Sino-Myanmar Relat ns 1988-2010 wt To the best of the present author's knowledge, the fret story of such nature appeared in 1984. In December 1984, Thabin Magazine published a short story titled “Frighten (Soe-Kyauk-Mi-Par-Thi)” by Mae Moe (Inya), a promi hovelise in Myanmar. This was a story about exo fends, one from Mandalay and the other fom the Delta, who became roommates in Yadana Hall ac Yangon ‘University. The friend from the Delta paid a second visir co Mandalay about a decade afer her lst one. She tried o find her friend, with whom she had lose ‘contact for about ten years. On hee way she passed by the swathes of blackened land and ashes of houses burat down by the devastating fire [of 24 March 1984], She knew that her friend’ house had been spared by the fr, but she was pualed by the complete change in the environment. She found out chat there was now a new building atthe address once occupied by her friend and she saw a woman with a very fair complexion there. When she asked about her friend and her family, the woman stared a her and told char they bad been living there for a long time. Inher speech, the woman employed the pronoun “Waa term exclusively used by Chinese in Myanmar. When she tried 0 look for neighbors of her friend, she discovered that they, roo, were gone instead, she was answered by “a plump man of yellowish complexion dresed in pans", 2 typical feature of Chinese in Myanmat. Finally, she went to sce her cousin ‘who sas working in the Mandalay Hoel. The story concluded that Mandalay, afer the ravages of the devastating fire, had begun to recuperate and that people ‘were swarming and busy like bees, yet there were many strange faces among them. There were new and luxurious buildings, car, hotels, and restaurants and many more would sprout on the blackened land. The author, however, wondered where her fiend and family had disappeared Mandalay. The story highlighted the loss of land previously owned by native residents to new [Chinese] immigrants, even in the areas not affected by the fire. The traditional professions and trades of te grest majority of indigenous Myanmar citizens did not even allow them co keep up with the rising cost of living in the Socialist Myanmar [though ic was rather modest compared to thac a quarter ofa century later). The ire devastated most of the original inhabitants of Mandalay and they had no resources co rebuild heir fives on the same patch of land they owned. They were thus forced to sll their ploss and moving tothe city’s outs ‘Another tale of his nature was “The Story of the Golden Mandalay Ratanabon (Ratanabon-Shive- Mandalay-Wurhu)” by Nyi Pu Lay, a Mandal based writer famous For short stories. The short story frst appeated in July 1987 ise of Yinkhone-Pwint Magazine. lewas reproduced inthe "Thubretkae- vise Collected Shor Searies’, published by the auchor himself in March the great city of12 ln the Name of Pauk-Phaw 1989. The story was centered on an early morning alms-gathering round of nonks and novies. The great fre [of March 1984] “rooted out the heat fom the city, the story ran and “new setlers were on the blackened land. Now, monks and novices received [Chinese] sausage from “a lady with yellowish complexion who owned a recently buile guesthouse and [Chinese] id-chiake CAKE [or you-tiao (3%)] from"an old lady with gold teeth tvs double-storey house still under construction”. Nobody at the monastery, and visitors a well liked you-tio and they usualy piled up on the table. Whive- robed deacons (Phothudaw) were rather unhappy with receiving youctiao in morning alms-gathering rounds. The new setelers in the story were described as having narrow eyes, Featuce of typical Chinese. When a deacon joked “the more the deacon fees confused [at secing new faces during the alms round]. the ‘mote likely you are co gee more you-tio", the novices, deacons and monastery boys coulda help bue laugh ae this. However, the monks were nor even moved le, let alone laugh. At the end of the story a deacon wondered: “Why it the monks even smile ata joke?” Then he said: “They were senior and learned people and I should ask why they did noc even smile or laugh” ‘What was intresting, too, were the illustrations inthe story. In che magazine version there was 2 drawing of novices, deacons, and monastery boys in the carly alos ound by Artist Maung Maung Theik. Yer, in the “collected shore stories” version, the illustration was a Chinese dragon drawn by the author self. Nowhere in the story, however, did the word “Chinese” appear. In the October 1987 issue of Moewai Maguine, “Moving Wall (Shawe- sharnanyan)” by Theik Tun Ther’. another Mandalay-based shore story ‘writer old a scory about a [Chinese] businessman, who owned a wheat mill and lived in yard fenced with high walls, buying a plot of land, next eo his mil rom a native Myanmar family in Mandalay. ‘The wall was