Taunggyi

   The capital of Shan State, with a population of 108,231 persons when the last census was taken in 1983 and an estimated 134,023 people in 1996. It stands at an elevation of 1,430 meters (4,690 feet) above sea level. Its multiethnic population includes not only Burmans (Bamars) and Shans (Tai), but also Chinese and people from India and Nepal, reflecting both historical connections with China and the town's British colonial past. Because of its healthful climate and strategic location at the entrance to the Shan States, James G. Scott established it as the Shan States' administrative center in the early 20th century. It was the site of the Shan Chiefs' School, which offered the rigors of a British public school education to Shan royalty. Located near Inle Lake in the old Shan State of Yawnghwe (Nyaungshwe), it has been an enterprising center of the black market trade since the "Burmese Road to Socialism" was imposed in 1962.