The forgotten ancient city of Wiang Kum Kam, the 1.0 version of the ancient city of Chiang Mai.

About 10 kilometers south of Chiang Mai Old Town, on the side of the South Ring Expressway, there is an old city - Wiang Kum Kam Ancient City, with a radius of about 5 kilometers. This is the 1.0 version of Chiang Mai as the capital of the ancient country of Lanna. The capital was built around the Yuan Dynasty in China, and it was recorded in the history of the Yuan Dynasty as the "Land of 800 Wives". Legend has it that the Lanna Kingdom was formed by the 800 wives of the King of Lanna, each leading a state. However, the ancient kingdom was close to the Ping River and had low terrain, so frequent floods occurred, which eventually forced the ancient kingdom to move its capital to the present-day ancient city of Chiang Mai. Wei Gonggan disappeared into legend during the repeated floods over the past 700 years. Until an accidental discovery more than 40 years ago. This abandoned ancient city began to reveal its base buried deep underground to the world bit by bit. I love visiting these abandoned cities hidden in the grid of time. When I was in China, I marked them as must-visit destinations. The ancient city scenic area is free, but the attractions are scattered and it is not recommended to walk there. The service station has horse carriages for rent for 300 baht each, and there are also sightseeing buses for rent, but I was alone and wanted to follow the map and have plenty of time and space to explore quietly, so I drove myself. The current ruins of the ancient city are mostly temple remains from 600-700 years ago, and there are about 10 excavated and displayed. Some of them were sunk into water, some were hidden in villages. In recent years, some of them were rebuilt in nearby locations and are now very popular. The course of history is quite meaningful. As the spiritual sustenance of the ancient city, the temple has been buried deep underground for hundreds of years. The people here have continued to reproduce and work, turning history into legend. After the ancient city was unearthed, the privatization of Thai industries began to create irreconcilable conflicts with the further excavation and protection of the ancient city. The few ruins I visited on this trip are merely the most prominent landmarks of the ancient city. Most of the ancient city’s features are still buried under the entire village. Passing by a ruin, I saw several local children playing under the red brick arches. I touched the red brick walls. The sun was shining brightly at noon, and the children glanced at me curiously. I didn't know what they were thinking.