea, which is now Mae Salong's main product.

How to get there: Use the Chiang Rai-Mae Chan Route and drive for about 29 kilometers then make a left turn for about 41 kilometers and you must pass a hot spring. On your way back, you can take the Routes No. 1234 and 1130 which will pass the villages of Yao and Akha tribes. Otherwise, take the Route No. 1089 to Tha Thon which is about 45 kilometers and you will find many resorts located at the starting point of Kok River.

Opening hours: Daily 8am-5pm
 
 Province   Chiang Rai  Direction:      
 District   Mae Fa Luang    
 City   Mae Salong Nok  Comments:    Official Web:    
 Genre   Village      Related links:      
 Best exposure   AM/PM          
 Rating            
 Opening time   N/A          
 Entry fee   Free     GPS :   20.16479 N 99.642327 E  
                     
                     
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SUB-SITES PICTURES:    
Mae Salong (All)
 Akha Village
Akha women
 Doi Mae Salong secnary
Chinese martyr's memorial
 Mae Salong market
Manomai Garden
 Mei Fong pagoda
Hilltribe peoples
 Tomb of General Duan

Sinakarintra Stit Mahasantikhiri Pagoda

 Tea house
Tea Plantation 101  Wang Put Tan Tea Plantation

View point Road Mae Salong to Chedi

 Wat Pra That Santi Tam

Wat Santikhiri

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