115 years ago today, on October 23, 1910 (September 21, 1910, the founder of modern Thailand, the Great Chulalongkorn, passed away. Chulalongkorn, or King Rama V, named Zheng Long in Chinese, and Chulalongkorn was later known as Chulalongkorn the Great (September 20, 1853-October 23, 1910). He was the fifth monarch of the Bangkok Dynasty in Thailand (reigned from October 1, 1868 to October 23, 1910). He is widely regarded as the most powerful and great monarch in Thai history and the founder of modern Thailand. I hope that one day everyone in my dynasty will become a free person;... From the head of state to the children of ordinary people, they should receive equal education. This is the dream and hope of the fourth king; if everything follows the West, you will not know which side of the bed is on and which side of the bed is on-Chulalongkorn, or King Rama V, the fifth king of the Bangkok Dynasty of Thailand (in the Chulalongkorn era, Thailand's official name was Siam, which is uniformly called Thailand in this article). During his reign, he launched a modernization reform movement that demanded self-reliance on wealth. In contemporary modernization reforms in the Asia-Pacific region, its influence was second only to the Meiji Restoration in Japan. While the British and French colonists were spying on him like wolves, he struggled to maintain his country's independence, and Thailand became the only sovereign country in Southeast Asia at the same time. He enhanced the prestige of the royal family, and no matter how frequent the Thai government changes since then, it will not undermine the stability of the country, because the king is a symbol of national unity. In the era of political turmoil in the surrounding area, Thailand has also become a mainstay of stable development in Southeast Asia. He ranks first among Southeast Asian emperors in this ranking. Chulalongkorn's father, King Rama IV, first sounded the prelude to his reform. King Rama IV, Prince Menggu, was originally the legal heir to Rama II. However, when Rama II died, he was deprived of his inheritance rights by the Succession Committee on the grounds that he was "unable to bear the great responsibility", and his half-brother succeeded him as King Rama III. As a result, Meng Gu became a monk and began a long career of penance. In addition to achieving high attainments in Buddhism, Monk Meng Gu also actively interacted with Western missionaries and learned English and Western thought and science. Twenty-seven years later, he finally returned to the throne he had once missed. He began to change traditions, such as restricting slavery, reforming the currency system, encouraging foreign trade, and establishing a people-friendly image of the royal family. In 1855, King Rama IV signed the unequal Treaty of Pauling with Britain, and Thailand was completely opened. King Rama IV intended to cultivate enlightened ideas in future generations, such as hiring American Anna to be his children's governess. Chulalongkorn grew up in a cultural environment where the east and the west combined, and inherited the throne in 1868. In addition to Western factors in early education, the international environment Thailand faced at that time was also the main reason for his reforms. To the west of Thailand, Britain encroached on India and incorporated Myanmar into British India through two Anglo-Burmese wars. In the south, Britain established a "Strait Colony" on the Malay Peninsula, pressing against Thailand's southern gate. In the east, France also made Vietnam its "protectorate" through two wars and further extended its huge claws to Cambodia. Neighboring countries have fallen one by one, and Thailand seems unable to protect itself. Thailand's state apparatus still bears its medieval mark and is operating inefficiently. Chulalongkorn struggled between Britain, France, Germany and other countries, taking advantage of the fact that both Britain and France wanted to annex Thailand, but both were concerned about each other's situation, making Thailand a "buffer zone" for the sphere of influence of Britain and France, temporarily maintaining independence. But this is not a long-term solution after all. Only by reforming and self-reliant and complying with the trend of history can we survive under the harsh laws of the jungle. After Chulalonggong ascended the throne, he was in charge of government affairs in the Regent Council because he was a minor, and began to govern himself five years later. Chulalongkorn's reform lasted for 37 years when he was in power. It consisted of intersecting and gradually advanced decrees, with no clear starting point or end point. The most important and decisive one was the abolition of slavery. Although the number of people who have become slaves for various reasons does not account for the majority in Thailand, it has seriously damaged Thailand's image. Moreover, the capital accumulation stage requires a large number of free labor rather than