princely state · Mainland Southeast Asia
South Hsenwi
Origins
After the British annexation of Upper Burma, the large and war-torn Shan state of Hsenwi was partitioned in 1888 to settle the civil war between rival claimants. Its southern part became South Hsenwi, with its capital at Mong Yai, under one of the contending families.
Rule and society
South Hsenwi was ruled by a hereditary saopha under British supervision, in a region of Shan farmers and hill peoples on the routes between the Salween and the plateau. Like other Shan states it collected its own revenues and administered customary law, paying tribute to the British government. It joined the Federated Shan States in 1922.
Decline and legacy
After Burmese independence in 1948 South Hsenwi became part of Shan State within the Union of Burma. Its saopha, like the other Shan rulers, surrendered his powers to the state government in 1959. Mong Yai remains a town in northern Shan State.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- South Hsenwi was a protectorate of British Burma1888 CE – 1922 CE
- South Hsenwi was part of Federated Shan States1922 CE – 1948 CE
More states of Mainland Southeast Asia →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). South Hsenwi. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/south-hsenwi
- MLA
- “South Hsenwi.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/south-hsenwi. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “South Hsenwi.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/south-hsenwi.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘South Hsenwi’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/south-hsenwi (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