EASTERN AND NORTHERN SHAN STATES: BURMA ROAD, MAYMYO, DRUGS, MEKONG AND CHINESE GAMBLERS

SHAN STATE

SHAN STATE lies on the Eastern Plateau of Myanmar, east of the Irrawaddy and Sittaung valleys, south of the Bhamo district and north of Kayah State. It is the home to about half the population of Myanmar. Ethnic groups that live here include the Shan, Burmese, Chinese, Wa, Kachin, Paluang, Lahu, Akha, Pa-O, Kachin, Palaung, Danu, Wa, Lahu, Kaw, Maingtha, Paduang, Taungyo, Yin, Gon, Kayah, Lishau, and Intha. For a long time much of Shan State was off limits to tourists because of opium production and fighting connected with ethnic insurgencies in the area. Open areas include Kalaw, Inle Lake, the Shan plateau, the Shan Hill, Inle Lake, Taunggyi, Pindaya and the roads that connect these places.

The capital of Shan State is Taunggyi, the fifth-largest city in Myanmar with about 400,000 people. Other major cities include Thibaw (Hsipaw), Lashio, Kengtung and Tachileik. Shan State is divided into Northern Shan State, Southern Shan State and Eastern Shan State. Districts of Shan State include Taunggyi, Loilem, Lashio, Muse, Kyaukme, Kunlong, Laukkai, Kengtung Mongsan, Monhpyak and Tachileik. Shan State is formed with 54 townships and 193 wards and village-tracts. The capital of Shan State is Taunggyi.

The region is dominated by Shan plateau, which is between 915 meters (3,000 feet) and 1,220 meters (4,000 feet) above sea level and has a climate that is comfortable year round and less hot than the lowlands. The mountain ranges threading through the area are generally between 1525 meters (5,000 feet) and 2,37 meters (7,000 feet high). The valleys are filled with wet and dryland rice fields, irrigation canals, ponds, trees, water buffalo, lotus flowers, small pagodas, and footpaths. As is the case with the rest of monsoon Asia, there is a hot dry season from February until June, when the rains begin. The rainy season lasts from June until October or November, followed by a colder season until February. In the higher elevations there are frosts.

Shan People

The Shan are a relatively large and prosperous minority related to the Dai in China. Their language is similar to Thai and Lao. They have traditionally been rice cultivators and lived in tropical and semitropical monsoon forests along river valleys and in pockets of level land in the hill country of northeast Burma and to a lesser extent in northwest Thailand and southern China. Some other groups regard the Shan as “a standoffish people.”

The Shan are related to the people in Thailand, Laos and Yunnan Province in China. They tend to have taller and fairer than the Burmese. Shans reside mostly in eastern Myanmar in the Shan State, which lies on the Eastern Plateau of Myanmar, east of the Irrawaddy and Sittaung valleys, south of the Bhamo district and north of Kayah State. The Shan have traditionally settled in valleys and river basins rather than in the mountains. A lot of Palaung (Taahn) are found in the northern part of Shan State, especially at Namsam Town, and also in Pindaya. Yatsauk and Maingkaing Townships. Many Kachin and Lisu (Lishaw) live in the north. Kokant Tayok occupy the Kokant region. Wa (Lweila) live in Hopan Township which is situated to the the east of Thanlwin river. E-Kaw (Akha) and Lahu reside in Kyaingtong region.

Most Shans are Theravada Buddhists. Until recently they lived within a distinctive structure of feudal states ruled by hereditary princes. There is no good information on Shan numbers in Myanmar in part because of hostilities there between the Shan and the Myanmar government. The Dai live not so far away in Yunnan Province, China.

Tachileik

Tachileik (on the Myanmar - Thai border in the Eastern Shan State) is being upgraded as a tourism gateway to the heart of the Golden Triangle and cross-border trade center for Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and China.. The Friendship Bridge across the small Mae Sai stream links Tachileik with the northern Thai border town of Mae Sai. One can fly direct from Yangon to Tachileik in an hour. There is a ferry-landing site at Wanpon port on the Mekong River at the Myanmar - Laos border, 29 kilometers from Tachileik. The port also handles goods shipments to and from Thailand and China. A one-and-half hour drive away from Tachileik is Mai Pong, where one can enjoy a boat tour of Mekong River.

