kyuing: tum mrui., also spelled Kyaingtong, Chiang Tung, Cheingtung, and Kengtong) is a town in Shan State, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Kengtung Township. Kengtung was founded by the grandson of King Mangrai. This migration of the Chiangmai dynasty, made in the 13th century with the idea of founding a new kingdom which called Lannathai in Chiang Mai, has resulted in Kengtung having a different type of Tai population from the rest of the Shan State.Kengtung, like other major towns in the Shan Plateau, was home to a Shan Saopah. Kengtung was the base of the Kengtung Sawbanate, and had a Sawbwa palace, built by Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng in 1905.Sao Sāimöng, a famous politician and minister of independent Burma (now Myanmar) was born and raised in Kengtung, being son of Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng.The city hosted the headquarters of the Thai Phayap Army, which had briefly occupied the Shan States, during the Second World War. However, the Japanese forced the Phayap Army to withdraw, concerned that the Thais might have been planning to annex it for themselves. The Japanese military soon replaced the Phayap Army in Kengtung. The Shans dominated most of Myanmar from the 13th century to the 16th century as rulers of Ava, Sagaing and Pinya kingdoms. In the 19th century, long after their power declined, they were distributed among more than 30 petty states; most of them paid tribute to the Bamar king. Under the British colonial administration, first established in 1887, the Shan States were ruled by their hereditary chiefs (Saophas or Chaofa) as feudatories of the British crown. In 1922 most of these small states were joined in the 'Federated Shan States', under a commissioner who also administered the Wa State. This arrangement survived the constitutional changes of 1923 and 1937.In 1942, the Thai Army launched an offensive against the Shan States. The results were 4,000 Burmese dead and 367 Thai dead. A single Shan state, including the former Wa states, was established by the 1947 Constitution of Burma. Earlier on February 12, 1947, at the Panglong Conference an agreement was signed by the Shan, Kachin and Chin leaders and Aung San for the Burmese government.[5] In 1959 the Sawbwas relinquished much of their power to the Burmese government under General Ne Win. Then the Shan Federal Movement, led by Yawnghwe Sawbwa Sao Shwe Thaik - the first president of the independent Union of Burma (1948-52), and Mong Mit Sawbwa Saw Hkun Hkio - Foreign Minister, was seen as a separatist movement insisting on the government honouring the right to secession in 10 years provided for by the 1947 Constitution, and Ne Win staged a coup d'etat in 1962. The military coup fuelled the Shan rebellion, started in 1958 by a small group called Noom suik harn (Young Warriors), now joined by the Shan State Army (SSA) led by Sao Shwe Thaik's wife Mahadevi and son Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe. Shan State's autonomy was further eroded by increased centralisation of the Burmese government following the Constitution of 1974 promulgated by the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP). Generally, the Shans remain committed to the preservation of their distinct ethnic heritage. Shan State is an administrative division of Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, one of several ethnic groups that inhabit the area. It is the largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area. Shan State is largely rural, with only three cities of significant size: Lashio, Kengtung, and the capital, Taunggyi. Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang  is a city located in north central Laos, on the Mekong River about 425 km north of Vientiane, and the capital of Louangphrabang Province. The current population of the city is about 103,000. The city was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is also notable as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Muang Sua was the old name of Luang Prabang following its conquest in 698 A.D. by a Tai prince, Khun Lo, who seized his opportunity when Nan-chao was engaged elsewhere. Khun Lo had been awarded the town by his father, Khun Borom, who is associated with the Lao legend of the creation of the world, which the Lao share with the Shan and other peoples of the region. Khun Lo established a dynasty whose fifteen rulers reigned over an independent Muang Sua for the better part of a century. In the second half of the 8th century, Nan-chao intervened frequently in the affairs of the principalities of the middle Mekong Valley, resulting in the occupation of Muang Sua in 709. Nan-chao princes or administrators replaced the aristocracy of Tai overlords. Dates of the occupation are not known, but it probably ended well before the northward expansion of the Khmer empire under Indravarman I (r. 877-89) and extended as far as the territories of Sipsong Panna on the upper Mekong. In the meantime, the Khmers founded an outpost at Xay Fong near Vientiane, and Champa expanded again in southern Laos, maintaining its presence on the banks of the Mekong until 1070. Chanthaphanit, the local ruler of Xay Fong, moved north to Muang Sua and was accepted peacefully as ruler after the departure of the Nan-chao administrators. Chanthaphanit and his son had long reigns, during which the town became known by the Tai name Xieng Dong Xieng Thong. The dynasty eventually became involved in the squabbles of a number of principalities. Khun Chuang, a warlike ruler who may have been a Kammu (alternate spellings include Khamu and Khmu) tribesman, extended his territory as a result of the warring of these principalities and probably ruled from 1128 to 1169. Under Khun Chuang, a single family ruled over a far-flung territory and reinstituted the Siamese administrative system of the 7th century. At some point, Theravada Buddhism was subsumed by Mahayana Buddhism. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong experienced a brief period of Khmer suzerainty under Jayavarman VII from 1185 to 1191. By 1180 the Sipsong Panna had regained their independence from the Khmers, however, and in 1238 an internal uprising in the Khmer outpost of Sukhothai expelled the Khmer overlords. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong in 1353 became the capital of Lan Xang. The capital was moved in 1560 by King Setthathirath I to Vien Chang, which remains the capital today. In 1707, Lan Xang fell apart and Luang Prabang became the capital of the independent Luang Prabang kingdom. When France annexed Laos, the French recognized Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos. Eventually, the ruler of Luang Prabang became synonymous with the figurehead of the French Protectorate of Laos. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang, Sisavang Vong, became the head of state for the Kingdom of Laos.  Xishuangbanna or Sipsongpanna is an autonomous prefecture in southern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. The capital city is Jinghong, the largest settlement in the area and one that straddles the Lancang (Mekong) river. The prefecture has an area of 19700 km². The native name literally means "twelve thousand rice fields". Xishuangbanna is the home of the Dai people. The region sits at a lower altitude than most of Yunnan, and has a tropical climate. It is fast becoming a sought after tourist destination.  Xishuangbanna harbors much of the biodiversity of Yunnan Province, which harbors much of the biodiversity of China. Its tropical climate and its remoteness until recent times accounts for this. In addition to an abundance of plants, Xishuangbanna is home to the last few Asian elephants still in China; the species roamed over a large part of the country even as late as a few hundred years ago. The elephants are protected in a reserve, but the plant diversity is threatened by, and has for five decades been threatened by, the proliferation of rubber plantations which completely destroy the rainforest and replace it with a monoculture of trees originally from Brazil. Passiflora xishuangbannaensis is a recently discovered passionflower species that is endemic to Xishuangbanna. kyuing: tum mrui., also spelled Kyaingtong, Chiang Tung, Cheingtung, and Kengtong) is a town in Shan State, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Kengtung Township. Kengtung was founded by the grandson of King Mangrai. This migration of the Chiangmai dynasty, made in the 13th century with the idea of founding a new kingdom which called Lannathai in Chiang Mai, has resulted in Kengtung having a different type of Tai population from the rest of the Shan State.Kengtung, like other major towns in the Shan Plateau, was home to a Shan Saopah. Kengtung was the base of the Kengtung Sawbanate, and had a Sawbwa palace, built by Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng in 1905.Sao Sāimöng, a famous politician and minister of independent Burma (now Myanmar) was born and raised in Kengtung, being son of Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng.The city hosted the headquarters of the Thai Phayap Army, which had briefly occupied the Shan States, during the Second World War. However, the Japanese forced the Phayap Army to withdraw, concerned that the Thais might have been planning to annex it for themselves. The Japanese military soon replaced the Phayap Army in Kengtung. The Shans dominated most of Myanmar from the 13th century to the 16th century as rulers of Ava, Sagaing and Pinya kingdoms. In the 19th century, long after their power declined, they were distributed among more than 30 petty states; most of them paid tribute to the Bamar king. Under the British colonial administration, first established in 1887, the Shan States were ruled by their hereditary chiefs (Saophas or Chaofa) as feudatories of the British crown. In 1922 most of these small states were joined in the 'Federated Shan States', under a commissioner who also administered the Wa State. This arrangement survived the constitutional changes of 1923 and 1937.In 1942, the Thai Army launched an offensive against the Shan States. The results were 4,000 Burmese dead and 367 Thai dead. A single Shan state, including the former Wa states, was established by the 1947 Constitution of Burma. Earlier on February 12, 1947, at the Panglong Conference an agreement was signed by the Shan, Kachin and Chin leaders and Aung San for the Burmese government.