I only knew about the Golden Triangle because of City Hunter. Looking for an introduction to the Golden Triangle.

The Golden Triangle refers to a triangular area located on the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos in Southeast Asia. This area has long been rich in opium and other drugs and is the world's main drug producing area. The "Golden Triangle" is famous all over the world. The scope of the "Golden Triangle" roughly includes Shan State and Kachin State in northern Myanmar, Chiang Rai Province in Thailand, northern Chiang Mai Province, and Luang Namtha, Phongsaly, and Oudomxay Provinces in Laos. , and the western part of Luang Prabang Province, there are more than 3,000 villages and towns in the country.

Regional location

It is located at the junction of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand in Southeast Asia. The Thai government is in At the junction of the three countries, there is an archway engraved with the words "Golden Triangle", so this area is called the "Golden Triangle".

Landform features

The traffic here is blocked, and the mountains are overlapping. The area is about 150,000 to 200,000 square kilometers. The undulating mountains form a three-dimensional climate. People at the foot of the mountain are extremely hot. People at the top of the mountain may have to gather around the fire pit to resist the cold. Relatively speaking, the natural conditions at high altitudes are relatively poor. Poor, people's lives are more difficult.

Climate environment

The average altitude of the area is 1500-3000 meters, the land is fertile, and the climate is warm and humid with long hours of sunshine. There is enough sunshine here to promote the growth of various plants. The changes in the monsoon belt in Southeast Asia have formed two seasons: dry and wet. In summer, the southwest monsoon brings a large amount of hot and humid moisture from the sea to form a wet season when there is abundant rainfall, and the east and north seasons form. The dry season is formed under the influence of the dry and cold monsoon belt. This periodic change regulates the rhythm of local organisms.

The climate of long sunshine, low latitude, and high humidity in Southeast Asia is very easy for animals and plants to grow and reproduce. In turn, a unique local rainforest climate is formed, resulting in biological diversity here.

Ecological River

The Mekong River is another important geographical reason for the formation of the "Golden Triangle". It originates from China. Qinghai in the northwest flows straight south, passing through six countries: China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. The 4,009-kilometer-long river cuts off the high mountains in Southeast Asia, plus there are many deep valleys and rapids between the mountains. The tributaries of the Golden Triangle have created countless canyons and cliffs, forming large traffic dead ends. Due to the above special geographical reasons, the Golden Triangle area has less economic and cultural connections with developed areas, and it will be difficult for the relevant central government to deal with it for a long time. The Golden Triangle is under in-depth or effective control.

However, the good climatic conditions for crop production, coupled with the particularity and complexity of the topography, landforms and geographical climate, have affected the survival and reproduction of many ethnic groups in this region. Various separatist forces, regional forces or ethnic armed forces have created an excellent place for survival and maneuver; what is even more unimaginable is that this backward and small blind spot continues to exude energy that corrodes civilized society, stubbornly Announces its existence to the world. The complex geography, diverse ethnic groups, and abnormal power have created an excellent stage for the various mysterious stories staged here.

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Drug trade

The Golden Triangle is rich in opium poppies and is world-famous for the production of opium, heroin and other drugs through local warlords and drug lords. The Golden Triangle region, the Golden Crescent region on the borders of Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, and the Silver Triangle region on the borders of Colombia and Venezuela are also known as the world's three major sources of drugs.

Cultivation History

From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, Britain, the United States, France and other countries successively came to the area to teach planting, refining, and sales techniques, and purchased opium. 20 Jinshan The drug lord Khun Sa formed the first opium production climax here in the 1950s, followed by the "golden age" in the 1960s. The output increased from dozens of tons to about 200 tons. By the early 1980s, the output had reached 700 tons. It increased to 1,200 tons in 1988, doubled to 2,400 tons in 1989, and exceeded the 3,000 tons mark in 1991.

Drug production

The core area of ??the Golden Triangle is the junction of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos. However, due to the Thai government’s powerful anti-drug offensive, most of the drug production areas have moved to Myanmar. The Golden Triangle region is the world's largest producer of opium and heroin-like drugs, with a planting area of ??more than 1 million acres and an annual output of 2,650 to 2,800 tons of opium and about 200 tons of heroin. A relatively accepted statement is that the Golden Triangle is the source of 20% of the world's opium supply, while the heroin trafficked through the Golden Triangle region accounts for 60%-70% of the world's total every year, and the annual production capacity of heroin in the region can satisfy the world's heroin demand. annual consumption.

