SHANS

[s. 684] : The Shans are now principally found on the mountain plateaux between the Salwen River and the great Burman plain. They are one division of the great Tai family, which extends from Tonquin on the east to the confines of A am on the west, and from Southwest China on the north to the Gulf of Siam on the south. The kingdom of Siam is the only independent representative of this family. The differences of language are more of a broad dialectic character than of distinct tho cognate languages. The original home of the Tai people was undoubtedly Southwestern China in Sze-chwan, and the country south of the Yangtsze-kiang. Until E. c. 250 the Chinese Kingdom did not have its subsequent compact character, and its rule did not have any permanent hold south of that river. Doubtle at that date the Chinese began to pre southward and slowly pushed the Tai people into Yunnan, where they resisted the advance of the Chinese for a long time. As early as the first half of the 7th century a strong Tai state. Nan Chao, had arisen, which maintained itself as the kingdom of Tali until it was overthrown by Kublai Khan in the 13th century. The migration of the Tai into Burma was bj’ the branch which we know under the name of Shans, and probably began about 2,000 years 66e ago, at which time the Chinese commenced to push their conquests south of the Yangtsze-kiang. Shan and Burman tradition places the beginning of the migration still earlier, and this tradition may be correct, tho of no political importance, as the restle ne of the nature of the Shans has always led them to frequent changes of residence. But the wars of Chinese aggre ion must be responsible for the great migration which found its first home in the valley of the Shweli River, and thence spread over plateaux southwest of China, and acro the northern part of the plains of Burma to A am, and to the headwaters of the Irawadi. As the oldest branch of the Tai family, the Shans have always been called Tai Long, or Great Shans, by the other branches of the family. In the 7th century, out of this migration grew a large Shan kingdom, with a capital at Mong Maw Long in the Shweli valley. This kingdom maintained itself for several centuries with varying degrees of prosperity, until Anawratta, the Burman King of Pagan, by a victorious military career, established Burman supremacy for a time over much of the territory of the Shan princes. After the death of Anawratta, the Shan kingdom regained power, and later, in the times of Sam Kham Hpa and Sam Long Hpa, extensive military campaigns increased the territory of the kingdom to a size that it had never attained before. The prosperity of the Shan kingdom soon began to wane. From the 14th to the 16th century there was a gradual decadence of power. Distant dependencies shook off its suzerainty. Wars with Burma and China were frequent and weakened the central authority, and in the confusion many of the stronger principalities became semi-independent. In 1604 the Shan royal line ended. From that time Shan principalities became tributary to Burma, and Shan history merges into Burman history. It was an evil day for the Shans when Burman suzerainty was established. In the Shan principalities west of the Irawadi and the mountains bordering on the eastern side of the Burman plain, succe ful efforts to Burmanize the people by the destruction of Shan books and the enforcement of study of the Burmese language in the monasteries were put forth by the Burman government for many decades. The Shan lingers as a patois in many country places in these regions, but the Burmese language has become so thoroughly the language of the people that mi ion work must be carried on in the Burmese language. The Shan language, however, maintains itself in the interior mountain regions. Another cause of decadence was the frequent desolation of both border and interior principalities by war. The Shans, always restive under Burman rule, engaged in frequent rebellions put down by the Burmese with mercile cruelty, and also in civil wars fostered by Burman policy. These wrought such a great lo of life that the interior principalities became sparsely populated, except in a few important centers. With the decline in population, for a century the wave of Kachin migration has moved from the Himalaya region southeastward as far as Hsenwi and Mong-Mit, and has driven the Shans from much mountain country between Burma proper and China. The Shans show their Chinese affinities in their physical characteristics and have the Chinese type of face. language. They Their complexion and the eyes are almost almond-shaped. There are a goodly number of common roots in the two languages. The grammatical const ruc is light, tion of sentences is the same as in Chinese, and has a great difference from that of tlie TibetoBurman family. There is an elaborate tonal system like that of the Chinese. The Shans are a thrifty people. They are good agriculturists, but they excel in trading, for which purpose they visit Burma, Siam, and Western China. In this way they supply themselves with food and merchandise not obtainable In time of peace in their mountainous country. they are clieerful and hospitable, but in time of war they are cruel and vindictive, not only seeking to put to the sword all men of a hostile region, but slaughtering male children who fall into their hands. The Shans are zealous Buddhists. Current legends about the introduction of Buddhism are The looser Bud manifestly untrustworthy. dhism of the Northern Vehicle was doubtle the religion form of that to be introduced into first Upper Burma from Northern India. At the time of Anawratta’s succe ion to the throne of Pagan, if Buddhism was so exceedingly corrupt in doctrine and in practise, it must have been as bad, if not worse, in the more northern Shan kingdom. Anawratta became a zealous religious reformer and introduced the stricter doctrine and Wherever practise of the Southern Vehicle. Burman influence has predominated in the Shan principalities, the people have become strong Buddhists, proud of their religion and tenacious in adhesion to it. This strong adherence to their ancestral religion makes mi ion work among them slow and diffiBuddhism, as held and practised by them, cult. does not have much unpleasant restraining power Every male child must, by over their lives. religious law and by inflexible custom, be where a monastery, for a time in placed the tenets of into Sha i is poons 667 his Buddhism are diligently instilled becomes His mind thus mind. with Buddhist ideas and adult age is reached, there is at first little readine to listen to a mi ionary, as they consider that it is one of the five great sins to do anything to bring about a schism strongly po e ed feelings, and when in the body of Buddha. But when Shans become they are generally decided in their attachment to their new faith. The first mi ionary work for the Shans was confined to immigrants into Lower Burma, who had fled from the oppre ion of the native princes. It was impo ible at that time for a mi ionary to Since the annexation live in the Shan country. of the whole of Burma to the British Empire, mi ion stations have been opened succe fully at Hsipaw, Mongnai, Nam Kham, and Kengtung in the Shan principalities, and a goodly number of The Bible has been converts have been made. Christians translated into the Shan language, and some The prospect is Christian literature prepared. one of quiet, steady growth, rather than one of rapid development. Elias (N.), History of the Shans, Calcutta, 1876; Colquhon (A. R.), and Hallett (H. S.), Amongst the Shans, London, 1885. SHAN-TAU. See Swatow. 685