[5] In 1959 the Sawbwas relinquished much of their power to the Burmese government under General Ne Win. Then the Shan Federal Movement, led by Yawnghwe Sawbwa Sao Shwe Thaik - the first president of the independent Union of Burma (1948-52), and Mong Mit Sawbwa Saw Hkun Hkio - Foreign Minister, was seen as a separatist movement insisting on the government honouring the right to secession in 10 years provided for by the 1947 Constitution, and Ne Win staged a coup d'etat in 1962. The military coup fuelled the Shan rebellion, started in 1958 by a small group called Noom suik harn (Young Warriors), now joined by the Shan State Army (SSA) led by Sao Shwe Thaik's wife Mahadevi and son Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe. Shan State's autonomy was further eroded by increased centralisation of the Burmese government following the Constitution of 1974 promulgated by the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP). Generally, the Shans remain committed to the preservation of their distinct ethnic heritage. Shan State is an administrative division of Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, one of several ethnic groups that inhabit the area. It is the largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area. Shan State is largely rural, with only three cities of significant size: Lashio, Kengtung, and the capital, Taunggyi. Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang  is a city located in north central Laos, on the Mekong River about 425 km north of Vientiane, and the capital of Louangphrabang Province. The current population of the city is about 103,000. The city was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is also notable as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Muang Sua was the old name of Luang Prabang following its conquest in 698 A.D. by a Tai prince, Khun Lo, who seized his opportunity when Nan-chao was engaged elsewhere. Khun Lo had been awarded the town by his father, Khun Borom, who is associated with the Lao legend of the creation of the world, which the Lao share with the Shan and other peoples of the region. Khun Lo established a dynasty whose fifteen rulers reigned over an independent Muang Sua for the better part of a century. In the second half of the 8th century, Nan-chao intervened frequently in the affairs of the principalities of the middle Mekong Valley, resulting in the occupation of Muang Sua in 709. Nan-chao princes or administrators replaced the aristocracy of Tai overlords. Dates of the occupation are not known, but it probably ended well before the northward expansion of the Khmer empire under Indravarman I (r. 877-89) and extended as far as the territories of Sipsong Panna on the upper Mekong. In the meantime, the Khmers founded an outpost at Xay Fong near Vientiane, and Champa expanded again in southern Laos, maintaining its presence on the banks of the Mekong until 1070. Chanthaphanit, the local ruler of Xay Fong, moved north to Muang Sua and was accepted peacefully as ruler after the departure of the Nan-chao administrators. Chanthaphanit and his son had long reigns, during which the town became known by the Tai name Xieng Dong Xieng Thong. The dynasty eventually became involved in the squabbles of a number of principalities. Khun Chuang, a warlike ruler who may have been a Kammu (alternate spellings include Khamu and Khmu) tribesman, extended his territory as a result of the warring of these principalities and probably ruled from 1128 to 1169. Under Khun Chuang, a single family ruled over a far-flung territory and reinstituted the Siamese administrative system of the 7th century. At some point, Theravada Buddhism was subsumed by Mahayana Buddhism. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong experienced a brief period of Khmer suzerainty under Jayavarman VII from 1185 to 1191. By 1180 the Sipsong Panna had regained their independence from the Khmers, however, and in 1238 an internal uprising in the Khmer outpost of Sukhothai expelled the Khmer overlords. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong in 1353 became the capital of Lan Xang. The capital was moved in 1560 by King Setthathirath I to Vien Chang, which remains the capital today. In 1707, Lan Xang fell apart and Luang Prabang became the capital of the independent Luang Prabang kingdom. When France annexed Laos, the French recognized Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos. Eventually, the ruler of Luang Prabang became synonymous with the figurehead of the French Protectorate of Laos. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang, Sisavang Vong, became the head of state for the Kingdom of Laos.  Xishuangbanna or Sipsongpanna is an autonomous prefecture in southern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. The capital city is Jinghong, the largest settlement in the area and one that straddles the Lancang (Mekong) river. The prefecture has an area of 19700 km². The native name literally means "twelve thousand rice fields". Xishuangbanna is the home of the Dai people. The region sits at a lower altitude than most of Yunnan, and has a tropical climate. It is fast becoming a sought after tourist destination.  Xishuangbanna harbors much of the biodiversity of Yunnan Province, which harbors much of the biodiversity of China. Its tropical climate and its remoteness until recent times accounts for this. In addition to an abundance of plants, Xishuangbanna is home to the last few Asian elephants still in China; the species roamed over a large part of the country even as late as a few hundred years ago. The elephants are protected in a reserve, but the plant diversity is threatened by, and has for five decades been threatened by, the proliferation of rubber plantations which completely destroy the rainforest and replace it with a monoculture of trees originally from Brazil. Passiflora xishuangbannaensis is a recently discovered passionflower species that is endemic to Xishuangbanna.kyuing: tum mrui., also spelled Kyaingtong, Chiang Tung, Cheingtung, and Kengtong) is a town in Shan State, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Kengtung Township. Kengtung was founded by the grandson of King Mangrai. This migration of the Chiangmai dynasty, made in the 13th century with the idea of founding a new kingdom which called Lannathai in Chiang Mai, has resulted in Kengtung having a different type of Tai population from the rest of the Shan State.Kengtung, like other major towns in the Shan Plateau, was home to a Shan Saopah. Kengtung was the base of the Kengtung Sawbanate, and had a Sawbwa palace, built by Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng in 1905.Sao Sāimöng, a famous politician and minister of independent Burma (now Myanmar) was born and raised in Kengtung, being son of Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng.The city hosted the headquarters of the Thai Phayap Army, which had briefly occupied the Shan States, during the Second World War. However, the Japanese forced the Phayap Army to withdraw, concerned that the Thais might have been planning to annex it for themselves. The Japanese military soon replaced the Phayap Army in Kengtung. The Shans dominated most of Myanmar from the 13th century to the 16th century as rulers of Ava, Sagaing and Pinya kingdoms. In the 19th century, long after their power declined, they were distributed among more than 30 petty states; most of them paid tribute to the Bamar king. Under the British colonial administration, first established in 1887, the Shan States were ruled by their hereditary chiefs (Saophas or Chaofa) as feudatories of the British crown. In 1922 most of these small states were joined in the 'Federated Shan States', under a commissioner who also administered the Wa State. This arrangement survived the constitutional changes of 1923 and 1937.In 1942, the Thai Army launched an offensive against the Shan States. The results were 4,000 Burmese dead and 367 Thai dead. A single Shan state, including the former Wa states, was established by the 1947 Constitution of Burma. Earlier on February 12, 1947, at the Panglong Conference an agreement was signed by the Shan, Kachin and Chin leaders and Aung San for the Burmese government.[5] In 1959 the Sawbwas relinquished much of their power to the Burmese government under General Ne Win. Then the Shan Federal Movement, led by Yawnghwe Sawbwa Sao Shwe Thaik - the first president of the independent Union of Burma (1948-52), and Mong Mit Sawbwa Saw Hkun Hkio - Foreign Minister, was seen as a separatist movement insisting on the government honouring the right to secession in 10 years provided for by the 1947 Constitution, and Ne Win staged a coup d'etat in 1962. The military coup fuelled the Shan rebellion, started in 1958 by a small group called Noom suik harn (Young Warriors), now joined by the Shan State Army (SSA) led by Sao Shwe Thaik's wife Mahadevi and son Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe. Shan State's autonomy was further eroded by increased centralisation of the Burmese government following the Constitution of 1974 promulgated by the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP). Generally, the Shans remain committed to the preservation of their distinct ethnic heritage. Shan State is an administrative division of Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, one of several ethnic groups that inhabit the area. It is the largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area. Shan State is largely rural, with only three cities of significant size: Lashio, Kengtung, and the capital, Taunggyi. Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang  is a city located in north central Laos, on the Mekong River about 425 km north of Vientiane, and the capital of Louangphrabang Province. The current population of the city is about 103,000. The city was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is also notable as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Muang Sua was the old name of Luang Prabang following its conquest in 698 A.D. by a Tai prince, Khun Lo, who seized his opportunity when Nan-chao was engaged elsewhere. Khun Lo had been awarded the town by his father, Khun Borom, who is associated with the Lao legend of the creation of the world, which the Lao share with the Shan and other peoples of the region. Khun Lo established a dynasty whose fifteen rulers reigned over an independent Muang Sua for the better part of a century. In the second half of the 8th century, Nan-chao intervened frequently in the affairs of the principalities of the middle Mekong Valley, resulting in the occupation of Muang Sua in 709. Nan-chao princes or administrators replaced the aristocracy of Tai overlords. Dates of the occupation are not known, but it probably ended well before the northward expansion of the Khmer empire under Indravarman I (r. 877-89) and extended as far as the territories of Sipsong Panna on the upper Mekong. In the meantime, the Khmers founded an outpost at Xay Fong near Vientiane, and Champa expanded again in southern Laos, maintaining its presence on the banks of the Mekong until 1070. Chanthaphanit, the local ruler of Xay Fong, moved north to Muang Sua and was accepted peacefully as ruler after the departure of the Nan-chao administrators. Chanthaphanit and his son had long reigns, during which the town became known by the Tai name Xieng Dong Xieng Thong. The dynasty eventually became involved in the squabbles of a number of principalities. Khun Chuang, a warlike ruler who may have been a Kammu (alternate spellings include Khamu and Khmu) tribesman, extended his territory as a result of the warring of these principalities and probably ruled from 1128 to 1169. Under Khun Chuang, a single family ruled over a far-flung territory and reinstituted the Siamese administrative system of the 7th century. At some point, Theravada Buddhism was subsumed by Mahayana Buddhism. