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 Sits
on the peaks of Shan hills at the altitude
of 1600-meter, Taunggyi (or) The Big Mountain
City, was established by the British in
1880s as British’s summer palace. Nowadays,
Taunggyi became the capital of Southern
Shan State, and almost the third largest
cites of Myanmar with population around
400,000, comprising Shan, Pa O, Kyain, Kayah,
Indians, Bamars, and other Shan sub-groups.
Due to the immense development in the past
decades, the city’s colonial charm has already
been lost. Nevertheless, the main market,
Shan state cultural museum, and a couple
of Buddhist shrines overlooking the city
are a few places worth looking for. In November,
Thaunggyi hosts for one of most popular
festivals in Myanmar, where people make
hot-aired balloons in the shape of animals
to offer the sky-spirits, in the form of
competition. Due to the ethnic insurgencies,
overland travel to the east of Taunggyi
is officially off-limited.
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