princely state · Mainland Southeast Asia
Hsipaw State
Origins
Hsipaw, Shan Thibaw, was founded as a Shan principality in the Dokhtawady valley of the northern Shan plateau; tradition dates its ruling house to the 14th century. For long periods it was associated with the larger state of Onbaung, whose name it sometimes used.
Rule and society
The saopha of Hsipaw ruled from a haw, or palace, overseeing rice and tea growing and trade along the road from Mandalay to China. Hsipaw was a tributary of the Burmese crown and supplied consorts to the royal court. Sao Hkun Hseng, ruler from 1886, cooperated with the British and modernised his state.
Decline and legacy
Hsipaw became one of the British protected Shan states and joined the Federated Shan States in 1922. Its ruler surrendered powers in 1959. The last saopha, Sao Kya Seng, and his Austrian wife Inge Sargent, whose memoir told their story, were victims of the 1962 coup; he disappeared in army custody.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Hsipaw State was a vassal of Konbaung dynasty1752 CE – 1885 CE
- Hsipaw State was a protectorate of British Burma1887 CE – 1922 CE
- Hsipaw State was part of Federated Shan States1922 CE – 1948 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hsipaw State. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hsipaw-state
- MLA
- “Hsipaw State.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hsipaw-state. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Hsipaw State.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hsipaw-state.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hsipaw State’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hsipaw-state (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