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong experienced a brief period of Khmer suzerainty under Jayavarman VII from 1185 to 1191. By 1180 the Sipsong Panna had regained their independence from the Khmers, however, and in 1238 an internal uprising in the Khmer outpost of Sukhothai expelled the Khmer overlords. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong in 1353 became the capital of Lan Xang. The capital was moved in 1560 by King Setthathirath I to Vien Chang, which remains the capital today. In 1707, Lan Xang fell apart and Luang Prabang became the capital of the independent Luang Prabang kingdom. When France annexed Laos, the French recognized Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos. Eventually, the ruler of Luang Prabang became synonymous with the figurehead of the French Protectorate of Laos. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang, Sisavang Vong, became the head of state for the Kingdom of Laos.  Xishuangbanna or Sipsongpanna is an autonomous prefecture in southern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. The capital city is Jinghong, the largest settlement in the area and one that straddles the Lancang (Mekong) river. The prefecture has an area of 19700 km². The native name literally means "twelve thousand rice fields". Xishuangbanna is the home of the Dai people. The region sits at a lower altitude than most of Yunnan, and has a tropical climate. It is fast becoming a sought after tourist destination.  Xishuangbanna harbors much of the biodiversity of Yunnan Province, which harbors much of the biodiversity of China. Its tropical climate and its remoteness until recent times accounts for this. In addition to an abundance of plants, Xishuangbanna is home to the last few Asian elephants still in China; the species roamed over a large part of the country even as late as a few hundred years ago. The elephants are protected in a reserve, but the plant diversity is threatened by, and has for five decades been threatened by, the proliferation of rubber plantations which completely destroy the rainforest and replace it with a monoculture of trees originally from Brazil. Passiflora xishuangbannaensis is a recently discovered passionflower species that is endemic to Xishuangbanna.kyuing: tum mrui., also spelled Kyaingtong, Chiang Tung, Cheingtung, and Kengtong) is a town in Shan State, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Kengtung Township. Kengtung was founded by the grandson of King Mangrai. This migration of the Chiangmai dynasty, made in the 13th century with the idea of founding a new kingdom which called Lannathai in Chiang Mai, has resulted in Kengtung having a different type of Tai population from the rest of the Shan State.Kengtung, like other major towns in the Shan Plateau, was home to a Shan Saopah. Kengtung was the base of the Kengtung Sawbanate, and had a Sawbwa palace, built by Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng in 1905.Sao Sāimöng, a famous politician and minister of independent Burma (now Myanmar) was born and raised in Kengtung, being son of Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng.The city hosted the headquarters of the Thai Phayap Army, which had briefly occupied the Shan States, during the Second World War. However, the Japanese forced the Phayap Army to withdraw, concerned that the Thais might have been planning to annex it for themselves. The Japanese military soon replaced the Phayap Army in Kengtung. The Shans dominated most of Myanmar from the 13th century to the 16th century as rulers of Ava, Sagaing and Pinya kingdoms. In the 19th century, long after their power declined, they were distributed among more than 30 petty states; most of them paid tribute to the Bamar king. Under the British colonial administration, first established in 1887, the Shan States were ruled by their hereditary chiefs (Saophas or Chaofa) as feudatories of the British crown. In 1922 most of these small states were joined in the 'Federated Shan States', under a commissioner who also administered the Wa State. This arrangement survived the constitutional changes of 1923 and 1937.In 1942, the Thai Army launched an offensive against the Shan States. The results were 4,000 Burmese dead and 367 Thai dead. A single Shan state, including the former Wa states, was established by the 1947 Constitution of Burma. Earlier on February 12, 1947, at the Panglong Conference an agreement was signed by the Shan, Kachin and Chin leaders and Aung San for the Burmese government.[5] In 1959 the Sawbwas relinquished much of their power to the Burmese government under General Ne Win. Then the Shan Federal Movement, led by Yawnghwe Sawbwa Sao Shwe Thaik - the first president of the independent Union of Burma (1948-52), and Mong Mit Sawbwa Saw Hkun Hkio - Foreign Minister, was seen as a separatist movement insisting on the government honouring the right to secession in 10 years provided for by the 1947 Constitution, and Ne Win staged a coup d'etat in 1962. The military coup fuelled the Shan rebellion, started in 1958 by a small group called Noom suik harn (Young Warriors), now joined by the Shan State Army (SSA) led by Sao Shwe Thaik's wife Mahadevi and son Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe. Shan State's autonomy was further eroded by increased centralisation of the Burmese government following the Constitution of 1974 promulgated by the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP). Generally, the Shans remain committed to the preservation of their distinct ethnic heritage. Shan State is an administrative division of Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, one of several ethnic groups that inhabit the area. It is the largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area. Shan State is largely rural, with only three cities of significant size: Lashio, Kengtung, and the capital, Taunggyi. Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang  is a city located in north central Laos, on the Mekong River about 425 km north of Vientiane, and the capital of Louangphrabang Province. The current population of the city is about 103,000. The city was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is also notable as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Muang Sua was the old name of Luang Prabang following its conquest in 698 A.D. by a Tai prince, Khun Lo, who seized his opportunity when Nan-chao was engaged elsewhere. Khun Lo had been awarded the town by his father, Khun Borom, who is associated with the Lao legend of the creation of the world, which the Lao share with the Shan and other peoples of the region. Khun Lo established a dynasty whose fifteen rulers reigned over an independent Muang Sua for the better part of a century. In the second half of the 8th century, Nan-chao intervened frequently in the affairs of the principalities of the middle Mekong Valley, resulting in the occupation of Muang Sua in 709. Nan-chao princes or administrators replaced the aristocracy of Tai overlords. Dates of the occupation are not known, but it probably ended well before the northward expansion of the Khmer empire under Indravarman I (r. 877-89) and extended as far as the territories of Sipsong Panna on the upper Mekong. In the meantime, the Khmers founded an outpost at Xay Fong near Vientiane, and Champa expanded again in southern Laos, maintaining its presence on the banks of the Mekong until 1070. Chanthaphanit, the local ruler of Xay Fong, moved north to Muang Sua and was accepted peacefully as ruler after the departure of the Nan-chao administrators. Chanthaphanit and his son had long reigns, during which the town became known by the Tai name Xieng Dong Xieng Thong. The dynasty eventually became involved in the squabbles of a number of principalities. Khun Chuang, a warlike ruler who may have been a Kammu (alternate spellings include Khamu and Khmu) tribesman, extended his territory as a result of the warring of these principalities and probably ruled from 1128 to 1169. Under Khun Chuang, a single family ruled over a far-flung territory and reinstituted the Siamese administrative system of the 7th century. At some point, Theravada Buddhism was subsumed by Mahayana Buddhism. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong experienced a brief period of Khmer suzerainty under Jayavarman VII from 1185 to 1191. By 1180 the Sipsong Panna had regained their independence from the Khmers, however, and in 1238 an internal uprising in the Khmer outpost of Sukhothai expelled the Khmer overlords. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong in 1353 became the capital of Lan Xang. The capital was moved in 1560 by King Setthathirath I to Vien Chang, which remains the capital today. In 1707, Lan Xang fell apart and Luang Prabang became the capital of the independent Luang Prabang kingdom. When France annexed Laos, the French recognized Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos. Eventually, the ruler of Luang Prabang became synonymous with the figurehead of the French Protectorate of Laos. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang, Sisavang Vong, became the head of state for the Kingdom of Laos.  Xishuangbanna or Sipsongpanna is an autonomous prefecture in southern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. The capital city is Jinghong, the largest settlement in the area and one that straddles the Lancang (Mekong) river. The prefecture has an area of 19700 km². The native name literally means "twelve thousand rice fields". Xishuangbanna is the home of the Dai people. The region sits at a lower altitude than most of Yunnan, and has a tropical climate. It is fast becoming a sought after tourist destination.  