Geographical Features:

LOCATION

The Shan States is situated in the north-eastern part of Burma, bordering the People's Republic of China on the North and East, the Lao People's Democratic Republic on the East, the Kingdom of Thailand on South and East, the Karenni state on the South and the Union of Burma (Myanmar) on the west. It is positioned at Latitude North 19 degrees 20 minutes and South 24 degrees 9 minutes and between Longitude East 96 degrees 13 minutes and West 101 degrees 9 minutes.

THE LAND

The Shan State is a high plateau with an elevation of 5,000-6,000 feet above sea level. It is covered with dense evergreen forests, pine, streams, rivers and waterfalls making the country a natural and beautiful land. It lies at an average of 3,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level and the highest point is Mount Loilaeng (8,777 ft ) in Mong Yai, Loi Parng Nao (8,408 ft ) in Kentung, Loi tzang (8,129 ft) in Mong Kung township.>     The Salween ( Nam Khong in Shan) River is the principal river of the Shan State. It has its source in the Tibetan Himalayas and flows southwards through China and enters the Shan State, dividing it into two parts, then passes the Karenni state, Karen State and Mon State finally joining the Indian Ocean at the Gulf of Martaban near the town of Moulmein. Many tributaries of the Salween, such as the Nam Taeng, Nam Parng and Nam Nim all enter the Salween near the Town of Kun Hing (Kun Haeng: thousand islets) where many islets by the hundreds are formed. In the east there are the Nam Ma, Nam Kha and Nam Sim which flow into the Salween. The Mekong ( Nam Khawng in Shan) serves as the boundary between Laos and the Shan State for a length of 120 miles, then flows through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam into the Gulf of Thailand. Nam Loei and Nam Kok, which flows through Kengtung, all join the Mekong. Nam Mao (Shweli in Burnese) and the Nam Tu in the north flow into the Irrawaddy. The Nam Zawgyi, Nam Tamphat and Nam Bilu in the south are all famous by their capacities as natural waterways. Because these rivers flow through deep valleys of mountain ranges, many rapids and waterfalls can be found throughout the Shan State. Joung-ang, the biggest waterfall on the Nam Taeng can be found near the town of Keng Tawng in Mong Nai Twnship.
The second largest one is Om-pu on the Nam Parng River in the Shan State of Monghsu. Among Shan State's numerous waterfalls, the only one so far used for hydroelectric power is the Marnsarm Falls on the Nam Yao River in Hsipaw Twnship. Marnsarm Falls generates enough power for the surrounding towns and the Bawdwin Mines at Panghai, Namtu Township. Waterfalls large and small can be found on most of the rivers.
The inland lake of Inlay (Nong Hai Ya in Shan)14 miles long and 7 miles wide, is noted for the floating villages and floating vegetable gardens, silk-weaving and fantastic leg-rowers. Hot and cold underground springs are countless and some have been developed as rest and recreation places. Primitive hard rocks that contain numerous kinds of mineral ores waiting for discovery and development form the Shan Plateau and its southern continuation into the Tenasserim.

Map references: Southeast Asia
Capital: Taunggyi (Tonti in Shan)

NATIONAL FLAG & SYMBOL

The Shan symbol is a tiger. The Shan flag consists of yellow, green and red stripes with a white circle in the middle. Yellow stands for Buddhism and that the Shan are origin of the yellow race(The Mongoloid peoples). Green symbolizes the verdant landscape, a warm climate and farming. Red symbolizes the Shan's courage. The white disk is for the moon, the Shan’s pure and peaceful spirit. It is forbidden to use this flag in Burma and Thailand.

Area: 62,500 square mile (160,000 square kilometers)
Population: About 7-8 million (est.)

CLIMATE

The Shan plateau located in the northeastern part of Burma is generally cooler than the rest of Burma and Thailand, since it is mountainous and higher in elevation. There is a cool, dry season from November to February, and a hot season or summer from February to May, a hot,rainy season from June to October.
One town can reach over 100F while just a few hours drive away 77F is normal. Coldness in winter brings the temperature down to 40F in hill-station towns and 60F on the plains. Annual rainfall averages between 40-60 inches. Flash flood of rivers and streams occur during the rainy season causing landslides and floods in the lowlands.