Tachileik is across the Thailand border from Mae Sai near Chiang Rai, located in the Golden Triangle at the northernmost point of Thailand. Situated across the Sai river from Myanmar, it is a bustling town with crowded shops, lots of banks, flower gardens, and a casino on the banks of the Mekong. From Mae Sai you can cross into Tachileik, Myanmarby paying around $5 and surrendering your passport to immigration officials at the bridge.

Mai Sai does a roaring business in real and fake gems, amphetamines and cheaps goods form China. A Friendship Bridge across the the Sai Riiver leads to Tachileik, a major drug town. The town is filled with dealers and addicts. For a while (and maybe it still is) it was possible to take small jungle paths into places Myanmar where you could buy heroin for $5 a vial and amphetamines for 50 cents a pill.

This area is good place to shop for Burmese jade and rubies and cheap stuff brought in from China and Laos. Hill tribes that live in the area include Akha, Karen, and Lisu. Trekking is a little dangerous however. Opium cultivation was concentrated around here and land mines were laid in some the mountains when the government was battling insurgents in the area.

Shan People

The Shan are related to the people in Thailand, Laos and Yunnan Province in China. They tend to have taller and fairer than the Burmese. Shans reside mostly in eastern Myanmar in the Shan State, which lies on the Eastern Plateau of Myanmar, east of the Irrawaddy and Sittaung valleys, south of the Bhamo district and north of Kayah State. The Shan have traditionally settled in valleys and river basins rather than in the mountains. Mostly Danu, Taungyoe, Intha (Ansa) and Bamar are living in the western part of the Shan State.A lot of Palaung (Taahn) are found in the northern part of Shan State, especially at Namsam Town, and also in Pindaya. Yatsauk and Maingkaing Townships. Many Paos have settled in the southern part of Shan State, whereas Kachin and Lisu (Lishaw) live in the north. Kokant Tayok occupy the Kokant region. Wa (Lweila) live in Hopan Township which is situated to the the east of Thanlwin river. E-Kaw (Akha) and Lahu reside in Kyaingtong region.

Most Shans are Theravada Buddhists. Until recently they lived within a distinctive structure of feudal states ruled by hereditary princes. There are maybe two or three million Shan in Myanmar, where most of them live. There is no good information on Shan numbers in Myanmar in part because of hostilities there between the Shan and the Myanmar government. There is small number of Shan in Thailand. According to the 1990 census, there were 1,025,000 Dai (also pronounced Tai) in China. (See Dai, Minorities, China).

The Shan are also known as the Burmese Shan, Chinese Shan, Dai, Hkamti Shan, Ngiaw, Ngio, Pai-I, Tai Khe, Tai Khun, Tai Long, Tai Lu, Tai Mao, Tai Nu and Thai Yai. Shan is a Burmese term that Westerners use. The Pa-O, Paluang, Danu, Taungyo are all members of the Shan tribe. The Shan refer to themselves as “Tai,” often with a second name attached to identify their subgroup, and call their homeland Ta-Land. The Shan and Thai often view themselves as brothers. The Thai call the Shan the Thai Yai.

Kyaing Tong

Kyaing Tong (452 kilometers from Taunggyi and 176 kilometers from Tachileik) is the capital of Eastern Shan State. Located in the Golden Triangle near China, Laos and Thailand, this part of Myanmar is known for its scenic mountains and hill tribes. The road from Tachilek on the Thai border winds 100 miles to Kyaing Tonge and passes through mountains, forests, streams and tribal villages.

Many of the hill tribes found here are similar to those in Thailand except they are more unspoiled. Places of interests include a colorful active open market used by local hill tribes, - Akha hill tribe villages, Lishaw village, traditional dances, Maha-Myat-Muni Pagoda, Naung-Tong lake, Sunn-Taung Monastery, Hot Spring, traditional lacquer ware works and weaving factories and One, Three Pagoda. Loiw-mew, a misty 5500-foot-high peak is located about 20 miles from Kyaing Tong. Kyaing Tong can be reached by air from Heho or a seven hour drive along the rough road from Tachileik.

