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About "Pyu Kingdom" in Chinese History.

Credit to Linda Tranter

Chinese History - Biaoguo 驃國 Kingdom of Pyu
The kingdom of Pyu (Chinese Biaoguo 驃國) was a state in the valley of the River Irawaddy in modern Myanmar. This state flourished between the 3rd and the 9th century CE. It was founded by the Burmese people of the Pyu and had a capital called in Chinese sources Shilichadaluo 室利差呾羅 (near modern Pimiao 卑謬). Early Chinese sources do not say a lot about the society of the state of Pyu, only that there was a clear social hierarchy. Tang period 唐 (618-907) sources speak of the round shape of the brick wall of the capital, which had allegedly a circumference of 160 li (80 kms), and 12 gates. The people believed in Buddhism, and there were more than a hundred Buddhist temples to be found in the capital city. The people lived of rice and sugar cane and used a kind of coin called dengjiatuo 登伽陀. Between 613 and 718 the country was reigned by a royal dynasty called Piqiluoma 毗訖羅摩. When leaving his palace the king was carried in a golden reclining sedan chair, but for longer travels he used to ride on an elephant. He disposed of a harem of several hundred wives that followed him on his tours. The kingdom of Pyu reigned over 18 vassals sttes in the region. Its people consisted of almost 300 different tribes, some of which inhabited the 9 cities of the kingdom. There were merchant relations with a lot of countries in Southern and Southeast Asia, as well as with China. In 802 Prince Shunantuo 舒難陀 visited the Tang court in Chang'an 長安 (modern Xi'an 西安, Shaanxi) and brought with him a troop of musicians that were highly welcomed in the Chinese capital. They are even mentioned in a poem of the famous Bai Juyi 白居易. Emperor Dezong 唐德宗 (r. 779-804) bestowed the prince the honorific title of chamberlain for ceremonials (taichang qing 太常卿). In 832 the capital of Pyu was devastated by the kingdom of Nanzhao 南詔, and the state disintegrated.

Source: Chen Yan 陳炎 (XXX). "Biaoguo 驃國", in: Zhongguo baike da cidian 中國大百科全書, Waiguo lishi 外國歷史, vol.

Pyu kingdoms [100BC- 840AD](Myanmar)

Between the 1st century BC and the 9th century AD, speakers of Tibeto-Burman languages known as the Pyu were establishing city-kingdoms in Myanmar at Binnaka, Mongamo, Shri Ksetra, and Halingyi. For a long time, a trade route between China and India had passed through northern Myanmar and then across the Chindwin River valley. In 97 and 121 AD, Roman embassies to China chose the overland route through Myanmar for their journey. The Pyu, however, provided an alternative route down the Irrawaddy to Shri Ksetra and then by sea westward to India and eastward to insular Southeast Asia.

Chinese historical records noted that the Pyu claimed sovereignty over 18 kingdoms. The same Chinese records emphasized the humane nature of the Pyu government and the elegance and grace of Pyu life. Fetters, chains, and prisons were unknown, and punishment for criminals was a few strokes with the whip. The men, gaily dressed in blue, wore gold ornaments on their hats, and the women wore jewels in their hair. The Pyu lived in houses built of timber and roofed with tiles of lead and tin; they used golden knives and utensils and were surrounded by art objects of gold, green glass, jade, and crystal. Parts of the city walls, the palace, and the monasteries were built of glazed brick. The Pyu also appeared to have been Buddhists of the Sarvastivada school. Their architects may have developed the vaulted temple, which later found its greatest expression at Bagan during its golden age. Pyu sons and daughters were disciplined and educated in monasteries or convents as novices. In the 7th century the Pyu shifted their capital northward to Halingji in the dry zone, leaving Shri Ksetra as a secondary centre to oversee trade in the south.

About "Pyu Kingdom" in Thai History.

While the Mons were establishing themselves in Lower (southern) Burma, the ancestors of today's Burmese settled Upper Burma (500-200 B.C.?). The Tibeto-Burmans had acquired a measure of civilization from their cousins, the Chinese, but now their independence and lifestyle was threatened by the growing Chinese state. Preferring physical hardship to bondage, they moved away; one tribe, the Tibetans, went directly west into Tibet, while the rest marched over the mountains of Yunnan and northern Burma to reach the Irrawaddy valley. From here the tribes spread out into surrounding areas, and in 167 A.D. they formed a confederation named Pyu.
The Pyus prospered from the occasional merchant who used the Irrawaddy to go between India and China. They also got along well with the Mons and with India. Chinese visitors reported that Pyu had a remarkably elegant and humane society. Fetters, chains and prisons were unknown, and the only punishment for criminals was a few strokes of the whip. The men wore gold ornaments in their hats and the women wore jewels in their hair; both sexes wore bright blue clothing. Pyus lived in wooden houses with roofing tiles of lead and tin, they used golden knives and surrounded themselves with art objects of gold, green glass, jade and crystal. Unlike the Mons, who had a king in charge of every Mon city, the Pyus governed each tribe by democratic assembly.

From the 6th century onwards the Burmese grew to become the largest of the Pyu tribes. This made little difference until 832, when Nan Zhao, the first Thai kingdom, launched a devastating raid that destroyed the Pyu capital. Leadership of the Burman peoples passed to the Burmese, but not everyone approved of the idea; even today the Burmese majority has trouble getting along with the other Tibeto-Burmans. This is especially true of the Karens, a large ethnic minority living next to the Mons in Southeast Burma; they have been implacable opponents of Burmese rule for most of the eleven centuries since the fall of Pyu. In 849 the Burmese founded their own city, named it Pagan (pronounced "Pah-gon"), and built a wall around it. At the same time the Mons built a new capital city to replace Thaton, named Pegu, on the east edge of the Irrawaddy delta.