Yaw Atwinwun

The only known photograph of the Yaw Atwinwun U Po Hlaing

This photograph of U Po Hlaing was taken by Dr. Clement Williams, a British representative in Mandalay who became a good friend of King Mindon and his inner circle. The photograph was recently made public by the heirs to Dr. Williams’ estate. U Po Hlaing (1830-1883) was a leading reformist at the courts of King Mindon and King Thibaw. He was fluent in Sanskrit, Pali, and Burmese and wrote many important works on Buddhism, governance, mathematics, and other subjects. He...

The vision of King Thibaw’s government

This is a rare early photograph of King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat. The government of King Thibaw came to power in November 1878. Contrary to popular views, it was a highly reformist government at first, led by men such as the Kinwun Mingyi and the Yaw Atwinwun, as well as several who had returned from studies in Europe. They were eager to modernize, reach out to the West, and preserve Burma's independence, but their ambitious plans for political and economic...

After the Burmese Kingdom fell into British Hands

From 1883-85, the reformists around the king, led by the Kinwun Mingyi, the Yaw Atwinwun, and the Wetmasut Wundauk, were unable to implement the sweeping changes they felt necessary to save the kingdom. Conservatives, supported by factions within the army and the royal establishment, had pushed back and halted many of the constitutional and fiscal reforms originally set in motion. Fast mounting external and domestic challenges, compounded by worsening economic conditions, fighting in the Kachin Hills, two successive years of...