The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, commonly known as Myanmar. With a land area of about 676,500 square kilometers, it is the second largest country in Southeast Asia and has a population of about 55.67 million. Myanmar is one of the least developed countries in the world
1. The Bagan Dynasty (849–1297) was the first dynasty in Burmese history to unify the country. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, more than 10,000 Theravada Buddhist temples stood here and are still intact today.
2. "Burma" is the written language of the Burmese people, which means "distant", while "Dian" in ancient times referred to a place on the outskirts. So "Myanmar" means "far away suburb."
3. During the Burma-Siam War, the armies of the two kingdoms clashed several times, and in most cases Burma defeated Siam. During the sixth attack on Ayutthaya, Ayutthaya was eventually captured by burmese troops, and the capital of Thailand was moved down the river to Bangkok. Hundreds of years later, Siam kicked Burma out of the Lanna Kingdom and made Chiang Mai its own territory.
4. Yangon is not the capital of Myanmar, and Naypyidaw, about 320 kilometers from Yangon, is the shiny new capital of Myanmar. The name literally means "king's residence".
5. In Myanmar, you can eat tea.
Why limit this tea to beverages? In Myanmar, tea (lahpet) is fermented and eaten in the country's most popular dish, lahpet thohk (tea salad). There is even a local saying about tea. "Of all the fruits, mango is the best; of all the meat, pork is the best; and of all the leaves, lahpet is the best.
6. In Myanmar, what everyone chews is kwunya. The custom of chewing betel nut in Myanmar predates recorded history. In fact, this habit is not good, which can lead to tooth decay and oral cancer.
7. Shwedagonpagoda has eight hairs of the Buddha. According to legend, two merchants met the Buddha (who lived about 2500 years ago) on a trip and returned to Burma with these strands of hair, which were placed in the temple along with other relics. The Top of the Shwedagon Pagoda is set with more than 4,500 diamonds.
8. Myanmar has some of the best rubies in the world.
The untreated rubies produced in Mogu and Shan State in the Mandalay region are high in chromium and low in iron, giving them a strong fluorescence and a coveted "pigeon blood" color. One of the most famous "Graf Ruby" rings sold for $8.6 million at Sotheby's auction in 2015, setting a new world record.
Graff Ruby
Although the road rules in Myanmar were originally left-sided, the country changed direction overnight in 1970. Unfortunately, however, trade sanctions prohibit the import of cars from countries that produce left-hand drive cars. As a result, cars currently on the road include extremely old-fashioned left-hand drive cars and newer right-hand drive cars imported from Japan.
10. When you go to Myanmar, you will often see women and children on their cheeks painted white "Tenaka" (yellow neem powder) - a cosmetic made from tree bark. Tenaka is at least 2,000 years old; it is said to keep the skin smooth and protect against sun damage.
11. Purebred Burmese cats disappeared in the 1930s.
12. The moken people, known as the "Maritime Gypsies", are one of Myanmar's diverse ethnic groups that inhabit the spectacular Mege islands off the Andaman coastline. They spend most of their time at sea and only settle on land during the monsoon season. Their knowledge of the ocean was said to have alerted them to the 2004 tsunami, which allowed them to stay out of danger.
13. Myanmar has its own weights and measures and is one of only three countries in the world that does not use a metric system.
Although you will find that gasoline is measured in gallons, distance is measured in miles. Weight is more troublesome, 1 vissa (peittha) equals 1.68 kg (3.5 lbs). Confused?
14. The local currency is called the Myanma Kyat (mmk), but you can also use the US dollar when you travel in Myanmar. Many places only accept near-perfect U.S. dollar bills (unbroken, unfolded).
15. Myanmar pays attention to the custom of "male right female left".
16. In 1991, Aung San Suu Kyi, who was under house arrest, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
17. In early 1942, Japan began to invade British Burma. Between March and April, the Japanese attacked the important town of Mandalay in an attempt to cut off the Burma Road. Luo Zhuoying gathered about 100,000 people of the Chinese expeditionary force at that time to march toward Burma. The Chinese Expeditionary Force is the first time that chinese troops have fought abroad since the Sino-Japanese War.
18. In Burma, the surviving veterans of the Expeditionary Force are mainly concentrated in Myitkyina, Mandalay and Yangon. At present, the descendants of the Burmese Expeditionary Force have reached tens of thousands of people!
19. The Burmese Wa State was historically Chinese territory, the Tang Dynasty belonged to the State of Nanzhao, and the Song Dynasty belonged to the State of Dali. The official languages of Wa State are Wa and Chinese, and the official language is Chinese.
20. Why is Myanmar a strong Wa state? It does not rely on the sky or the earth, but on the perseverance of generations of Awa Shan people with real swords and guns, and on the perseverance of every inch of land and blood, and on the diplomatic policy of friendship and neighbors who rely on each other with lips and teeth.
We don't need to see the far end of the road at once, we just need to see the way we can get there. --Aung San Suu Kyi