Walking into Thailand is like walking into an elephant country. In various tourist attractions in Thailand, people like to wear T-shirts with elephant patterns. In the night market, woodcarving elephants, elephant leather goods, handbags with elephant patterns and cushions are the most popular among tourists. If you want to drink authentic Thai beer, just say "Chang" (Thai, meaning "elephant") and the store will send you sweet and mellow elephant beer. In Chiang Mai, a Thai girl gave me a portrait of her: a baby elephant and a panda embraced each other, symbolizing the friendship between Thailand and China.
Elephants are related to Buddhism and are the protagonists in many Buddhist stories and legends. Elephants are also "heroes" in Thai history. Like China's ancient generals riding horses, most ancient Thai warriors rode elephants to the battlefield. Legend has it that in history, there were 2,000 well-trained war elephants in the Royal Thai Army, and even the king rode elephants to patrol. A 3-meter-high royal elephant platform exhibited at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, was specially set up for the king to ride an elephant. Several famous battles in the history of Southeast Asia were also related to elephants. A Thai historian once said: If there were no elephants, the history of Thailand might have to be rewritten.
Among the elephant varieties, counting white elephants is the most precious. Besides white, elephants also have skin colors such as gold, silvery white, light green and reddish. This albino elephant is regarded as a treasure in Southeast Asia, symbolizing kingship and prosperity. Whoever finds this white elephant will donate it to the country. Historically, the famous "White Elephant War" between Siam (formerly known as Thailand) and Myanmar was triggered by the struggle for two white elephants. Until now, the flag of the Thai navy is still a pattern of white elephants.
There is a joke in Thailand that if the king of Thailand is dissatisfied with any subordinate, he will give him a white elephant. In order to worship the white elephant, the minister will soon lose everything. Later, this metaphor was also used in English. "White elephant" can be used to describe "an asset that needs high expenses to maintain, but it is difficult to have great economic benefits". Surin, Surin and Chiang Mai in Thailand hold the "Elephant Festival" every year, and the Buddhist ceremony on the opening day evokes the collective memory of the Thai people on elephant culture. The elephant in Thailand symbolizes honor, sacredness and dignity, and is also a "yardstick" of strength. No matter how powerful an elephant is, it is no bigger than Qi Xin. So there is a proverb: the bag is full of arrows, and the elephant keeps stepping on it; Together, they are more powerful than elephants.