Pyin Oo Lwin
Hill town in Mandalay Region, Myanmar
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Pyin Oo Lwin or Pyin U Lwin (Burmese: ပြင်ဦးလွင်မြို့, MLCTS: prang u: lwang mrui., pronounced [pjɪ̀ɰ̃ ʔú lwɪ̀ɰ̃]; Shan: ဝဵင်းပၢင်ႇဢူႈ, Weng Pang U), formerly and colloquially referred to as Maymyo (Burmese: မေမြို့, MLCTS: me mrui.), is a scenic hill town in the Mandalay Region, Myanmar, approximately 67 kilometers (42 mi) east of Mandalay, at an elevation of 1,070 metres (3,510 ft). The town had an estimated population of around 255,000 in 2014.[1]
Pyin Oo Lwin
ပြင်ဦးလွင်မြို့ (မေမြို့) | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Downtown Pyin Oo Lwin | |
  Pyin Oo Lwin | |
| Coordinates: 22°2′4.38″N 96°27′31.49″E | |
| Country | Myanmar |
| Region | Mandalay Region |
| District | Pyin Oo Lwin District |
| Elevation | 3,510 ft (1,070 m) |
| Population (2014) | |
• Total | 255,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+6:30 (MMT) |
Etymology
The town has been known by several names throughout its history:
- Pyin Oo Lwin (ပြင်ဦးလွင်) – the current official name, a Burmese transcription of the Shan name
- Maymyo (မေမြို့) – literally "May's Town", the colonial-era name still used colloquially
- Taung Hlay Khar (တောင်လှေခါး) – "hillside stairs"
- Taung Sa Kan (တောင်စခန်း) – "hill station"
- Pan Myodaw (ပန်းမြို့တော်) – "City of Flowers", the best-known nickname
- Remyo (ရဲမြို့) – "Soldiers' Town" (historical)
History
The town originated as a military outpost established near a small Shan village of about two dozen households[2] on the Lashio–Mandalay trail between Nawnghkio and Mandalay.
In 1897, a permanent military post was established, and the town subsequently became a hill station and the summer capital of British Burma owing to its cooler climate. During the hot season, the civil, commercial, and military establishment would relocate from Rangoon to Maymyo to escape the lowland heat and humidity.
The British named the settlement Maymyo—literally "May's Town" in Burmese—after Colonel May, a veteran of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and commander of the Bengal Regiment temporarily stationed there in 1887.[2][3]
During British rule and through the 1970s, Maymyo had a large Anglo-Burmese population, which steadily declined over time. During the Japanese occupation, many Anglo-Burmese concentrated in and around Maymyo were incarcerated by the Japanese, who feared their loyalty to the British. Today, Pyin Oo Lwin retains one of the country's larger Anglo-Burmese communities.
The military government later renamed the town Pyin U Lwin, a word-for-word Burmese transcription of the Shan name meaning "City (ဝဵင်း, Weng) of Paang Uu (ပၢင်ႇဢူး)".
Battle of Maymyo
The area is also the site of the decisive Battle of Maymyo, in which the Burmese royal army under Maha Thiha Thura defeated the Chinese during the third invasion of the Sino-Burmese War (1765–1769).
Demographics
Pyin Oo Lwin has a diverse, multi-ethnic population. The town is home to approximately 10,000 Indian and 8,000 Gurkha inhabitants, descendants of communities that settled during British rule. A thriving Eurasian community exists, consisting mostly of Anglo-Burmese and Anglo-Indians. The broader population includes Chinese, Chin, Kachin, Karen, Shan, and Bamar communities.