Ethnic tribes residing around Kyaing Tong include the Gon, Lwe, Li, Wa, Lah Hu, Thai Nay, Shan, Li Shaw, Li Su, Palaung and Akha, many of which are differentiated by their colorful traditional clothes. Visitors can observe their tribal dances and visit their mountain villages.

The Maha Myat Muni of Kyaing Tong (Wat Pra Sao Loang) is a Buddha statue housed in a pagoda encircled by a traffic circle, just around the corner from the Kyainge Tong Hotel. The walls and ceiling of the temple’s hall is resplendent with " Shwezawa" (gold lacquer) decorations yet it was not so lavish as to offend the eye. The Buddha statue was caste in Mandalay in 1921 and is based on a famous Maha Muni statue in Mandalay. The face of the image was cast from a mixture of 1.7 viss (1 viss = 3.6 pounds) of pure gold, 17 viss of silver and some copper. In 1920 the Takaw-Kyainge Tong road was merely a buffalo track, so the image had to be transported in separate parts. It was transported with great difficulty from Hsipaw to Takaw, a village situated on the western bank of the Thanlwin river by bullock cart, and from Takaw to Kyainge tong by buffalo cart. When the Buddha arrived the people of the town turned out in full force to welcome it with the rhythmic beating of gongs and Shan long drums. In 1926 the Buddha image was moved from it temporary thatched Vihara to the present building. This new Vihara had a roof of teak wood shingles with a ceiling of thick planks. A brick wall was also built to enclose the precincts. In 1938, it was again renovated and the roof replaced with a splendid tapering nine-tiered roof.

MONG LA AND NORTHERN SHAN STATE

Northern Shan State: Shan State can be divided into Northern Shan State, Southern Shan State and Eastern Shan State. Tourist towns in Northern Shan State include Hsipaw, Lashio and Muse. The Shweli River forms the border between Myanmar's Shan State and China's Yunnan Province at Muse. Border crossings are at Lwe-ge, Muse, Namkhan, Kyu Koke, Kun-lone and Mongla. Occassionaly clashes erupt from time to time between rebels and government forces in the northern part of Shan State, near the border with China. There is also a lot of drug producing and smuggling activity in the area so watch out.

Mong La (2 hour drive from Kyaing Tong, near China in Northern Shan State) is one the main towns in the Golden Triangle. It is known for its 24-hour casinos, hostess bars, brothels, loan shark outlets, and clubs with Russian women and Thai “lady boys” and golf courses, whose fairways and putting greens used to sit among poppy fields. It was said that many of those who used the course were lieutenants for the drug lords and Chinese tourist who flew into western Yunnan Province in China and drove into Myanmar.

Places of interest include a casino, elephant show, night dance show and drug museum. At its peak bout 200,000 mostly male Chinese visitors came to the town. Most come for the gambling. Some played a blackjack-like game called "bajiale". The stakes sometimes reached $100,000 a bet.

Mong Lar is a major stop in the opium and heroin trade. It has been since British colonial times. Towns further south like Muse and Pangsang are following a similar trend.

Chinese Gamblers in Myanmar

Casinos began sprouting in Myanmar along the Chinese border in the 1990s, and eventually up to a hundred were operating. Most were modest in scale, sometimes featuring a hotel. In the Golden Triangle Area followed a similar formula: deploy fleets of boats to ferry gamblers along the Mekong River, mainly from China but also Thailand.

Mang Lar, a town near the Chinese border, has grown wealthy from the tides of Chinese who come to gamble in its casinos and visit karaokes and brothels filled with Chinese girls. The city is rich and full of action by Myanmar standards.