Xishuangbanna harbors much of the biodiversity of Yunnan Province, which harbors much of the biodiversity of China. Its tropical climate and its remoteness until recent times accounts for this. In addition to an abundance of plants, Xishuangbanna is home to the last few Asian elephants still in China; the species roamed over a large part of the country even as late as a few hundred years ago. The elephants are protected in a reserve, but the plant diversity is threatened by, and has for five decades been threatened by, the proliferation of rubber plantations which completely destroy the rainforest and replace it with a monoculture of trees originally from Brazil. Passiflora xishuangbannaensis is a recently discovered passionflower species that is endemic to Xishuangbanna.kyuing: tum mrui., also spelled Kyaingtong, Chiang Tung, Cheingtung, and Kengtong) is a town in Shan State, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Kengtung Township. Kengtung was founded bkyuing: tum mrui., also spelled Kyaingtong, Chiang Tung, Cheingtung, and Kengtong) is a town in Shan State, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Kengtung Township. Kengtung was founded by the grandson of King Mangrai. This migration of the Chiangmai dynasty, made in the 13th century with the idea of founding a new kingdom which called Lannathai in Chiang Mai, has resulted in Kengtung having a different type of Tai population from the rest of the Shan State.Kengtung, like other major towns in the Shan Plateau, was home to a Shan Saopah. Kengtung was the base of the Kengtung Sawbanate, and had a Sawbwa palace, built by Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng in 1905.Sao Sāimöng, a famous politician and minister of independent Burma (now Myanmar) was born and raised in Kengtung, being son of Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng.The city hosted the headquarters of the Thai Phayap Army, which had briefly occupied the Shan States, during the Second World War. However, the Japanese forced the Phayap Army to withdraw, concerned that the Thais might have been planning to annex it for themselves. The Japanese military soon replaced the Phayap Army in Kengtung. The Shans dominated most of Myanmar from the 13th century to the 16th century as rulers of Ava, Sagaing and Pinya kingdoms. In the 19th century, long after their power declined, they were distributed among more than 30 petty states; most of them paid tribute to the Bamar king. Under the British colonial administration, first established in 1887, the Shan States were ruled by their hereditary chiefs (Saophas or Chaofa) as feudatories of the British crown. In 1922 most of these small states were joined in the 'Federated Shan States', under a commissioner who also administered the Wa State. This arrangement survived the constitutional changes of 1923 and 1937.In 1942, the Thai Army launched an offensive against the Shan States. The results were 4,000 Burmese dead and 367 Thai dead. A single Shan state, including the former Wa states, was established by the 1947 Constitution of Burma. Earlier on February 12, 1947, at the Panglong Conference an agreement was signed by the Shan, Kachin and Chin leaders and Aung San for the Burmese government.[5] In 1959 the Sawbwas relinquished much of their power to the Burmese government under General Ne Win. Then the Shan Federal Movement, led by Yawnghwe Sawbwa Sao Shwe Thaik - the first president of the independent Union of Burma (1948-52), and Mong Mit Sawbwa Saw Hkun Hkio - Foreign Minister, was seen as a separatist movement insisting on the government honouring the right to secession in 10 years provided for by the 1947 Constitution, and Ne Win staged a coup d'etat in 1962. The military coup fuelled the Shan rebellion, started in 1958 by a small group called Noom suik harn (Young Warriors), now joined by the Shan State Army (SSA) led by Sao Shwe Thaik's wife Mahadevi and son Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe. Shan State's autonomy was further eroded by increased centralisation of the Burmese government following the Constitution of 1974 promulgated by the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP). Generally, the Shans remain committed to the preservation of their distinct ethnic heritage. Shan State is an administrative division of Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, one of several ethnic groups that inhabit the area. It is the largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area. Shan State is largely rural, with only three cities of significant size: Lashio, Kengtung, and the capital, Taunggyi. Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang  is a city located in north central Laos, on the Mekong River about 425 km north of Vientiane, and the capital of Louangphrabang Province. The current population of the city is about 103,000. The city was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is also notable as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Muang Sua was the old name of Luang Prabang following its conquest in 698 A.D. by a Tai prince, Khun Lo, who seized his opportunity when Nan-chao was engaged elsewhere. Khun Lo had been awarded the town by his father, Khun Borom, who is associated with the Lao legend of the creation of the world, which the Lao share with the Shan and other peoples of the region. Khun Lo established a dynasty whose fifteen rulers reigned over an independent Muang Sua for the better part of a century. In the second half of the 8th century, Nan-chao intervened frequently in the affairs of the principalities of the middle Mekong Valley, resulting in the occupation of Muang Sua in 709. Nan-chao princes or administrators replaced the aristocracy of Tai overlords. Dates of the occupation are not known, but it probably ended well before the northward expansion of the Khmer empire under Indravarman I (r. 877-89) and extended as far as the territories of Sipsong Panna on the upper Mekong. In the meantime, the Khmers founded an outpost at Xay Fong near Vientiane, and Champa expanded again in southern Laos, maintaining its presence on the banks of the Mekong until 1070. Chanthaphanit, the local ruler of Xay Fong, moved north to Muang Sua and was accepted peacefully as ruler after the departure of the Nan-chao administrators. Chanthaphanit and his son had long reigns, during which the town became known by the Tai name Xieng Dong Xieng Thong. The dynasty eventually became involved in the squabbles of a number of principalities. Khun Chuang, a warlike ruler who may have been a Kammu (alternate spellings include Khamu and Khmu) tribesman, extended his territory as a result of the warring of these principalities and probably ruled from 1128 to 1169. Under Khun Chuang, a single family ruled over a far-flung territory and reinstituted the Siamese administrative system of the 7th century. At some point, Theravada Buddhism was subsumed by Mahayana Buddhism. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong experienced a brief period of Khmer suzerainty under Jayavarman VII from 1185 to 1191. By 1180 the Sipsong Panna had regained their independence from the Khmers, however, and in 1238 an internal uprising in the Khmer outpost of Sukhothai expelled the Khmer overlords. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong in 1353 became the capital of Lan Xang. The capital was moved in 1560 by King Setthathirath I to Vien Chang, which remains the capital today. In 1707, Lan Xang fell apart and Luang Prabang became the capital of the independent Luang Prabang kingdom. When France annexed Laos, the French recognized Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos. Eventually, the ruler of Luang Prabang became synonymous with the figurehead of the French Protectorate of Laos. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang, Sisavang Vong, became the head of state for the Kingdom of Laos.  Xishuangbanna or Sipsongpanna is an autonomous prefecture in southern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. The capital city is Jinghong, the largest settlement in the area and one that straddles the Lancang (Mekong) river. The prefecture has an area of 19700 km². The native name literally means "twelve thousand rice fields". Xishuangbanna is the home of the Dai people. The region sits at a lower altitude than most of Yunnan, and has a tropical climate. It is fast becoming a sought after tourist destination.  Xishuangbanna harbors much of the biodiversity of Yunnan Province, which harbors much of the biodiversity of China. Its tropical climate and its remoteness until recent times accounts for this. In addition to an abundance of plants, Xishuangbanna is home to the last few Asian elephants still in China; the species roamed over a large part of the country even as late as a few hundred years ago. The elephants are protected in a reserve, but the plant diversity is threatened by, and has for five decades been threatened by, the proliferation of rubber plantations which completely destroy the rainforest and replace it with a monoculture of trees originally from Brazil. Passiflora xishuangbannaensis is a recently discovered passionflower species that is endemic to Xishuangbanna. kyuing: tum mrui., also spelled Kyaingtong, Chiang Tung, Cheingtung, and Kengtong) is a town in Shan State, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Kengtung Township. Kengtung was founded by the grandson of King Mangrai. This migration of the Chiangmai dynasty, made in the 13th century with the idea of founding a new kingdom which called Lannathai in Chiang Mai, has resulted in Kengtung having a different type of Tai population from the rest of the Shan State.Kengtung, like other major towns in the Shan Plateau, was home to a Shan Saopah. Kengtung was the base of the Kengtung Sawbanate, and had a Sawbwa palace, built by Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng in 1905.Sao Sāimöng, a famous politician and minister of independent Burma (now Myanmar) was born and raised in Kengtung, being son of Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng.The city hosted the headquarters of the Thai Phayap Army, which had briefly occupied the Shan States, during the Second World War. However, the Japanese forced the Phayap Army to withdraw, concerned that the Thais might have been planning to annex it for themselves. The Japanese military soon replaced the Phayap Army in Kengtung. The Shans dominated most of Myanmar from the 13th century to the 16th century as rulers of Ava, Sagaing and Pinya kingdoms. In the 19th century, long after their power declined, they were distributed among more than 30 petty states; most of them paid tribute to the Bamar king. Under the British colonial administration, first established in 1887, the Shan States were ruled by their hereditary chiefs (Saophas or Chaofa) as feudatories of the British crown. In 1922 most of these small states were joined in the 'Federated Shan States', under a commissioner who also administered the Wa State. This arrangement survived the constitutional changes of 1923 and 1937.In 1942, the Thai Army launched an offensive against the Shan States. The results were 4,000 Burmese dead and 367 Thai dead. A single Shan state, including the former Wa states, was established by the 1947 Constitution of Burma. Earlier on February 12, 1947, at the Panglong Conference an agreement was signed by the Shan, Kachin and Chin leaders and Aung San for the Burmese government.