subsequent moved to further encroach on the land previously owned by the natives, Win Sithu’s “A Bicycle and one Yojana of Journey (SetbicTasi-Khayi-Tayuzana)” which appeared in the May 1988 issue ofthe same magazine, was also about 4 [Chinese] merchant fly moving into Mandalay and buying ple of land from a native Myanmar citizen, Another native Myanmar citizen living in the vicinity was a clerk who exrned a salary of K300 for his family of four. While be was struggling for months co assembly a bieyele, the merchant couple, Maung Hoke Sein and Ma Kyin Hmwe — typical names for ethnic Chinese Myanmar — bought the land for nearly K4 millon and spent another 2 million wo build a house on it. The couple planned to giveaway a bicyee in «lucky draw forall dhe guests coming to ther house warming party. Although he was invited, the Myanmar clerk refused t0 go to ven his displeasre. hin Pan Hin (Myaunginya)s shorcstory, ened "Zero Degree Centigrade (Thonnya-degaresentigarade), published in the June 1988 issue of Cherry Magazine, was about an ethnic Myanmar git from centeal Myanmar who ‘eventually seeded in Lashio in Northern Shan State, afzer the death of het50, 3 parents, and married a Chinese. The gies house was described as «typical ‘Chinese house, decorated in the Chinese way, and the giel became thoroughly absorbed into Chinese customs, Her childhoed fiiend, who lovingly called hee "jaamine bud”, was amazed at her changed personalicy when he found het, afte several years of search. He asked: "Would the jasmine metaphor for Myanmar fils] be able co withstand the Northeasteen wind [meraphor for Chinese] any’ further Two shor stories on the same theme, the growing presence of Chinese in Myanmar were published in the June 1988 issue of Thara Magazine. Nu Nu Vi (Inmwa)s “The Sandbank in the water is called an Island (Yaclaegaung- ‘Thaunghtur-Kyunloe-Khawde)” was about the lf of watermelon farmer sellers and thei encounters with Chinese pilgrims in Sagaing, the city across from Mandalay. Nyi Pu Lays “Boa constrictor (Sapargyimwe)” was about a Chinese businessman buying a plot of land from a native Myanmar in Mandalay. The scory was filled with emocionally charged narratives, and was old cloquently. Only in the ast line, did the author mention that the native people who were counting the payment could aot understand the heavily scinized Myanmar language of the buyer. Ye Shans “Essays (SasiSarkone-Laymya)", which appeared in the September 1988 issue of Yokeshin-Aunglan Magazine, was the story of a high school racher of Myanmar literature and history, who compared his own essays of 15 and 20,years ago about his native cown in Southern Shan State with tha ofa contemporary student on the same theme "The studene described an emerging "China marker", which the ceacher fel frightening and duty bound co do something, All che above mentioned short sories, xcept Nyi Pu Lay's “The Story of the Golden Mandalay Ratanabon" were reproduced in a collection carefully arranged and thoughtfully ented “Handwriting of Wathondaee che God of Earth (Wathondare-letyeswurh- tomya)", published by a Mandslay-hased publisher in November 1989. The phenomerion of growing Chinese affluence in Myanmar was carefully observed in Upper Myanmar and in Mandalay, and Mandalay-based writers were among the most active and prolife in presenting it Tn June 1993 issue of Vin-Khone-Pwint Magazine, here was ashore story titled “The Night of Ratanabon (Ratanabon Nyamya)” by Nay Win Myint, 4 prominent Mandalay-based author. This was about 2 group of short story ‘writers who drove around Mandalay (Racanabon City) ar night for a couple of days. The author compared and contrasted the historical and cultural landmarks and icons ofthe city, which isthe cultural heartland of Myanmat, with new development, such as Chinese restaurants — he mentioned 1wo names, #£%4E (Xin Chan Yuin) and HIB (Tso Yaén), although they were not new — and signboatds in Chinese characters. The author wondered who reilly owned the nights of Ratanabon, The illustration ofthe stor, it should be noted again, showed a Chinese dragon When the 150th anniversary ofthe founding of Mandalay was held in 2009, avone.act play was performed by a group of comedians. The ply highlighted174 51 In the Name of Pauk-Phaw the sigoificance of Chinese influence in the city. In the last scene, it was revealed thatthe main actor, who dressed very much like a Chinese and spoke Myanmar with Chinese accent, was in facta native Myanmar; but the accor said chat since he had not only to work and live among them [Chinese or new immigrants] but aso to study their customs and language, although he ‘vas a native boen in the cig, he had now been thoroughly assimilated into the Chinese community. Mya Maung. “On the Road to Mandalay: A cae Stuy of the Sinonization of Upper Burma’, Asian Sueey (Vol. 34, No. 5: May 1994), pp. 447~459,