Mandalay is the economic centre of Upper Burma and considered the centre of Burmese culture. A continuing influx of Chinese immigrants, mostly from Yunnan, in the past twenty years, has reshaped the city’s ethnic makeup and increased commerce with China.
Mandalay is the major trading and communications center for northern and central Burma. Much of Burmese external trade to China and India goes through Mandalay.
Among the leading traditional industries are silk weaving, tapestry, jade cutting and polishing, stone and wood carving, making marble and bronze Buddha images, temple ornaments and paraphernalia, the working of gold leaves and of silver, the manufacture of matches, brewing and distilling.
Zay Cho Market
On the same street, you find a five-storey brick and concrete building, pretty impressive by its size. It’s to a large extent a wholesale market, with piles of Indian spices, Thai silk, Kachin jade and Chinese electronics on display
Need a ride? Need a bike.
Walking in Mandalay
The little girl above has some thanaka on her cheeks, a yellowish-white cosmetic paste made from ground bark. It is a distinctive feature of the culture of Myanmar, seen commonly applied to the face and sometimes the arms of women and girls, and is used to a lesser extent also by men and boys.
Mya Nan San Kyaw Golden Palace
The Mandalay Palace, located in Mandalay, Myanmar, is the last royal palace of the last Burmese monarchy. The palace was constructed, between 1857 and 1859 as part of King Mindon’s founding of the new royal capital city of Mandalay.
Mandalay’s Jade market
The jade trade in Burma consists of the mining, distribution, and manufacture of the variety of jade, called jadeite, which is produced in the nation of Burma. Most of the jadeite mined in Burma is not cut for use in Burma, instead being transported to other nations, primarily in Asia, for use in jewelry and other products. The jadeite deposits found in Burma’s northern regions is the highest quality jadeite in the world, considered precious by sources in China going as far back as the 10th century. Today, it is estimated that Burma is the origin of upwards of 70 percent of the world’s supply of high-quality jadeite.
U Bein Bridge (Burmese: ဦးပိန် တံတား) is a crossing that spans the Taungthaman Lake near Amarapura in Myanmar. The 1.2-kilometre (0.75 mi) bridge was built around 1850 and is believed to be the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world. Construction began when the capital of Ava Kingdom moved to Amarapura, and the bridge is named after the mayor who had it built.
The bridge was built from wood reclaimed from the former royal palace in Inwa. It features 1,086 pillars that stretch out of the water, some of which have been replaced with concrete. Though the bridge largely remains intact, there are fears that an increasing number of the pillars are becoming dangerously decayed. Some have become entirely detached from their bases and only remain in place because of the lateral bars holding them together.
Villages around Mandalay and fishermen
First, let’s show you how we got there; some interesting hills :).
Here’s a timelapse of our ur way back by night to the city center.
Mandalay’s Flower Market
Leaving for Kalaw
That’s it for Mandalay! Next step for us was Kalaw, an awesome trek with beautiful landscapes. Follow this link to see the pictures!