[5] In 1959 the Sawbwas relinquished much of their power to the Burmese government under General Ne Win. Then the Shan Federal Movement, led by Yawnghwe Sawbwa Sao Shwe Thaik - the first president of the independent Union of Burma (1948-52), and Mong Mit Sawbwa Saw Hkun Hkio - Foreign Minister, was seen as a separatist movement insisting on the government honouring the right to secession in 10 years provided for by the 1947 Constitution, and Ne Win staged a coup d'etat in 1962. The military coup fuelled the Shan rebellion, started in 1958 by a small group called Noom suik harn (Young Warriors), now joined by the Shan State Army (SSA) led by Sao Shwe Thaik's wife Mahadevi and son Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe. Shan State's autonomy was further eroded by increased centralisation of the Burmese government following the Constitution of 1974 promulgated by the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP). Generally, the Shans remain committed to the preservation of their distinct ethnic heritage. Shan State is an administrative division of Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, one of several ethnic groups that inhabit the area. It is the largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area. Shan State is largely rural, with only three cities of significant size: Lashio, Kengtung, and the capital, Taunggyi. Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang  is a city located in north central Laos, on the Mekong River about 425 km north of Vientiane, and the capital of Louangphrabang Province. The current population of the city is about 103,000. The city was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is also notable as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Muang Sua was the old name of Luang Prabang following its conquest in 698 A.D. by a Tai prince, Khun Lo, who seized his opportunity when Nan-chao was engaged elsewhere. Khun Lo had been awarded the town by his father, Khun Borom, who is associated with the Lao legend of the creation of the world, which the Lao share with the Shan and other peoples of the region. Khun Lo established a dynasty whose fifteen rulers reigned over an independent Muang Sua for the better part of a century. In the second half of the 8th century, Nan-chao intervened frequently in the affairs of the principalities of the middle Mekong Valley, resulting in the occupation of Muang Sua in 709. Nan-chao princes or administrators replaced the aristocracy of Tai overlords. Dates of the occupation are not known, but it probably ended well before the northward expansion of the Khmer empire under Indravarman I (r. 877-89) and extended as far as the territories of Sipsong Panna on the upper Mekong. In the meantime, the Khmers founded an outpost at Xay Fong near Vientiane, and Champa expanded again in southern Laos, maintaining its presence on the banks of the Mekong until 1070. Chanthaphanit, the local ruler of Xay Fong, moved north to Muang Sua and was accepted peacefully as ruler after the departure of the Nan-chao administrators. Chanthaphanit and his son had long reigns, during which the town became known by the Tai name Xieng Dong Xieng Thong. The dynasty eventually became involved in the squabbles of a number of principalities. Khun Chuang, a warlike ruler who may have been a Kammu (alternate spellings include Khamu and Khmu) tribesman, extended his territory as a result of the warring of these principalities and probably ruled from 1128 to 1169. Under Khun Chuang, a single family ruled over a far-flung territory and reinstituted the Siamese administrative system of the 7th century. At some point, Theravada Buddhism was subsumed by Mahayana Buddhism. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong experienced a brief period of Khmer suzerainty under Jayavarman VII from 1185 to 1191. By 1180 the Sipsong Panna had regained their independence from the Khmers, however, and in 1238 an internal uprising in the Khmer outpost of Sukhothai expelled the Khmer overlords. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong in 1353 became the capital of Lan Xang. The capital was moved in 1560 by King Setthathirath I to Vien Chang, which remains the capital today. In 1707, Lan Xang fell apart and Luang Prabang became the capital of the independent Luang Prabang kingdom. When France annexed Laos, the French recognized Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos. Eventually, the ruler of Luang Prabang became synonymous with the figurehead of the French Protectorate of Laos. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang, Sisavang Vong, became the head of state for the Kingdom of Laos.  Xishuangbanna or Sipsongpanna is an autonomous prefecture in southern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. The capital city is Jinghong, the largest settlement in the area and one that straddles the Lancang (Mekong) river. The prefecture has an area of 19700 km². The native name literally means "twelve thousand rice fields". Xishuangbanna is the home of the Dai people. The region sits at a lower altitude than most of Yunnan, and has a tropical climate. It is fast becoming a sought after tourist destination.  Xishuangbanna harbors much of the biodiversity of Yunnan Province, which harbors much of the biodiversity of China. Its tropical climate and its remoteness until recent times accounts for this. In addition to an abundance of plants, Xishuangbanna is home to the last few Asian elephants still in China; the species roamed over a large part of the country even as late as a few hundred years ago. The elephants are protected in a reserve, but the plant diversity is threatened by, and has for five decades been threatened by, the proliferation of rubber plantations which completely destroy the rainforest and replace it with a monoculture of trees originally from Brazil. Passiflora xishuangbannaensis is a recently discovered passionflower species that is endemic to Xishuangbanna.kyuing: tum mrui., also spelled Kyaingtong, Chiang Tung, Cheingtung, and Kengtong) is a town in Shan State, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Kengtung Township. Kengtung was founded by the grandson of King Mangrai. This migration of the Chiangmai dynasty, made in the 13th century with the idea of founding a new kingdom which called Lannathai in Chiang Mai, has resulted in Kengtung having a different type of Tai population from the rest of the Shan State.Kengtung, like other major towns in the Shan Plateau, was home to a Shan Saopah. Kengtung was the base of the Kengtung Sawbanate, and had a Sawbwa palace, built by Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng in 1905.Sao Sāimöng, a famous politician and minister of independent Burma (now Myanmar) was born and raised in Kengtung, being son of Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng.The city hosted the headquarters of the Thai Phayap Army, which had briefly occupied the Shan States, during the Second World War. However, the Japanese forced the Phayap Army to withdraw, concerned that the Thais might have been planning to annex it for themselves. The Japanese military soon replaced the Phayap Army in Kengtung. The Shans dominated most of Myanmar from the 13th century to the 16th century as rulers of Ava, Sagaing and Pinya kingdoms. In the 19th century, long after their power declined, they were distributed among more than 30 petty states; most of them paid tribute to the Bamar king. Under the British colonial administration, first established in 1887, the Shan States were ruled by their hereditary chiefs (Saophas or Chaofa) as feudatories of the British crown. In 1922 most of these small states were joined in the 'Federated Shan States', under a commissioner who also administered the Wa State. This arrangement survived the constitutional changes of 1923 and 1937.In 1942, the Thai Army launched an offensive against the Shan States. The results were 4,000 Burmese dead and 367 Thai dead. A single Shan state, including the former Wa states, was established by the 1947 Constitution of Burma. Earlier on February 12, 1947, at the Panglong Conference an agreement was signed by the Shan, Kachin and Chin leaders and Aung San for the Burmese government.[5] In 1959 the Sawbwas relinquished much of their power to the Burmese government under General Ne Win. Then the Shan Federal Movement, led by Yawnghwe Sawbwa Sao Shwe Thaik - the first president of the independent Union of Burma (1948-52), and Mong Mit Sawbwa Saw Hkun Hkio - Foreign Minister, was seen as a separatist movement insisting on the government honouring the right to secession in 10 years provided for by the 1947 Constitution, and Ne Win staged a coup d'etat in 1962. The military coup fuelled the Shan rebellion, started in 1958 by a small group called Noom suik harn (Young Warriors), now joined by the Shan State Army (SSA) led by Sao Shwe Thaik's wife Mahadevi and son Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe. Shan State's autonomy was further eroded by increased centralisation of the Burmese government following the Constitution of 1974 promulgated by the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP). Generally, the Shans remain committed to the preservation of their distinct ethnic heritage. Shan State is an administrative division of Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, one of several ethnic groups that inhabit the area. It is the largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area. Shan State is largely rural, with only three cities of significant size: Lashio, Kengtung, and the capital, Taunggyi. Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang  is a city located in north central Laos, on the Mekong River about 425 km north of Vientiane, and the capital of Louangphrabang Province. The current population of the city is about 103,000. The city was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is also notable as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Muang Sua was the old name of Luang Prabang following its conquest in 698 A.D. by a Tai prince, Khun Lo, who seized his opportunity when Nan-chao was engaged elsewhere. Khun Lo had been awarded the town by his father, Khun Borom, who is associated with the Lao legend of the creation of the world, which the Lao share with the Shan and other peoples of the region. Khun Lo established a dynasty whose fifteen rulers reigned over an independent Muang Sua for the better part of a century. In the second half of the 8th century, Nan-chao intervened frequently in the affairs of the principalities of the middle Mekong Valley, resulting in the occupation of Muang Sua in 709. Nan-chao princes or administrators replaced the aristocracy of Tai overlords. Dates of the occupation are not known, but it probably ended well before the northward expansion of the Khmer empire under Indravarman I (r. 877-89) and extended as far as the territories of Sipsong Panna on the upper Mekong. In the meantime, the Khmers founded an outpost at Xay Fong near Vientiane, and Champa expanded again in southern Laos, maintaining its presence on the banks of the Mekong until 1070. Chanthaphanit, the local ruler of Xay Fong, moved north to Muang Sua and was accepted peacefully as ruler after the departure of the Nan-chao administrators. Chanthaphanit and his son had long reigns, during which the town became known by the Tai name Xieng Dong Xieng Thong. The dynasty eventually became involved in the squabbles of a number of principalities. Khun Chuang, a warlike ruler who may have been a Kammu (alternate spellings include Khamu and Khmu) tribesman, extended his territory as a result of the warring of these principalities and probably ruled from 1128 to 1169. Under Khun Chuang, a single family ruled over a far-flung territory and reinstituted the Siamese administrative system of the 7th century. At some point, Theravada Buddhism was subsumed by Mahayana Buddhism. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong experienced a brief period of Khmer suzerainty under Jayavarman VII from 1185 to 1191. By 1180 the Sipsong Panna had regained their independence from the Khmers, however, and in 1238 an internal uprising in the Khmer outpost of Sukhothai expelled the Khmer overlords. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong in 1353 became the capital of Lan Xang. The capital was moved in 1560 by King Setthathirath I to Vien Chang, which remains the capital today. In 1707, Lan Xang fell apart and Luang Prabang became the capital of the independent Luang Prabang kingdom. When France annexed Laos, the French recognized Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos. Eventually, the ruler of Luang Prabang became synonymous with the figurehead of the French Protectorate of Laos. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang, Sisavang Vong, became the head of state for the Kingdom of Laos.  Xishuangbanna or Sipsongpanna is an autonomous prefecture in southern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. The capital city is Jinghong, the largest settlement in the area and one that straddles the Lancang (Mekong) river. The prefecture has an area of 19700 km². The native name literally means "twelve thousand rice fields". Xishuangbanna is the home of the Dai people. The region sits at a lower altitude than most of Yunnan, and has a tropical climate. It is fast becoming a sought after tourist destination.  Xishuangbanna harbors much of the biodiversity of Yunnan Province, which harbors much of the biodiversity of China. Its tropical climate and its remoteness until recent times accounts for this. In addition to an abundance of plants, Xishuangbanna is home to the last few Asian elephants still in China; the species roamed over a large part of the country even as late as a few hundred years ago. The elephants are protected in a reserve, but the plant diversity is threatened by, and has for five decades been threatened by, the proliferation of rubber plantations which completely destroy the rainforest and replace it with a monoculture of trees originally from Brazil. Passiflora xishuangbannaensis is a recently discovered passionflower species that is endemic to Xishuangbanna.kyuing: tum mrui., also spelled Kyaingtong, Chiang Tung, Cheingtung, and Kengtong) is a town in Shan State, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Kengtung Township. Kengtung was founded by the grandson of King Mangrai. This migration of the Chiangmai dynasty, made in the 13th century with the idea of founding a new kingdom which called Lannathai in Chiang Mai, has resulted in Kengtung having a different type of Tai population from the rest of the Shan State.Kengtung, like other major towns in the Shan Plateau, was home to a Shan Saopah. Kengtung was the base of the Kengtung Sawbanate, and had a Sawbwa palace, built by Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng in 1905.Sao Sāimöng, a famous politician and minister of independent Burma (now Myanmar) was born and raised in Kengtung, being son of Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng.The city hosted the headquarters of the Thai Phayap Army, which had briefly occupied the Shan States, during the Second World War. However, the Japanese forced the Phayap Army to withdraw, concerned that the Thais might have been planning to annex it for themselves. The Japanese military soon replaced the Phayap Army in Kengtung. The Shans dominated most of Myanmar from the 13th century to the 16th century as rulers of Ava, Sagaing and Pinya kingdoms. In the 19th century, long after their power declined, they were distributed among more than 30 petty states; most of them paid tribute to the Bamar king. Under the British colonial administration, first established in 1887, the Shan States were ruled by their hereditary chiefs (Saophas or Chaofa) as feudatories of the British crown. In 1922 most of these small states were joined in the 'Federated Shan States', under a commissioner who also administered the Wa State. This arrangement survived the constitutional changes of 1923 and 1937.In 1942, the Thai Army launched an offensive against the Shan States. The results were 4,000 Burmese dead and 367 Thai dead. A single Shan state, including the former Wa states, was established by the 1947 Constitution of Burma. Earlier on February 12, 1947, at the Panglong Conference an agreement was signed by the Shan, Kachin and Chin leaders and Aung San for the Burmese government.[5] In 1959 the Sawbwas relinquished much of their power to the Burmese government under General Ne Win. Then the Shan Federal Movement, led by Yawnghwe Sawbwa Sao Shwe Thaik - the first president of the independent Union of Burma (1948-52), and Mong Mit Sawbwa Saw Hkun Hkio - Foreign Minister, was seen as a separatist movement insisting on the government honouring the right to secession in 10 years provided for by the 1947 Constitution, and Ne Win staged a coup d'etat in 1962. The military coup fuelled the Shan rebellion, started in 1958 by a small group called Noom suik harn (Young Warriors), now joined by the Shan State Army (SSA) led by Sao Shwe Thaik's wife Mahadevi and son Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe. Shan State's autonomy was further eroded by increased centralisation of the Burmese government following the Constitution of 1974 promulgated by the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP). Generally, the Shans remain committed to the preservation of their distinct ethnic heritage. Shan State is an administrative division of Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, one of several ethnic groups that inhabit the area. It is the largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area. Shan State is largely rural, with only three cities of significant size: Lashio, Kengtung, and the capital, Taunggyi. Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang  is a city located in north central Laos, on the Mekong River about 425 km north of Vientiane, and the capital of Louangphrabang Province. The current population of the city is about 103,000. The city was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is also notable as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Muang Sua was the old name of Luang Prabang following its conquest in 698 A.D. by a Tai prince, Khun Lo, who seized his opportunity when Nan-chao was engaged elsewhere. Khun Lo had been awarded the town by his father, Khun Borom, who is associated with the Lao legend of the creation of the world, which the Lao share with the Shan and other peoples of the region. Khun Lo established a dynasty whose fifteen rulers reigned over an independent Muang Sua for the better part of a century. In the second half of the 8th century, Nan-chao intervened frequently in the affairs of the principalities of the middle Mekong Valley, resulting in the occupation of Muang Sua in 709. Nan-chao princes or administrators replaced the aristocracy of Tai overlords. Dates of the occupation are not known, but it probably ended well before the northward expansion of the Khmer empire under Indravarman I (r. 877-89) and extended as far as the territories of Sipsong Panna on the upper Mekong. In the meantime, the Khmers founded an outpost at Xay Fong near Vientiane, and Champa expanded again in southern Laos, maintaining its presence on the banks of the Mekong until 1070. Chanthaphanit, the local ruler of Xay Fong, moved north to Muang Sua and was accepted peacefully as ruler after the departure of the Nan-chao administrators. Chanthaphanit and his son had long reigns, during which the town became known by the Tai name Xieng Dong Xieng Thong. The dynasty eventually became involved in the squabbles of a number of principalities. Khun Chuang, a warlike ruler who may have been a Kammu (alternate spellings include Khamu and Khmu) tribesman, extended his territory as a result of the warring of these principalities and probably ruled from 1128 to 1169. Under Khun Chuang, a single family ruled over a far-flung territory and reinstituted the Siamese administrative system of the 7th century. At some point, Theravada Buddhism was subsumed by Mahayana Buddhism. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong experienced a brief period of Khmer suzerainty under Jayavarman VII from 1185 to 1191. By 1180 the Sipsong Panna had regained their independence from the Khmers, however, and in 1238 an internal uprising in the Khmer outpost of Sukhothai expelled the Khmer overlords. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong in 1353 became the capital of Lan Xang. The capital was moved in 1560 by King Setthathirath I to Vien Chang, which remains the capital today. In 1707, Lan Xang fell apart and Luang Prabang became the capital of the independent Luang Prabang kingdom. When France annexed Laos, the French recognized Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos. Eventually, the ruler of Luang Prabang became synonymous with the figurehead of the French Protectorate of Laos. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang, Sisavang Vong, became the head of state for the Kingdom of Laos.  Xishuangbanna or Sipsongpanna is an autonomous prefecture in southern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. The capital city is Jinghong, the largest settlement in the area and one that straddles the Lancang (Mekong) river. The prefecture has an area of 19700 km². The native name literally means "twelve thousand rice fields". Xishuangbanna is the home of the Dai people. The region sits at a lower altitude than most of Yunnan, and has a tropical climate. It is fast becoming a sought after tourist destination.  Xishuangbanna harbors much of the biodiversity of Yunnan Province, which harbors much of the biodiversity of China. Its tropical climate and its remoteness until recent times accounts for this. In addition to an abundance of plants, Xishuangbanna is home to the last few Asian elephants still in China; the species roamed over a large part of the country even as late as a few hundred years ago. The elephants are protected in a reserve, but the plant diversity is threatened by, and has for five decades been threatened by, the proliferation of rubber plantations which completely destroy the rainforest and replace it with a monoculture of trees originally from Brazil. Passiflora xishuangbannaensis is a recently discovered passionflower species that is endemic to Xishuangbanna.kyuing: tum mrui., also spelled Kyaingtong, Chiang Tung, Cheingtung, and Kengtong) is a town in Shan State, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Kengtung Township. Kengtung was founded b
ใบอนุญาตเลขที่ 21/0466
พี่หนานเทือง (ปุระวิชญ์ วันตา)
 