Drug lords

Many famous drug lords appeared in this area in the 20th century. For a long time, many anti-government armed forces and other drug armed forces have been active here. Therefore, it is also called the "adventurer's paradise". For example, Kun Sha, Luo Xinghan, Peng Jiasheng, etc. In order to produce and sell drugs, these drug lords organized a group of well-equipped local armed forces to openly compete with central governments such as Myanmar and Thailand.

In the past, the local forces that produced the most drugs in Myanmar were: Kokang in the First Special Administrative Region, Wa State in the Second Special Administrative Region, etc. These places were actually controlled by the local warlords Golden Triangle forces, but they still submitted to the Central Military Army of Myanmar. The government, with its considerable autonomy, also facilitates its own supply and trafficking of drugs.

From the late 1970s to the first few years of the 1980s, as the Myanmar and Thai armies stepped up their attacks on the Khun Sa Group, they destroyed a number of opium poppy farms. At the same time, the United Nations Foundation for the Control of Drug Abuse Special funds have also been allocated to promote the policy of replacing cereals with cereals and replacing opium poppies with coffee in the "Golden Triangle" area. It has achieved results for a period of time, and opium poppy production has dropped significantly, so that the "Golden Crescent" in Central Asia once replaced the Golden Triangle and became the world's largest opium production base.

However, since 1986, poppy production in the "Golden Triangle" has rapidly recovered and developed, with output increasing sharply, greatly exceeding the historical record, and once again becoming the world's number one opium production base.

The heroin trafficked through the "Golden Triangle" region accounts for 60% to 70% of the world's total every year, and the region's annual heroin production capacity can meet the needs of global heroin consumption for two years. In January 1996, the armed forces led by Kunsa surrendered to the government. However, drug production in this area has not stopped, and it is still the second largest opium-producing area in the world after the "Golden Crescent".

It was not until 2005 that relevant parties in the "Golden Triangle" announced that they would stop poppy cultivation and shift to large-scale production of rice, vegetables and sugar cane. In 2006, the Yunnan Provincial Public Security and Anti-Narcotics Department measured through satellite remote sensing monitoring and other means that the area planted with opium poppies in the "Golden Triangle" area was about 200,000 acres. The area of ??poppy cultivation in the "Golden Triangle" region has dropped to its lowest point in 100 years.

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Special Economic Zone

Status of the Zone

The Laos Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone was approved by the Lao government in September 2009 Officially established on the 9th, the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone is a special zone that exercises a high degree of autonomy except for national defense, foreign affairs, and judicial power. It is the world's first "enterprise overseas" special zone.

Golden Triangle There are now thousands of people in the special zone, many of whom are Chinese. Chinese security personnel maintain law and order. The currency even used is RMB. "The only sign that it is under the jurisdiction of Laos is the stamp on the passport." Hong Kong's "Asia Times" also said that in Houay Sai City, Bokeo Province, Chinese cars without license plates can often be seen driving around.

Development Plan

According to the local development plan, the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone will become a large city that can accommodate 200,000 people in the future, with casinos, luxury hotels, golf courses, karaoke bars and other high-end Entertainment facilities will become an important profit growth point for the region. Among them, casinos mainly attract gamblers from China and Thailand, where gambling is illegal. According to the Diplomat website, the overall facilities of the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone are expected to be fully completed in 2020, with a total cost of more than 2.25 billion US dollars. By then, the highway across the Golden Triangle region will run from Yunnan, China, through Laos, to the border with Thailand.

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Tourist Attractions

Maesai Town

Also known as the "Sleeping Beauty", it is the northernmost town in Thailand. A small town. There is only one main street in Mae Sai town from south to north. This street is actually the end of the expressway from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai and then to Mae Sai, ending at the stone bridge on the Thai-Myanmar border. There are rows of shops on both sides of the street, many of which are owned by Chinese, selling daily necessities, handicrafts and local specialties from Thailand and Myanmar.

There is a hill a few dozen meters west of the street. Climb more than a hundred steps to reach the top. There is a Wat Phra That Doi Wao (Phra That Doi Wao) and a viewing tower on the top. building. Climbing up to the observation tower, you can have a panoramic view of Mae Sai Town, the Mae Sai River and Myanmar's Thachilek (Tachilek Town).

At the end (north) of the street is the Messai River, and on the other side of the river is the town of Tachileik in Myanmar. There are stone bridges connecting the rivers, and there is a "Northernmost Point" archway at the head of the bridge. Residents of the two countries can enter each other's territory for 5 kilometers without a visa. There are lively and bustling markets in both places, attracting a large number of residents from Thailand and Myanmar to buy and sell here.

