Keng Tawng ( Shan: ; ; also spelled Kyaingtaung) is a river town in

Mong Nai Township Mong Nai Township (, ) is a township of Nansang District in the Shan State of Myanmar.

in the

Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. The area of the town is watered by the

Nam Teng River Teng River or Nam Teng is a river of Shan State, eastern Burma. It is a tributary of the Salween River. Course The river has its source in the Shan Hills north of Mongkung and flows roughly eastwards and then southwards past the towns of Kawnlang ...

History

Prior to the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Kengtawng Keng Tawng ( Shan: ; ; also spelled Kyaingtaung) is a river town in Mong Nai Township in the Shan State of Myanmar. The area of the town is watered by the Nam Teng River. History Prior to the end of World War II, Kengtawng state was one of t ...

state was one of the substates of

Mongnai State Möng Nai or Mongnai is a town in Mong Nai Township in the Shan State of Burma. ''Mong'' is equivalent to Mueang. History Prior to World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a W ...

, in the Southern Shan States. Keng Tawng was the town of Khun Sam Law, the hero of an ancient legend of the

Shan people The Shan people (, , or , ), also known as the Tai Long (တႆးလူင်, ) or Tai Yai, are a Tai ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The Shan are the biggest minority of Burma (Myanmar) and primarily live in the Shan State, but also inhabi ...

. It was also the birthplace of notorious

usurper A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it a ...

and warmonger Twet Nga Lu. There is a hydroelectric project in the area of the town. Places like the iconic Kengtawng Falls are threatened by the project. In the popular Shan folktale ''

Khun San Law and Nan Oo Pyin Khun San Law and Nan Oo Pyin ( Shan: ၶုၼ်းသၢမ်လေႃး ၼၢင်းဢူးပဵမ်ႇ; also spelled as Khun Sam Law–Nang Oo Peim; Burmese: ခွန်ဆမ်လောနဲ့ နန်းဦးပျဉ် or ...

'', Keng Tawng is the hometown of the male character, Khun San Law.

References

Populated places in Shan State {{Shan-geo-stub