Kengtung

Owing to Kengtung's proximity to China and Thailand, the city is known by a number of exonyms and endonyms. The endonym used by Tai Khun and Tai Lue-speaking locals is Jeng Tung (ᨾᩮᩨ᩠ᨦᨩ᩠ᨿᨦᨲᩩᨦ) respectively. Other Shan speakers use the exonym Kengtung. The most common exonym, Kyaingtong, is derived from the Burmese approximation of Kengtung. The exonym of Chiang Tung ({{langx|th|เชียงตุง}}, {{RTGS|Chiang Tung}} {{IPA|th|t͡ɕʰīa̯ŋ tūŋ|}}) is used by Thai speakers, while Chinese speakers use Jingdong ({{lang-zh|s=景栋|t=景棟|p=Jǐngdòng}}).

{{main|Kengtung State}}

File:Kyaingtong ishiganto2.jpg

The early history of Kengtung is made up of myths and legends. The oral tradition of the [Tai people] says that the ancient city of Kengtung was founded in the distant past by Tai Lue as the original inhabitants of the region,[http://newdoc.nccu.edu.tw/teasyllabus/113721265905/Fiskesjo%20on%20Fortified%20Villages.pdf M. Fiskesjo, On the Ethnoarchaeology of Fortified Settlements in the Northern part of Mainland Southeast Asia] and was later reestablished by the grandson of King Mangrai after defeating the Tai Lue.[http://www.docstoc.com/docs/30987758/%E2%80%9CLua-Leading-Dogs_-Toting-Chaek_-Carrying-Chickens%E2%80%9D-Some-Comments History] This migration of the Chiang Mai dynasty in the 13th century, with the founding a new kingdom which was later named Lanna, has resulted in Kengtung having a different type of Tai population from the rest of the Shan State, the Tai Khün.

Kengtung, like other major towns in the Shan Plateau, was home to a Shan Saopha (Sawbwa). Kengtung was the capital of the Kengtung State. In 1905, Sao Kawng Kiao Intaleng built the Kengtung Palace.

The city was seized and occupied by the Thai Phayap Army from 1942 until the end of the Second World War and became the headquarters of the Saharat Thai Doem territory.[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Myanmar_shankaren.html Shan and Karenni States of Burma] The headquarters of the regional military command of the Tatmadaw is in the town.Donald M. Seekins, Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar), p. 251

File:Kyaing Tong Market Aerial view.jpg

Kengtung contains several lakes. The largest, Naung Tung Lake, lies in the western part of the city, followed by Naung Kham Lake and Naung Yarng Lake to the south of the Kentung Roman Catholic Mission.

The town is served by Kengtung Airport.

File:An Embraer 190 of Myanmar National Airline at Kyaing Tong Airport.jpg

Kengtung is located on the National Highway 4 (NH4) and at the AH2 and AH3 of the Asian Highway.

Kengtung has a tropical wet and dry/ savanna climate (Köppen-Geiger classification: Aw) with a pronounced dry season in the low-sun months, no cold season, wet season is in the high-sun months. Temperatures are very warm throughout the year, although the winter months (December–February) are milder and nights can be quite cool. There is a winter dry season (December–April) and a summer wet season (May–November).

{{Weather box

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Kengtung, elevation {{convert|827|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020, extremes 1986–1994 and 2001–2010){{efn|The record highs and lows are based on the Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial link for the period 1986–1994 while records from 2001 to 2010 come from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. As a result, the most extreme values from either source are used, leading to the period of reference for extremes from 1986 to 1994 and 2001–2010.}}

