Research & Article

It is a historical fact that Kublai Khan conquered the Dali Kingdom Yunnan. However, the Mass Migration Theory—the belief that this conquest compelled the mass migration of the Thai people to the south—is false. This article aims to definitively disprove this theory, as well as identify the true origin of the Thai people. First, through a comprehensive history of Yunnan, it becomes clear that there was never a mass migration of the Dali people to the south during or after Kublai Khan’s conquest. Furthermore, the possibility of the migration of the Tai people, who are the only race in the area closely related to the Thai and whose language was in the same family, is disproven. Thus, it is concluded that the Thai people are natives of Thailand and did not migrate southward after Kubali Khan’s conquest of the Dali Kingdom.