Image File history File links Haw_long. ...

Kengtong, also spelled as Cheingtung and Kengtung is a city in Myanmar.

History

It was founded by King Mangrai. This migration of the Chiangmai dynasty, made in the 13th century with the idea of founding a new kingdom, has resulted in Kengtong having a different type of Tai population from the rest the Shan State. Shan State is a state located in Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, the majority ethnic group in the Shan State. ...

The city hosted the headquarters of the Thai Phayap Army, which had occupied the Shan States, during the Second World War.

The above is a picture of the Palace, which was destroyed by the ruling military junta.

Demographics

The Tai here call themselves Khuns; their speech contains many variations from the western Shan, and their script is entirely different.

Geography

Image File history File links Outside_KTG.jpg Let Boonwaat File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

The fact is that Kengtong 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 Burma 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 ranges, but nearer again to the Mekong than to the Salween. Salween River Delta, October 1994 The Salween River (also spelled Salwin) rises in Tibet, after which it flows through Yunnan, where it is known as the Nujiang river (Chinese: 怒江; pinyin: ), although either name can be used for the whole river. ... View of the Mekong before the sunset The Mekong is one of the worlds major rivers. ...

Most of the Khuns for example would adopt Thai names, in the wats of Kengtong one would find the monks chanting their daily prayers exactly the same way as if anywhere in Thailand. The Thais have always felt Cheingtung to be a part of their old country.