Because Myanmar is rich in jade, there are a large number of shops and stalls selling jade in Mae Sai. At the same time, Mae Sai is also a jade trading center in northern Thailand. In addition, because Mae Sai is located at the transportation hub on the northern border of Thailand, it is a must-stop for tourists traveling to the Golden Triangle, Chiang Saen and other places.

Tachilek Town

Tachilek Town in Myanmar is across the river from Mae Sai Town. A stone bridge connects the two places. Residents of the two places can travel freely to engage in work within a certain range. Border trade or sightseeing tours. If foreign tourists want to enter Tachileik Town in Myanmar for shopping and sightseeing, they need to submit a valid passport, a copy of the passport, 3 photos, and a certain amount of US dollars at the Thai border checkpoint to go through the "transit one-day tour" procedure or go through the local travel agency.

In addition, when entering the Myanmar border, you must pay a visa fee of US$15 and leave your passport (the passport will be collected with a receipt when the tourist returns), and the scope of activities must be within Tachileik Town. If you are not interested in the Burmese temples around Tachileik Town, or if you are more knowledgeable and go to Burma to buy jade, you may not go.

Chiang Saen County

Established in 659 AD by the Ranathai Dynasty, it was once a small independent country. It was later invaded by Myanmar and ruled for 250 years. It was not until King Chao Phraya, the founder of the current dynasty, defeated the Burmese army that Chiang Saen was recaptured.

There are still ruins of the old city wall and many historical relics in the local area, and there is a 'Chiang Saen Museum', which is a branch of the National Museum of Thailand, displaying various ancient Buddhist statues from the Chiang Saen era and the images of northern Thai ethnic minorities. Customs, cultural relics and antiques.

Chiang Saen, because it is located at the junction of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, used to be a distribution center for opium poppies. Various drugs from the Golden Triangle traveled south from here to Thailand and then were shipped to all parts of the world. Today, Chiang Saen has become a famous tourist area, and local residents have given up growing poppies and switched to other crops. But local residents seem to still have a tradition of opium smoking.

Golden Triangle

In a broad sense, the Golden Triangle refers to the three-no-no zone at the junction of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar; in a narrow sense, the Golden Triangle refers to the delta area where the Mekong River and the Mae Sai River meet. As a symbol of Thailand's Golden Triangle region, the famous Golden Triangle Arch is located in Sobruak Village near the ancient city of Chiang Saen. It is located between Mae Sai Town and Chiang Saen Town, 60 kilometers away from Mae Sai and 11 kilometers away from Chiang Saen, across the river from Myanmar and Laos.

Because it is located in a mountainous area with unique landforms, lush forests and beautiful scenery, and because Myanmar and Laos are closed to each other, it adds to the mystery of this place. The Golden Triangle region was once world-famous for its opium production, with 80% of the world's opium coming from here. Today, the Golden Triangle region has become a famous tourist destination in northern Thailand, attracting countless tourists every year. The Golden Triangle Archway is made of marble and is 4 meters high. It is engraved with the words "Golden Triangle" in both Thai and English. There are tourist souvenir shops, jade and jewelry shops and restaurants all around, selling a variety of specialty products, such as mountain ethnic costumes from Thailand, jewelry and jades from Myanmar, and mountain treasures from Laos. The shop assistants usually wear ethnic minority costumes, showing the unique ethnic customs of northern Thailand, and the products are also very memorable.

Mai Salong Village

Mai Salong Village is located on Mae Salong Mountain, about 60 kilometers northwest of Chiang Rai and about 1,300 meters above sea level. The village is mainly inhabited by former soldiers of the 93rd Division of the Kuomintang and their descendants who came here after being defeated in 1949 and settled here with the approval of the Thai government. There are also some immigrants from southwest China. The villagers have retained strong Han Chinese living habits and styles, and it is the largest Chinese village in northern Thailand.

Me Salong Village is located in a high mountain, with a mild and humid climate, year-round clouds and mist, beautiful trees, brilliant mountain flowers, and pleasant scenery, so it is also called "Little Switzerland". After years of development, Mae Salong Village has improved its tourism and commercial facilities and has become another popular tourist destination in northern Thailand.

The history and characters of Mae Salong Village have deep connections with mainland China and Taiwan. Putting aside politics, judging from its historical trajectory, it is undoubtedly another film that reflects the Chinese people’s hardships and hardships for survival and development. history of struggle.