Forbes reported: “Casinos began sprouting in Myanmar along the Chinese border in the 1990s, and eventually up to a hundred were operating. Most were modest in scale, sometimes featuring a hotel, but all followed the same formula: deploy fleets of boats to ferry gamblers along the Mekong River, mainly from China but also Thailand.” [Source: Forbes, July 27, 2011]

Ruili in Its Gambling Heyday

Describing the border town of Ruili in the mid 2000s, when it was a mecca for Chinese gamblers, Mark Magnier, wrote in the Los Angeles Times, “The vans stopped in front of a yellow building the size and shape of a small airplane hangar. There was little to distinguish it from nearby industrial buildings other than a garish arrangement of pulsing neon flowers near the glass door — and the nonstop arrival of customers despite the late hour. Inside, a hall the size of two football fields was jammed with eight banks of roulette tables immediately inside the door, a line of electronic blackjack machines against the back wall and 12 pits to the left for a game called heaven-earth-harmony. [Source: Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times, April 13, 2005 //\]

“The mostly male clientele of the Ruili casino placed bets through a haze of cigarette smoke. There was no alcohol and almost no small talk. A small crowd gathered as one winner collected three thick stacks of bills totaling about $4,000 and stuffed them into the sequined purse of his female companion. The building's interior was bright and clean, with recessed lighting and newly plastered walls. But the gambling machines, chairs and tables were battered, suggesting an operation that has been moved repeatedly on short notice. //\

"Great, I finally won one," said a gambler placing $5 bets at heaven-earth-harmony, a game in which a pingpong ball is dropped onto a grid, with players betting on where it will land. "It's about time." A businessman from Jiangsu province, who, like many of the gamblers, declined to be identified, said the government crackdown hadn't deterred him. "When business is slow, I go every day," he said, smoking as he rubbed a quarter-sized mole on his right cheek. "Whenever I win, I stop. Over the past few months, I've won $2,400." //\

"Would you like to go to Myanmar?" a smiling Chinese soldier asked as she guarded the border near the "Union of Myanmar, Silver Elephant Immigration Gate." Visas, even temporary passports, are available, no questions asked, for $30 to $40 from people who have good guanxi with local officials. For those who can't be bothered with formalities, taxi drivers helpfully point out well-worn breaks in the yellow-and-green fence separating the countries. //\

BURMA ROAD

Lashio is the starting point of the Burma Road (See World War II). What is called the Burma Road was actually two roads: 1) the roughly 600-mile-long Burma Road, built in 1937 and 1938 between Lashio, Burma and Kunming, China under Chiang kai-shek to bring supplies through a backdoor of China after the Japanese invaded China; 2) and the roughly 500-mile-long Ledo Road. The roads cost 1,133 American lives, roughly a man a mile.[Source: Donovan Webster, National Geographic, November 2003; Book: The Burma Road by Donovan Webster (Macmillan, 2004) ]

The straight line distance from Ledo to Kunming is about 460 miles. The Burma and Ledo Roads, built through some of the world’s most difficult terrain in India, Burma and China, covered more than twice that distance and hooked southward to avoid the Himalayas. The idea was ultimately to use the roads for an invasion of China and from China an invasion of Japan. Churchill called the entire project “an immense, laborious task, unlikely to be finished, until the need for it had passed.” The project was not completed until just six months before the war ended.

The Burma Road was the major overland supply route to China after the Japanese took over much of coastal China in 1937 and 1938 and blockaded its seaports. It was built at a break-neck pace, often by Chinese laborers forced to work for the Nationalists for two years without pay. When it was finished it was little more than a supply track that could only be used by trucks in the dry season.

The Burma Road was built by 160,000 Chinese laborers with virtually no machinery. One worker, who worked on the road between Ruili in Burma and Kunming in China told National Geographic, “It was not easy. I was a boy. In 1937 the engineers came through with stakes, marking where they wanted the roadway. We worked seven days a week, from sunrise to sunset.”

Today, the Burma Road is a rutted 1½ lane road that is in such bad condition it takes cars one day and trucks two days to cover the 116 miles between Lashio and Mu Se on the Chinese border. The Burma Road used disintegrates into a track as one approached the China-Myanmar border but now is better shape to accommodate trade between China and Myanmar. About half the length of the Burma and Ledo Roads is off limits to foreigners.