VEGETATION

In the areas where the elevation is over 4,000 feet, pine and evergreen forest can be found in abundance; teak and woods of ‘Shorea Robusta’ and ‘diptercarpus grandiflora’ abound in the hot lowlands. Valuable woods such as teak, padauk or pterocarpus, sandalwood and ironwood cover over 42,210 square miles. Mong Mit, Hsipaw, Mong Kung, Tong Lao, Mawk-mai, Lawk-sawk, Mong-nai, Keng-tawng, Keng-kham, Pa-lai, Mong-ton, Mong-sat are all hardwood and teak producing areas. All kinds of vegetables and fruits are grown according to each region’s soil and climatic conditions. Many forest products such as lac, cutch, honey, beewax and wild orchids can be found.

NATURAL RESOURCES

 Shan State is rich in natural resources.The majority land surface of the Shan State is covered with primitive hard rocks and mineral ores such as silver, lead, gold, copper, iron, tin, wolfram, tungsten and manganese, have been discovered. The Burmese government is exploiting mineral developments.For example, Bawdwin-Namtu silver and lead deposit in the north is one of the largest in the world. Local Chinese traders discovered it in the 14th century. In 1909 the British started to take over under the name of "Burma Corporation Limited." After the Union of Burma was established, it was registered as a joint venture with the Burmese government under the name "Burma Corporation Limited 1951". In 1965 the Burmese government nationalized the whole enterprise. The newly discovered silver, nickel and tungsten deposits are found in the Naungkieo township area called Yadana Theingi Mine, where produces silver and lead sent to Namtu to be refined. The Bawsai Mines in the south produces lead and pyrites. In the surrounding hills of the southern town of Kalaw, dolomite, pyrites, Fluorides can be found in abundance. At Loi Ma, near another southern town of Hpe-Khoung, lead deposits remain undeveloped. Besides these known deposits the geological survey discovered in 1963, there also is tin and wolfram deposits at Pangpek near the Shan State capital of Taunggyi, estimated at over 63 million tons. Diamond is found in the environs of Mong mit and gems in Namhkan Township.
    Many undiscovered or unexplored natural resources in the Shan State still remain hidden to be used later for the development of the Shan State and its people. Mogok (Mong Kut in Shan) which is world famous for its rubies and sapphires lies within the State of Mong Mit in the north but has been nationalized and drawn into the Mandalay Division of Burma.

 

PEOPLE

Ethnic groups: It is composed of more than 20 ethnic national groups in Shan state. the majority of whom are Shan (Tai). It is a multiethnic nation and the main ethnic groups are: Shan (Tai), Palawng, Pa-O, Kachin, Wa, Lahu, Akha and Kokang Chinese.
Shan or Tai (Thai Yai in Thai): 68% of the total population are Shan and therefore Shan are the dominant ethnic group. Most Shan are farmers and livestock breeders who predominantly live in the valleys and lowlands.
Palawng or Ta-arng: About 7% of the total population are the Palaungs who call themselves “Ta-arng”. They are concentrated in the northern mountainous region of Namhsan or Palaung Tawngpeng State. They are mostly dependent upon tea plantations producing English tea and pickled tea (Chinese tea) for consumers throughout the Union. Due to socio-political upheavals, some of them migrated into the central and southern mountains of the Shan State using their Knowledge about tea planting for their livelihood.
Pa-o: The Pa-o ethnic group is also about 7% and are found in the Southern part of the Shan State. The Pa-o grow agricultural cash crops such as potatoes, cabbages, garlic and especially the cheroot-leaves for local and Burmese cheroot industries.
Wa: About 5% of the population are the Wa people. They inhabit the eastern mountains along the Salween and the areas bordering China. The Wa make their living on the harsh mountain slopes and valleys using the old slash and burn methods.

