The Haw: Traders of the Golden Triangle

by Andrew Forbes, David Henley

The Golden Triangle region where Burma, Thailand, Laos and China meet has long been a lawless region, home to wandering tribes, drug warloads, arms dealers, and plain old-fashioned bandits. Yet within this widely romanticized region one group, the Yunnanese Chinese or Haw', have established themselves as cultural mediators and merchants par excellance, penetrating the area with their armed mule caravans. For centuries past, and down to the present day, the Haw have been the unrivaled masters of the Golden Triangle. This volume is a comprehensive survey of the Haw life and customs, its past, present and future.

258 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Julius Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book about this little known region bordering Southeast asia, as a kid I always heard about Caravan traders from Yunnan entering Southeast asia, the fact that they still exist is extremely surprising to me as I thought there were no more Mule caravans left. Yunnan province has always been a place teeming with different ethnic groups and Muslim traders with Dali as the centre of trade for centuries though now it has shifted to Kunming somewhat, I think I may write a paper on this one day if I get the chance. The book goes into great detail explaining the complex social structure of the Muleteers and how they penetrated into the Shan states of Burma which the British were afraid of and how Yunnanese Mandarin came to be the lingua franca of the region, I have met a few people from the Golden Triangle over the years, mostly from Thailand and Burma and they all have fond memories of the Muslim traders entering local villages and Chiang Mai to sell their fine wares from Yunnan ham to magazines from Japan. The author really did his research in this book providing photo evidence and many sources to look for information from, the History of the Shan states are heavily touched upon in this book which offers some great context as to the complex ethnic and political situation of the region. I guarantee if one were to pick it up it will entice you with fascinating details about the lives of the traders and those people they interact with. Unfortunately, if you were to go to Chiang Mai or northern Thailand nowadays Mule traders are becoming few and far between due to the rapid modernisation of the region, with a railway being constructed between Kunming and Bangkok, it is unlikely this form of trade will last another generation. Go to any northern Southeast asian country now and many of the locals will be able to speak Yunnanese quite fluently.

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insight into the origins and development of the non-self-identifying minority, both in China and over the entirety of the South East Asia.