The Burma Road today is filled with trucks heading north from Burma with raw materials, and heading south from China with manufactured goods. Over one two mile stretch a National Geographic writer counted 104 trucks. Most of the China-bound trucks with food carry thing like rice and dried coffee, which don't need refrigeration. Truck stops along the route sell whiskey, toilet paper, candles, machetes and engine parts. [Source: Joel Swerdlow, National Geographic, July 1995]

Lashio

Lashio (280 kilometers, 7 hour drive, 8 hour train ride from Mandalay) is a dirty, medium-size town and trading center that was off limits to tourist until the mid-1990s and is now a bustling, busy place due to expansion of trade with China. There isn't much to see in Lashio: its main attraction is the train trip to get there. Lashio is the capital of Northern Shan State and the terminus of the railroad line from Mandalay.. It can be reached by train or by car. There is accommodation for overnight.

Lashio is perhaps best known as the starting point of the Burma Road in World War II. Many Shan and Chinese live in the town, which in near Yunnan province of China. Many hill tribes lives in the mountains around Lashio but you are advised not to visit them because the region is also a major opium growing and heroin smuggling area controlled mainly by the Wa tribe. Places of interest include hot springs and the Chinese Quan Yin San Temple

Muse (179 kilometers north of Lashio) is the main border gateway between Myanmar and Yunnan Province (China). A small town on the banks of the Shweli River, it is a bustling trading center with an interesting market used by minorities in the area and Chinese. The Muse Motel has modern facilities. Namkham and Kyukoke are the border towns. Special permit used to needed to visit the area. That still may be the case.

Gokteik Viaduct

The train from Mandalay to Lashio passes through beautiful scenery and traverses the 980-foot-high Goehteik Viaduct (read Theroux's "The Great Railway Bazaar" for a good description of this bridge). The Gokteik Viaduct was built in 1899 by the Pennsylvania Steel company for the British "Raj". A magnificent steel trestle bridge, it was one of the last links to be built on a network of railroads that connected Europe with the far east. The bridge is off limits. Ghet trains that go there from Maymo are outfit with iron rail cars with gun emplacements. Theroux described the viaduct as "a monster of silver geometry in all the ragged rock and jungle, its presence was bizarre".

The Goteik viaduct, also known as Gohteik viaduct, is a railway trestle in Nawnghkio, western Shan State, Myanmar. The bridge is between the two towns of Pyin U Lwin, the summer capital of the former British colonial administrators of Burma, and Lashio, the principal town of northern Shan State. It is the highest bridge in Myanmar and when it was completed, the largest railway trestle in the world. The bridge is located approximately 100 kilometers northeast of Mandalay. [Source: Wikipedia +]

The bridge was constructed in 1899 and completed in 1900 by Pennsylvania and Maryland Bridge Construction. The components were made by the Pennsylvania Steel Company, and the parts were shipped from the United States. The rail line was constructed as a way for the British Empire to expand their influence in the region. +

The viaduct stretches 689 metres (2,260 feet) from end to end with 15 towers which span 12 metres (39 feet) along with a double tower 24 metres (79 feet) long. The 15 towers support 10 deck truss spans of 37 metres (121 feet) along with six plate girder spans 18 metres (59 feet) long and an approach span of 12 metres (39 feet). Many sources have put the height of the bridge at 250 metres (820 feet). This is supposedly a measurement to the river level as it flows underground through a tunnel at the point it passes underneath the trestle. The true height of the bridge as measured from the rail deck to the ground on the downstream side of the tallest tower is 102 metres (335 feet). The cost of the bridge construction was 111,200 £(Pound sterling). Due to its technical and natural condition it was considered as a masterpiece of the world standard. +

Thipaw

Thipaw (200 kilometers or about 124 miles northeast of Mandalay), also known as Hsipaw, is a town in the North of Shan State situated at an elevation of 1370 feet and thus cool in the evenings. The city has occupied several sites around the Dokhtawaddi River. It's fertile valley is an ideal place to grow fruit and vegetables. The present town is almost 400 years old. It's position on the infamous WW II 'Burma Road' makes it a favorite place for truck drivers plying between Burma and Yunnan to stop, rest and eat. On the strength of the trade between the two countries Hsipaw has become relatively prosperous.

