Page 124 - Experience Thailand and More

WHAT TO DO

AND SEE

Shan Palace
The northern end of the town, Hsipaw, Shan, Myanmar
Open daily from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

It might be hard to imagine this somewhat dilapidated villa was the royal
residence of the last Shan Saopha of Hsipaw. Many of the visitors to
what is also known as the East Haw come after reading Twilight Over
Burma by Inge Eberhard, or Sao Nang Thusandi, the Austrian wife of
Sao Kya Hseng, who governed here until he disappeared during the
coup of 1962. Built in 1924, today, with the grounds overgrown and
the paintwork faded and covered in mold, it seems far from its once
majestic role. Still, there is a history that can be learned from the
charming residents and ancestors of this royal Shan family. Not far
from the main residence in a more secluded corner are the remains
of a once beautiful wooden building where the benevolent Saopha
Sao Kya Hseng would read and contemplate how he could assist his
subjects to improve their lives.
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