Climate
Pyin Oo Lwin's elevation gives it a noticeably cooler climate compared to the lowlands around Mandalay, making it historically attractive as a hill station.
| Climate data for Pyin Oo Lwin, elevation 1,078 m (3,537 ft) (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 23.4 (74.1) |
25.5 (77.9) |
28.8 (83.8) |
30.6 (87.1) |
28.1 (82.6) |
27.0 (80.6) |
26.4 (79.5) |
25.9 (78.6) |
26.1 (79.0) |
25.9 (78.6) |
24.6 (76.3) |
22.9 (73.2) |
26.3 (79.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 14.1 (57.4) |
16.6 (61.9) |
20.5 (68.9) |
23.5 (74.3) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.4 (72.3) |
22.0 (71.6) |
21.8 (71.2) |
20.6 (69.1) |
17.7 (63.9) |
14.7 (58.5) |
20.0 (67.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) |
6.6 (43.9) |
11.1 (52.0) |
14.7 (58.5) |
17.4 (63.3) |
18.5 (65.3) |
18.5 (65.3) |
18.2 (64.8) |
17.4 (63.3) |
15.3 (59.5) |
10.9 (51.6) |
6.5 (43.7) |
13.3 (56.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 1.0 (0.04) |
6.0 (0.24) |
9.0 (0.35) |
37.9 (1.49) |
142.7 (5.62) |
111.6 (4.39) |
107.2 (4.22) |
126.6 (4.98) |
160.1 (6.30) |
147.9 (5.82) |
37.6 (1.48) |
9.3 (0.37) |
896.9 (35.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 8.8 | 8.4 | 9.8 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 9.9 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 69.6 |
| Source: NOAA[4] | |||||||||||||
Educational institutions
Colonial-era schools
Maymyo was an important educational centre during colonial times. Several Government English High Schools (GEHSs) were established in the town, including St. Mary's, St. Michael's, St. Albert's, St. Joseph's Convent, and Colgate. British settlers and colonial administrators sent their children—both European and Anglo-Burmese—to be educated at these schools. The town was also home to various schools of military education open to all ethnicities.
Military academies
Pyin Oo Lwin is today home to the Defence Services Academy (DSA) and the Defence Services Technological Academy (DSTA), and there is a significant military presence in the town.
Other institutions
The town also hosts the University of Technology (Yatanarpon Cyber City), a major centre for IT and engineering education. Several private schools, including Soe San, Sar Pan Eain, Snow Queen, and Genius, also operate in the town.
Economy
The local economy is centred on sweater knitting, flower and vegetable cultivation, strawberry and pineapple orchards, coffee plantations, and dairy farming. In recent years, there has been a significant influx of Chinese immigrants, particularly from Yunnan. The town serves as a resort destination for visitors from Myanmar's major cities during the summer and is a popular stop for foreign tourists in the winter season.
Botanical gardens
The National Botanical Gardens, established in 1915, and the adjacent Pyin Oo Lwin Nursery are major attractions of Pyin Oo Lwin.
Sericulture
Pyin Oo Lwin is the national centre of sericulture (silkworm rearing). The Sericulture Research Centre, located near the National Kandawgyi Botanical Gardens, serves three distinct functions: the intensive planting and harvesting of mulberry trees (leaves for silkworms, bark for handmade paper), the rearing of silkworms, and the reeling of silk from cocoons.
Floriculture and agriculture
The town is the centre of Myanmar's flower and vegetable production. The most important flowers grown commercially are chrysanthemums, asters, and gladioli, which are exported throughout Myanmar year-round.
Coffee and pharmaceuticals
Pyin Oo Lwin is also the centre of Myanmar's growing coffee industry, with several factories processing coffee beans for domestic distribution and export. Additionally, the town has a large research centre for indigenous medicinal plants and one of the country's few pharmaceutical production facilities.
Notable people
- Aung Min Thein (1961–2007), Burmese film director and artist
- B. G. Verghese (1926–2014), Indian journalist born in Maymyo; editor of the Hindustan Times (1969–75) and The Indian Express (1982–86); recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1975)
- Eric Arthur Blair (1903–1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, British author stationed in Maymyo from 1922 to 1927
- Alan Basil de Lastic (1929–2000), Catholic (Latin Rite) clergyman in India
- Haji U Thein, Chairman of the Islamic Religious Affairs Council of Myanmar
- Hteit Tin Ma Latt, grandchild of Prince Kanaung
- Ma Chit Po (1908–1949), the only woman to be awarded the Thura Medal
- Prince Taw Phaya (1924–2019), oldest grandson of King Thibaw Min, the last King of Burma[5]
- Thakhin Ohn Pe, Burmese political figure