Thipaw is a lively and friendly town with minority villages accessible in a day's hike. Thipaw is accessible by train, bus, or car. Leaving Mandalay in the pre-dawn hours the train is supposed to reach Thipaw sometime in the afternoon, but when it does arrive is anybody’s guess. The bus is cheap. Car is convenient. Thipaw is a compact. The town center hosts a lively morning market. In the evenings the downtown movie is a popular gathering place. Scattered around are restaurants serving up local Shan dishes, Chinese dishes, and more recently a number of teahouses have added banana pancakes to their list of offerings to accommodate backpackers. Places of interest include the palace of the Shan Princess from Austria and the Shan style Bawgyo Paya on the Mandalay-Lashio Road. The Gokteik bridge can be seen on the way.

Maymyo (Pyin Oo Lwin or Pyin U Lwin)

Maymyo (72 kilometers east-northeast of Mandalay) is a 3,500-foot-high, British-built hill station known for its pleasant climate, colonial style houses and rich gardens. In the colonial era it is where Burma's old colonial masters went to escape the heat and dust of the plains. Maymyo still boasts red-brick mansions covered in ivy and pleasant gardens with roses, which flourish in the almost alpine climate of the hills. Maymyo was a British summer capital before independence. Situated in the mountains, it has an excellent 18-hole golf course and tennis courts.

The drive and the train ride from Mandalay to Maymyo are noted for their views and wonderful scenery. The Maymyo area is famous for strawberries and orchids. Books: For an interesting description of the town in the early 1970s read Paul Theroux's "The Great Railway Bazaar". For information on its history read Barbara Crossete's "Great Hill Stations of Asia".

Shaded by fragrant eucalyptus, pine, silver oak and teak trees and also known as Pyin Oo Lwin (Pin U Lain) , Maymyo has many colonial buildings, such as the Candacriag Hotel and Nanmyaing Hotel, which were built after the hill station was established in 1886. Near the clock tower is a lively fruit, vegetable and flower market which is frequented by members of hill tribes that live in the mountains around Maymyo.

MEKONG RIVER MYANMAR

MEKONG RIVER is one of the world's great rivers. Originating in Tibet, not far from the source of the Yangtze River, it tumbles down through the Himalayas and southern China into Southeast Asia and flows along the borders of Laos, Burma and Thailand through the heart of the Golden Triangle into Cambodia, where it flows in one direction in the wet season and the opposite direction in the dry season. It finally empties into the South China Sea at the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Its source in Tibet as not discovered until 1994.

The Mekong River goes by many names. It is known as Lancang Jiang (Turbulent River) in China,the Mae Nam Khing in Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, Tonle Than (Great Waters) in Cambodia and Cuu Long (Nine Dragons) in Vietnam. It is also known as River of Stone, Dragon Running River, Mother River Khong, and Big Water.

The Mekong is the longest river in Southeast Asia, the 12th longest in the world and the 10th largest in terns of volume. With about half of its length in China, it flows for 4,880 kilometers (2,600 miles) and provides food and water for 60 million people and disgorges 475 billion cubic meters of water each year into the South China Sea.

After the Mekong River drops from the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau it flows through a narrow, 200-kilometer-long gorge in southern China into the jungles of Yunnan province and runs briefly long the Yunnan China–Myanmar border for about 10 kilometers until it reaches the meeting point of China, Myanmar and Laos. From there it flows southwest and forms the border of Myanmar and Laos for about 100 kilometres (62 miles) until it arrives at the meeting places of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand. This is also the point of confluence between the Ruak River (which follows the Thai–Myanmar border) and the Mekong. The area around here has traditionally been the heart of the Golden Triangle, the notorious drug producing region. From the Golden Triangle tripoint, the Mekong turns southeast to briefly form the border of Laos and Thailand.

Image Sources:

Text Sources: Myanmar Travel Information, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, The Irrawaddy, Compton’s Encyclopedia, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, burmalibrary.org, burmanet.org, Wikipedia, BBC, CNN, and various books and other publications.

Last updated October 2022