Why are there so many Han people in Shan State, Myanmar?

Because Shan State is geographically adjacent to Yunnan Province in China, and has the same origin and different currents with the Shan and Dai nationalities in China, it has always been closely related to China. Before the British colonists annexed Myanmar, the Tusi of Shan State paid tribute to the king of Myanmar, and at the same time paid tribute to Emperor China, who accepted his knighthood. The local chieftains in Myanmar, such as Mubang, Momi, Mamo and Mengyang, were all under the jurisdiction of the Chief Secretary of Yunnan in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Gui Emperor Li Yong fled to Myanmar to fight against the Qing government stationed in Shan State. Some Han Chinese who fled to Shan State with Li Yong later married the Shan people and settled in Shan State. Today's Shan people are also divided into ordinary Shan people and China Shan people (that is, Yi people in Bai Han). The latter is not only large in number and high in education, but also related to the Han nationality in China. Influenced by China culture for a long time, many living habits and even costumes of the Shan nationality are similar to those of the Han nationality. Shan and Dai are very close, and both sides have many relatives. They live across the border, across the river, intermarry and trade, and are like a family.

Shan State also has close economic ties with China. In ancient China, there was an important transportation line from Chengdu, Sichuan, through Dali, Baoshan and Dehong, Yunnan, to Myanmar, and then to India, which was called the "Silk Road" in the southwest. On this ancient trade route, China merchants exchanged goods with merchants from Shan State (now Myanmar) or India (namely India), and exchanged silk or Joan bamboo sticks for gold, shellfish, jade, amber and glass products. The route of Shendu Road in ancient Shu is basically the same as that of today's Sichuan-Yunnan Highway, Sichuan-Myanmar Highway and Myanmar-India Highway, and many sections are completely coincident. Traffic is the link of political, economic and cultural exchanges. Since ancient times, the commercial exchanges between the border people of the two countries have a long history and have never stopped.

Before the war, Yunnan merchants transported a lot of daily necessities such as cloth, salt and iron every year in exchange for local products such as silver and medicinal materials in Shan State. Miners and construction workers in China have played a very important role in developing Shan resources. The famous Dunan Mine (Old Silver Factory) was founded by China people living in Myanmar. Before World War II, more than half of the workers in the mine came from China, and about 70,000 to 80,000 Yunnan seasonal workers went to Shan State to make a living every year. 1In August, 938, the entire Yunnan-Myanmar Highway was officially opened to traffic, and the round trip between China and Shan State in Myanmar was closer. 1942 After Japan invaded Myanmar, the "Chinese Expeditionary Force" entered Myanmar and moved to Shan State in northern Myanmar to fight against the Japanese invaders. After the war, the "Chinese Expeditionary Force" returned to China, and some of them stayed in Shan State to specialize in trade. At present, there are 70,000 to 80,000 overseas Chinese in Shan State. Most of them are from Yunnan, where they are engaged in business and construction. These overseas Chinese have played an active role in communicating material exchanges between urban and rural areas in Shan State and prospering urban and rural economy.