Kachins: They are found in the northern region where the Shan State borders with the Kachin State. The Kachin breed livestock and grow vegetables, corn and rice in remote mountainous villages.
Dhanu: These people are settled in the lowlands on the western slopes of the Shan Plateau bordering with Burma. The Dhanu work on their paddy fields and vegetable farms.
Intha-s: These people live on the Floating villages and vegetable plots in the largest inland lake called Inlay where silk weaving and local handicrafts have been their home industry for generations.
Lahu: They are found east of the Salween along the mountainous border region between the Shan State and Thailand.
Akha: Akha mostly live in the border areas between the Shan State and Laos. Kokangnese: Kokangnese are found in the Northeastern Shan State close to the Yunnan Province. They farm, breed livestock and conduct cross border trading with China.
Padaung or Kayan: Padaung settled in the south around Mong Pai Township where farming is their livelihood. Their womenfolk are known as ‘giraffenecks’ because of the brass or silver rings worn round their necks as adornments.
Lisu or Lisaw: Lisu are scattered in the north and southern Shan State remote mountainous regions on large and permanent settlements, because of their accustomed slash and burn farming traditions.
Yang-lam: Yang-lam are found around Ming-su and Kesi-wansam in the central region living on primitive farming.
Liju: Liju are found around Kokang State in the north. They rely on livestock raising and hill-farming.
Chinese and Indian immigrants are found throughout the country and are mostly traders, shopkeepers and money-lenders. Some also live on farming and livestock breeding too.
Burmese or Burmans: Burmese are scattered throughout Shan State as government employees in offices, schools and administrative centers. They also came in to find work as manual laborers and hired hands doing various jobs in towns and in the countryside. Many ethnic groups such as the En, Dhanor, Palay, and others can be found making their living on primitive farms with contentment. All the different national groups have lived harmoniosly together for thousand of years sharing hardships and prosperity in times of peace and war.

RELIGIONS

The Buddhist religion, spread into the Shan society nine years after the Lord Buddha attained His enlightenment (Mong Mao Chronicle) and came to Loi Seng monastery to teach Buddhism among the Shans (Dai/Tai) people. The Loi Seng monastery is still at the same place situated near the Mong Mao district town known to the Chinese as Ruili today. Naturally, Buddhist religion emphasizes respect to the elderly. It became a tradition of the Shans since then. Religious learning, self-training through meditation, reflection on one's deeds and the study and the assessment of the Law of Nature as Buddhism teaches made them acquire wisdom. The younger generation's respect for the elders' wisdom also became a tradition. The Shan believe in spirits, which can cause good or evil in a person’s life and must be appeased. They also believe in reincarnation and that the good or evil done in one’s life will determine their status and fate in the next life. In order to atone for wrongs done, a person must participate in merit-building activities, such as suffering a punishment of some sort or doing good deeds such as giving to and worshipping the monks. The lowest form of life is to be an animal such as a dog or a cat, and the highest is to retire into a state of passionless peace.
All Shan boys about 12 years old enter the novicehood for a short period of time. Some become monks again later for a longer period of time( about 20 years old to enter the monkshood). They believe that the way to happiness it to renounce the world and carnal desires. They also believe that the physical and the spiritual are closely intertwined. Languages: The Shan language is part of the Tai languages group of the Tai-Kadai language family, and is related to Thai and Lao. The spoken language are Shan, English and Burmese. Minority ethnic groups have their own languages. Tai with dialects varying for each group.
literature: The Shan have their own alphabet related to ancient Sanskrit. Shan, like Thai, is built on 5 different tones(Chinese Shan have 6). The Shan Phonology Committee including the representatives of the Tai long,Tai Mao, Tai Khamti, and Tai Hkun devised a Common Shan Script in 1974. For precision in writing the various Shan languages, the committee decided to have six tone marks in the Common Shan Script.

CULTURE

The Shan have a rich cultural heritage and are a proud and sophisticated race. They are a gentle and peaceful people. Many of their customs are related to the Chinese and the Thai. They have their own centuries old literature, art, agriculture and history. Tattooing is common among Shan men. The tattoos are often Buddhist connotations or signs, placed there in an effort to ward off evil spirits and protect the person from danger. Tattooing is also considered a sign of manhood in Shan society.
Instead of shaking hands, the Shan usually greet with a "wai", or placing the palms together in front of the face or chest and say “ Mai Soong Kha ”. The one lowest in status should initiate the greeting. How high the palms are placed reflects the status of the person being greeted in relation to the person greeting. In addressing each other, the Shan use titles (such as "Pa: grandmother", "Loong: uncle", “Pi: elder”, "Nawng ying: little sister", etc.) to express the person’s status or relationship to others. It is not acceptable to show affection between the sexes in public.The Shan are traditionally wet-rice cultivators, shopkeepers, and artisans. Most Shan are Theravada Buddhists and/or observe their traditional religion, which is related to animist practices