The Chinese alone stand outside this Ayutthayan…

The Chinese alone stand outside this Ayutthayan social structure.

They are not obliged to register for corvée duty, so they are free to move about the kingdom at will and engage in commerce.

By the sixteenth century, the Chinese control Ayutthaya's internal trade and have found important places in the civil and military service.

Most of these men take Thai wives because few women leave China to accompany the men.