 
ติดต่อสอบถาม
 
โทรศัพท์  083-2018849
สำนักงาน 202/3  หมู่ 5    
ต.แม่เหียะ  อ.เมือง
จ.เชียงใหม่  50100
Fax. 053-838312
 
Email : wantatour@hotmail.com
 
 
เครื่องปั้นดินเผาบ้านยางกวง นครเชียงตุง
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
ไหว้สาวันทาสักการะสิ่งศักดิ์สิทธิ์
ศึกษาวิถีชีวิตและวัฒนธรรมที่เรียบง่าย
แอ่วม่วนสบายไปกับวันทาทัวร์
 
[ 7 ]
 
ล่องเรือ เที่ยวเมืองหลวงพระบาง
เมืองแห่งมรดกโลก
และวิถีชีวิตที่ยังคงดำเนินไปอย่างช้าๆ
 

วันที่ 1

04.00 น. พบกัน ณ จุดนัดหมาย จ.เชียงใหม่ 
             รับประทานเช้าที่ อ.เชียงของ จ.เชียงราย
 
09.30 น. ลงเรือข้ามไปท่าห้วยทราย สาธารณรัฐประชาธิปไตยประชาชนลาว 
             ลงเรือใหญ่ที่ท่าเรือห้วยทรายล่องเรือไปตามลำน้ำโขง  เข้าสู่บ้านปากทา 
             จุดเชื่อมบรรจบระหว่างน้ำโขงและน้ำที่ไหลลงมาจากเมืองหลวงน้ำทา  
             จุดนี้ชาวเรือเรียกว่า  บ้านท่าด่าน  เพราะมีจุดตรวจเช็คเรือที่แล่นขึ้น-ลง
             ในลำน้ำโขงตอนบน ของประเทศลาวเดินทางถึงด่านตรวจเมืองปากแบง
 
