Kengtung Township
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Kengtung Township (
History
By the 14th Century Keng Tung was a sovereign state.
The present sawbwa (Thai: เจ้าฟ้า) or "prince" received his patent from the British government on the February 9, 1897. The early history of Keng Tung is very obscure, but Burmese influence seems to have been maintained since the latter half, at any rate, of the 16th century. The Chinese made several attempts to subdue the state, and appear to have taken the capital in 1765–66, but were driven out by the united Shan and Burmese troops. The same fate seems to have attended the first Siamese invasion of 1804. The second and third Siamese invasions, in 1852 and 1854, resulted in great disaster to the invaders, though the capital was invested for a time.[2]
Demographics
The Tai here call themselves Khün; their speech contains many variations from the western Shan, and their script is a version of the
Most of the Khuns would adopt Thai names and in the wats of Kengtong one would find the monks chanting their daily prayers in a similar manner as in Northern Thailand. Historically Thai rulers have laid a claim to the Kengtung area as Saharat Thai Doem, part of their old country.
The population of the state in 1901 was 190,698. In 1897–98, of the various tribes of Shans, the Hkn and Lu contribute about 36,000 each, the western Shans 32,000, the Lern and Lao Shans about 7000, and the Chinese Shans about 5000. Of the hill tribes, the Kaw or Aka are the most homogeneous with 22,000, but probably the Wa (or Vu), disguised under various tribal names, are at least equally numerous. Nominal
Geography and Climate
Kengtung is the largest, most mountainous, most easterly, and culturally the farthest from the Burmese, of all the Shan States. Geography makes approach to it from the rest of Myanmar difficult for it lies not only beyond the Salween across which no bridge has been built and whose eastern tributaries have cut no easy routes through the serried north–south ridges of the Daen Lao Range, but nearer again to the Mekong than to the Salween.
About 63% of the area lies in the basin of the Mekong River and 37% in the Salween drainage area. The watershed is a high and generally continuous range. Some of its peaks rise to over 7,000 ft (2,100 m)., and the elevation is nowhere much below 5,000 ft (1,500 m). Parallel to this successive hill ranges run north and south with mountainous country predominating.[2]
The chief rivers, tributaries of the Salween, are the
The chief tributaries of the Mekong are the
Kengtung, the capital, is situated towards the southern end of a valley about 12 miles (19 km) long and with an average breadth of 7 miles (11 km). The town is surrounded by a brick wall and moat about 5 miles (8.0 km) round. Only the central and northern portions are much built over. In the dry season crowds attend the market held according to Shan custom every five days, and numerous caravans come from China. The plain in which the capital stands has an altitude of 3,000 ft (910 m).[2]
Climate
The rainfall probably averages between 50 and 60 inches (1.5 m) for the year. The temperature seems to rise to nearly 38 °C (100 °F). during hot weather, falling to 21 °C (70 °F) or less during the night. In cold weather a temperature of 4 °C (40 °F) or a few degrees more or less appears to be the lowest experienced.[2]
Economics
The existence of minerals was reported by the sawbwa, or chief, to
References
- ^ Myanmar City Population
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j public domain: Scott, James George (1911). "Kēng Tūng". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 728. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
Further reading
- James George Scott, Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan States. 5 vols. Rangoon, 1900–1901.
- James George Scott, Burma and beyond. London, 1932.
- Sao Sāimöng, The Shan States and the British Annexation. Cornell University, Cornell, 1969 (2nd ed.)
- Sao Sāimöng Mangrāi, The Pādaeng Chronicle and the Jengtung State Chronicle Translated. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1981