| Jan record high C = 32.0

| Feb record high C = 33.6

| Mar record high C = 36.5

| Apr record high C = 40.0

| May record high C = 39.6

| Jun record high C = 36.6

| Jul record high C = 34.6

| Aug record high C = 35.6

| Sep record high C = 35.0

| Oct record high C = 33.9

| Nov record high C = 32.4

| Dec record high C = 32.2

|year record high C = 40.0

| Jan record low C = 3.9

| Feb record low C = 5.0

| Mar record low C = 7.6

| Apr record low C = 10.2

| May record low C = 13.4

| Jun record low C = 16.0

| Jul record low C = 18.0

| Aug record low C = 17.0

| Sep record low C = 14.8

| Oct record low C = 7.8

| Nov record low C = 4.3

| Dec record low C = 2.8

|year record low C = 2.8

|Jan high C = 26.7

|Feb high C = 29.4

|Mar high C = 31.9

|Apr high C = 33.6

|May high C = 32.4

|Jun high C = 31.1

|Jul high C = 29.8

|Aug high C = 29.7

|Sep high C = 29.8

|Oct high C = 29.0

|Nov high C = 27.8

|Dec high C = 25.5

| year high C = 29.7

|Jan mean C = 18.4

|Feb mean C = 20.1

|Mar mean C = 22.9

|Apr mean C = 25.6

|May mean C = 26.2

|Jun mean C = 26.2

|Jul mean C = 25.5

|Aug mean C = 25.4

|Sep mean C = 24.9

|Oct mean C = 23.6

|Nov mean C = 21.0

|Dec mean C = 18.3

| year mean C = 23.2

|Jan low C = 10.2

|Feb low C = 10.9

|Mar low C = 14.0

|Apr low C = 17.5

|May low C = 20.1

|Jun low C = 21.4

|Jul low C = 21.2

|Aug low C = 21.0

|Sep low C = 20.0

|Oct low C = 18.2

|Nov low C = 14.3

|Dec low C = 11.2

| year low C = 16.7

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 19.6

|Feb precipitation mm = 8.4

|Mar precipitation mm = 22.4

|Apr precipitation mm = 51.3

|May precipitation mm = 126.9

|Jun precipitation mm = 141.6

|Jul precipitation mm = 207.0

|Aug precipitation mm = 228.9

|Sep precipitation mm = 152.0

|Oct precipitation mm = 96.5

|Nov precipitation mm = 59.4

|Dec precipitation mm = 24.2

| year precipitation mm = 1138.2

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 1.4

|Feb precipitation days = 1.6

|Mar precipitation days = 2.7

|Apr precipitation days = 5.9

|May precipitation days = 13.9

|Jun precipitation days = 17.1

|Jul precipitation days = 20.2

|Aug precipitation days = 19.7

|Sep precipitation days = 14.6

|Oct precipitation days = 10.5

|Nov precipitation days = 5.6

|Dec precipitation days = 1.9

|year precipitation days = 115.1

|source 1 = World Meteorological Organization{{cite web

| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/Myanmar/CSV/Kengtung_48060.csv

| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020

| publisher = World Meteorological Organization

| access-date = 16 October 2023}}

|source 2 = Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial (records){{cite web

| url = http://www.globalbioclimatics.org/pdf/my-kengt.pdf

| title = Kengtung (Myanmar)

| publisher = Centro de Investigaciones Fitosociológicas

| access-date = 13 December 2018

| archive-date = 28 October 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211028000048/http://www.globalbioclimatics.org/pdf/my-kengt.pdf

| url-status = dead

}}

}}

• Keng Tung University
• Keng Tung Computer University
• Keng Tung Technological University
• Keng Tung Education Degree College
• Government Technical High School (Keng Tung)

• Keng Tung General Hospital

• Maha Myat Muni Temple
• Wat Zom Khum
• Kengtung Palace
• Tachileik
• Kengtung District

• Forbes, Andrew; Henley, David (2011). Traders of the Golden Triangle. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN: B006GMID5
• J. G. Scott, Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan States. 5 volumes Rangoon, 1900-1901.
• Sao Sāimöng Mangrāi, The Pādaeng Chronicle and the Kengtung State Chronicle Translated. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1981

{{commons category}}

{{EB1911 poster|Kēng Tūng}}

• [https://archive.org/details/happy_city The Happy City], a 1959 film on a remote leper colony run by Father Cesare Columbo in Kengtung, Shan State
• [http://kengtong.weebly.com/ pictures from Kengtung]

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{{Shan State}}

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Category:Populated places in Shan State