private slaves. Laws restricting slavery were promulgated in the second year of Chulalongkorn's reign, and two years before his death, the abolition movement was basically completed. The liberation of serfs was also a major blow to the feudal lords and was conducive to centralization of power. Another focus is the reform of the official system. Chulalonggong followed the example of the West to establish a cabinet, reformed the local administrative system, abolished the feudal system of knighthood and searching for farmland, and replaced it with the payment of salaries. Local officials were uniformly appointed and transferred by the central government. A modern state apparatus was established. On the military front, Chulalongkorn ended the backward wartime recruitment system, established a standing army, and implemented compulsory military service since 1905. With the help of Dane Risher, a number of military schools were established and the navy was strengthened. In terms of education, they adopted a tolerant attitude towards Westerners establishing missionary schools, and established a number of secular schools and specialized schools. By the later years of Chulalongkorn, civilian education began to form a craze across the country. In terms of finance, the backward tax collection system in various industries has been abolished, the opportunity for tax collectors to enrich their pockets has been eliminated, and the country's fiscal revenue has been greatly increased. At the same time, the royal treasury was separated from the national treasury, preventing members of the royal family from squandering national property arbitrarily. In Chulalongkorn's later years, although he invested a lot in infrastructure every year, the state's finances were profitable year after year, achieving "no external debt or domestic debt." In addition, Chulalongkorn has also established a relatively mature judicial system and vigorously built railways, highways, and established posts and telecommunications. His reforms covered a wide range of areas and included some fundamental changes, but they did not cause turmoil. During his reign, the country thrived while maintaining stability. However, Chulalongkorn does not advocate total Westernization. He once said,"If everything follows the West, you will not know which side of the bed is and which side of the bed is at the end of the bed." For example, he encouraged the spread of English, but opposed the excessive use of English words in daily life. He insisted on Buddhism's status as a national religion. Among Southeast Asian countries, Thailand remains one of the countries that best maintains Eastern cultural traditions. Chulalongkorn has sent delegations to Western countries many times and broke the tradition that Thai kings cannot go abroad. He visited Europe twice in person. In addition to broadening his horizons and strengthening exchanges, his purpose was also to mediate among Western countries to protect Thailand's independence. status. However, despite the aggressive arrogance of the Europeans, Chulalongkorn still failed to escape unscathed. In 1893, France found excuses to stir up disputes between the two sides, then drove gunboats into the Bangkok River, forced Thailand to sign the Treaty of Bangkok, ceded Laos, which was affiliated with Thailand, to Indochina, which was subordinate to France, and paid 3 million gold francs in compensation. Chulalonggong became seriously ill because of this and even refused treatment for a while. In 1904, Thailand was forced to sign a treaty to completely abandon the land east of the Mekong River. In his later years, Chulalongkorn abolished the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Britain and France in Thailand at the expense of ceding territory. The maintenance of national independence is achieved at the expense of the loss of large areas of territory. Chulalongkorn and the Meiji Emperor of Japan were of the same era. They had many similarities. They were both teenagers who ascended the throne. Facing the pressure of Western powers, they began a reform movement that transformed the country amid domestic and external difficulties. The reform methods are top-down, covering all aspects of the country. In comparison, Chulalongkorn played a greater personal role in the reform than that of the Meiji Emperor. However, Japan entered the ranks of world powers through the Meiji Restoration, and its world impact was far greater than Thailand's reform. This is why Chulalongkorn ranks far behind the Meiji Emperor in this ranking. He ranks 82nd in this ranking. Comments: Chulalongkorn's driving force to launch reforms came not only from the influence of Western education he had been exposed to, but also from the heavy pressure he felt from Western powers, which was more important. Although Thailand has not become a strong country due to reform, it is also the responsibility of a small monarch to put Thailand on a path of healthy development.