16.00 น. จอดเรือเซ็นผ่านด่านปากแบง เข้าที่พัก “สาลิกา, มอนสวรรค์”
             และรับประทานอาหารเย็นที่โรงแรม

 

วันที่ 2

08.00 น. เช็คเอาท์ออกจากโรงแรม ลงเรือออกจากปากแบง 
              รับประทานอาหารเช้าและเที่ยงในเรือ
 
14.00 น. เดินทางถึงปากอู เมืองหลวงพระบาง  แวะนมัสการถ้ำติ่ง ซึ่งเป็นถ้ำที่
             เกิดจากธรรมชาติ  ตั้งอยู่บนฝั่งตรงข้ามกับบ้านปากอูในภูเขาลูกใหญ่
             ที่ตระหง่านอยู่ริมน้ำโขง ภายในถ้ำมีพระพุทธรูปที่สร้างขึ้นในศตวรรษ
             ที่ 15 และ 19 จำนวนหลายพันองค์ และมีบางส่วนที่สร้างขึ้นในศตวรรษ
             ที่  17 และ ส่วนใหญ่ทำจากไม้  บางส่วนทำจากหิน และโลหะ  
             นอกจากนี้ยังมีพระพุทธรูปที่ทำจากเงินและทองคำบุ  แต่ถูกลอกเอาเงิน
             และทองคำออกไปหมดแล้ว  เหลือไว้แต่ดินเผาที่เป็นแกนกลาง
 
16.00 น. เที่ยวชมหมู่บ้านช่างไห ซึ่งเป็นหมู่บ้านต้มเหล้า
              และรับประทานอาหารเย็นในเรือ
17.30  น. ถึงเมืองหลวงพระบางและเข้าพักที่โรงแรม “แก้วปทุม”
18.00  น. รับประทานอาหารค่ำและพักผ่อนตามอัธยาศัย

 

วันที่ 3

05.30 น. ตื่นตอนทำภารกิจส่วนตัว

06.00 น. ออกจากโรงแรมไปร่วมทำบุญตักบาตรข้าวเหนียวกับพระภิกษุสามเณร
             ที่ออกมาเดินบิณฑบาตอย่างเรียบร้อย น่าเลื่อมใส
 
07.00 น. รับประทานอาหารเช้าที่โรงแรม
 
07.30 – 18.00 น.  เที่ยวชมเมืองแห่งมรดกโลก  เริ่มจากเที่ยวชมวัดเชียงทอง,
             พระราชวังพระเจ้าชีวิตของประเทศลาว
             จากนั้นไปช็อปปิ้งต่อที่หมู่บ้านทอผ้าผานมและทำเครื่องเงิน    
             รับประทานอาหารมื้อเที่ยง (เฟ้อ)
 
บ่าย       นำท่านสู่   น้ำตกกวงชี (Kuang Xi Waterfull)
            นั่งรถจากเมืองหลวงพระบางไปประมาณ  30  กิโลเมตร
            พบกับน้ำตกที่สวยแห่งหนึ่งของเมืองหลวงพระบาง  
            น้ำตกนี้มีสายน้ำลดหลั่นผ่านชั้นหินปูนลงสู่แอ่งน้ำที่สดใส
            มีทางเดินลัดเลาะขึ้นไปชมชั้นบนของน้ำตกเพื่อชมต้นน้ำ  
            ท่านสามารถเล่นน้ำได้ที่ชั้นล่าง จากนั้นกลับมาในเมือง
            ไปซ็อปปิ้งต่อที่ตลาดจีน และช่วงเย็นเดินขึ้นนมัสการพระธาตุภูสี
            ชมพระอาทิตย์ตก ที่สวยงามและหาดูได้ยาก
 
ค่ำ         รับประทานอาหารเย็น  
            เสร็จแล้วเที่ยว ตลาดค่ำ (Night Market) เป็นถนนคนเดินตอนเย็น
            ตั้งแต่เวลา 5 โมงเย็นถึงประมาณ 4 ทุ่มก็จะมีชาวลาวสูง ลาวเถิง ลาวม้ง
            ชาวบ้านผานม  ชาวหลวงพระบาง  จะนำสินค้าพื้นเมืองไม่ว่าจะเป็นผ้าปัก
            ผ้าทอมือ ผ้านุ่ง ผ้าซิ่น  เครื่องไม้ สินค้าจากเมืองจีน เวียดนาม            
            ถูกวางอยู่บนถนนตั้งแต่หน้าพระราชวังจน ถึงสี่แยกวัดใจ (ไปรษณีย์)

 

วันที่ 4

06.00 น. ตื่นนอนเตรียมสัมภาระเช็คเอ๊าท์ออกจากโรงแรม
07.00 น. เดินเที่ยวชมตลาดสดตอนเช้าที่เมืองหลวงพระบางและเดินลงเรือ
08.00 น. รับประทานมื้อเช้าในเรือและชมธรรมชาติสองฝั่งแม่น้ำโขง
             และรับประทานมื้อเที่ยงและเย็นในเรือ
17.00 น. เข้าพักที่ปากแบงอีก 1 คืน
 

วันที่ 5

05.30 น. ตื่นนอนเตรียมสัมภาระและลงเรือ
06.15 น. เรืออกจากปากแบง และรับประทานอาหารเช้าและเที่ยงในเรือ
15.00 น. ถึงท่าเรือห้วยทรายขึ้นจากเรือแล้วเดินทางโดยรถเล็กมาข้ามด่าน
             ตรวจคนเข้าออกเมือง ไทย-ลาวและข้ามแม่น้ำโขงโดยเรือเล็กข้ามฟาก
             มายังอำเภอเชียงของ จ.เชียงราย  เดินทางกลับโดยสวัสดิภาพ
 
หมายเหตุ   โปรแกรมอาจเปลี่ยนแปลงได้ตามความเหมาะสม 
                 โดยถือประโยชน์ของผู้เดินทางเป็นสำคัญ
 
อัตราค่าบริการท่านละ  8,900  บาท

อัตรานี้รวม         

       - ค่าเรือเดินทาง
       - ค่าที่พักระดับมาตรฐาน พัก 2  ท่าน /ห้อง 
       - ค่าอาหารตามรายการที่ระบุไว้
       - ค่าเข้าชมสถานที่ท่องเที่ยวตามโปรแกรม
       - ค่าพาหนะนำเที่ยวตามรายการที่ระบุ
       - ค่ามัคคุเทศก์ท้องถิ่นภาษาไทย

อัตรานี้ไม่รวม         

       - ค่าทำหนังสือเดินทาง, ค่าทำเอกสารเดินทางเข้า-ออกนอกประเทศ
         สำหรับคนต่างด้าว
       - ค่าใช้จ่ายส่วนตัวต่าง ๆ อาทิเช่น ค่ามินิบาร์ ค่าซักรีด ค่าโทรศัพท์
         ค่าทิปพนักงาน ฯลฯ

 

เอกสารประกอบการเดินทาง

1.หนังสือเดินทางที่เหลืออายุการใช้งานมากกว่า 6 เดือน

2. ชาวต่างชาติ  ต้องจ่ายค่าทำวีซ่า  1,500    บาท

 

ติดต่อสอบถามได้ที่  

         
        วันทาทัวร์   โทรศัพท์ :   083-2018849 
                        Email:       wantatour@hotmail.com
                        Fax:          053-838312
 
        สำนักงาน  202/3  หมู่  5 ต.แม่เหียะ  อ.เมือง  จ.เชียงใหม่  50100     
                     
 

 
ติดต่อเว็บมาสเตอร์
mkchaivuthi@hotmail.com