Dai de Dehong in 1909. Described in the book "On foot for China" of Edwin Dingle. 1911.

The Shan (called Dai at present), the Kachin and his abominable nut of betel! This nut that does that the mouth seems bleeding, expands the lips, undresses and dyes of black the teeth, and does the horrifying women. This is the principal characteristic of the country which we are entering now.

The Shan here monopolize all the things. The Chinese do not abound in these parts, although in the last any years low grounds have been attracted to estás; by what the Shan are a little left to themselves. The agreeable march of eight days from Tengyueh to Bhamo, the metropolis of the High Burma, probably presents to the traveler more varied scenes interest than no other stage from the distant Chongqing …

The paved ways give in shortly after going out of Tengyueh. The mountains are left behind. There is no need now of the constant physical effort to overcome the mountains of the country. Without hills to raise, not stones where to slip or to cut my feet me, with the wide vales of a magnificent country that takes three days later to a dense tropical forest …

Nantien is, or it was a fortress, but the small place was not showing any military evidence that he was making think about it. It is populated principally by Shan. Most of the people of this interesting people live dispersed for a big number of the semi-independent states, some tributaries of Burma, others of China, and some of Siam; and the man of the street still knows little of them. One cannot confuse them, especially the women, with his peculiar features mongols, pale constitution and his typical hairdo. The men in general, differ less, but his rough cotton turban instead of the round cap with the bundle distinguishes them quickly from the Chinese. You go down, with good and strong constitution, his wives pay particularly the attention as a race of robust and healthy persons.

The Shan are recognized like pacific nations, but a dispute in a people in which I took part, it is one of the exceptions that confirm the rule.

The men were discussing with the women, and these with the men. Some of them Chinese that they were observing were indicating them the futileza of these daily disputes, when a few Shan, making a mistake with a foreign official, had running towards me, explaining the matter to me. In the middle of the crowd I shouted to them: "I do not understand, idiots, I do not understand." With the noise of the discussion, the Chinese spectators and my own men (who were put off of every Shan of the district) making use that could not understand them were showing his grief. Not s'ñe since I raised my hand, raised to a stone in the half way, and strained in appeasing the incensed riffraff. I shouted seriously, brandished my bamboo in the air, gesticulated, struck two men who approached me. Finally they stopped, hoping that I should speak. Without knowing that to say I said a foolery from the stone. Soon the multitude calmed down and laughed, also. We keep on leaving behind the Shan again in peace with the whole world.

Shan has been in many regions, so to the north as on the borders of Tibet. But a Shan, due to the similarity of his language in all the parts of Asia, differs from the Chinese or the member of a tribe of Yün-nan, in whom it can go to any place. It is said that from the sources of the Irawadi to the borders of Siamese territory, and from Assam to Tonkin, a region that it measures six hundred miles of side, and even in everything what was the Empire of Nan-Chow, the language is practically the same one. Dialects exist as in every country of the world, but a Shan born at any place inside these limits will find capable to support a conversation in other parts of this country about which he will never have heard speaking. And that more than six hundred years after the fall of the dynasty of Nan-Chow, when between many Shan they have not had any really political or commercial relation between themselves.

I found them a few charming, pacific and complaisant persons, who treat the strangers with kindness and frank warmth. Buddhists are a most. The garment of the Chinese Shan was much changed by me according to his location. One thinks at first that there are an exceptionally clean race, but I can attest that it is not like that. In certain aspects they are dirtier than the Chinese, especially in the preparation of his meal. And I feel compelled to say a few words here for general benefit of future travelers. Never hope that a Shan should do hard works! He can work hard when he wants and he likes, but I do not believe that not even the Malay, is more lazy than he.

As servants are a defeat. An European in this district which Chinese servant had left him, thought that it would prove a Shan, and invited a man to come.: "To be his servant? It is clear that I want. And it would be very honest." And the European thought that it was already decisive. He told to him that he wanted his breakfast at 6:00 a.m., and that the duties of the servant would be to cut the lawn for the horse, to go to the market to buy the eatables, to do tasks of the house and to return to his house to sleep at 7:00 p.m. The Shan said to him that he would like to come to work approximately at nine o'clock; that had several single daughters under his roof and that consequently might not cut the lawn; it objected to go to the market at the most warm hour of the day; he might not think of eating the meal of the foreigner; and he would go to house to eat the 1 of the evening to return there finally at 5 a.m. The llamo to another man. It was quite happy, and he liked. On having wondered what he wanted like salary, he answered him, "Oh, give me a rupee every day of the market, and that will be enough to me." But this man was never on duty the day of the market.

They were celebrating the holiday of New Year when I came to Chiu-Ch'eng (Kang-gnai). The whole world was adorned for the holiday. We had big difficulty to obtain a place to remain. The persons allowed me to go on to the career in search of a quarter, talking each other with kind indifference, but none offered to lodge me. Finally the chief of the people appeared, and with many kind expressions it took me to his house. A crowd had congregated in the street, in the middle of a big clamor some women were in the hardware store of the people, spending the casseroles to him across the window, pushing the tables noisily across the door, throwing on the air primitive cooking devices, as well as dozens of baskets of bamboo. Sacks of rice, old chairs (the low stool of the Shan, of approximately thirty inches), drawers with coins of bronze, brooms, old spears, pans of fat of the pork, wine barrels, battered clothes, the ladies' shoes already not secondhand and dressed in babies. The men and women started cleaning, and asked me to enter. The festivities of the New Year were careless to take delight observing the newly arrived person. I received nine invitations to have dinner, but I had dinner with my boss and his six children.

Across the darkness of the heavy evening, a blunt din stirred the air, with the sound of screaming small bells, blunt gongs, and all the horrifying adornments of Oriental celebrations. The plebs-Shan almost to the unison approached to see me, a difficult task for the darkness of the night. Some soldiers who were keeping the entry, went so far as to strike to some of the congregated ones … My amplifier of the shave it entertained them marvelously …

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