Draft:The Banhong Incident

The Banhong Incident (班洪事件) was to an anti-colonial conflict that erupted in the early 1930s between the Wa people in the Banhong region of Yunnan, China, and British Burma (Burma Corporation Limited) In 1933. Britain sought to expand its influence beyond Myanmar and into southern China’s Lu fang (in Wa: Bang Moi, in Mandarin Chinese: Lu Fang) Mountain region, which was rich in mine. In February 1934, a violent clash occurred when British troops entered Banhong area, and sustained resistance by the Wa people who defended their territory.

Historical background

The large-scale immigration under Wu Sangui at the beginning of Qing dynasty (1647-1662) brought over 500,000 settlers from interior China to the Southwest, making it one of the largest planned migration to southwest China. Other than silver, the richness of mineral resources such as gold, iron, and tin attracted many migrated Chinese to participate in mining work.

Between 1650 and 1800, large-scale mining was carried out in the once-famous but now largely exhausted Maolong Silver Mines. The area covers about fifteen square kilometers of territory in the northernmost Wa country. The autonomous Wa region cover about fifteen square kilometers of once-disputed territory, now inside of Burma. During this period, Yunnan yielded half of the empire’s silver. Official Chinese sources acknowledged little Wa initiative in mining entrepreneurship, recording ventures into mining entirely to Chinese government investment and subsidies. After British’s annexation of Burma in the late nineteenth century, news of rich minerals attracted British interest. China’s competing interest in Wa mines slowly incorporated the Wa polity of Banhong, egalitarian government under Hulu King, into Chinese state system. Despite the central government's ever-extending central control, Barton observed Wa’s control over the mines in 1930.

The autonomy of Wa deterred British and Chinese official to draw a clear border on the frontier. In 1920, British mining expert Oberlander captured British’s imperialism interest through the discovery of another part of Maolong (Chinese: 茂隆厂) strand that was active and rich of mining resources.

Conflict

This conflict began around 1900, when Britain attempted to assert control over the Banhong area, claiming it wasn’t part of Chinese territory. The local leader, Hu Yushan, strongly resisted this, even sending a message and a symbolic gift of eggs to the British to communicate defiance and warn them against intrusion. Later, an incident involving British soldiers allegedly robbing and attacking locals at a market escalated tensions, resulting in armed conflicts. The British forces ultimately had to retreat after facing fierce resistance from the Wa and Dai ethnic groups, who had formed alliances to defend their land. The Banhong Incident is remembered today with a monument in Cangyuan County as a symbol of local resistance to foreign encroachment​.

In China, this event is widely regarded as a display of patriotic devotion by the Wa people on behalf of China. British sources, however, describe it as Chinese forces supported by "bandits and tribesmen". It appears that, much like others in similar marginal positions, the Wa were manipulated but also attempted to exploit the situation themselves, following familiar patterns from the past.

The primary Chinese figure leading the resistance against the British and quelling anti-Chinese "Kawa disturbances" was Li Xizhe (Chinese: 李希哲). Li embodied the archetype of a Yunnanese-Chinese soldier-entrepreneur, a former salt miner turned nationalist, whose unconventional operations received approval from the Chinese Republic, which had inherited the empire's interests. With modern weaponry, Li was victorious and reportedly rewarded his Wa allies, including those from Banhong, generously with salt and cloth. Establishing himself as their representative, he rallied eighteen Wa leaders into an anti-British alliance and drafted a patriotic declaration in Chinese on their behalf.

With the support of Yang Yiqian, the Second Colonial Border Supervisor of Yunnan, Li spent 100,000 yuan to call on the Han, Dai, and Wa people in Jinggu, Jingdong, Shuangjiang, Mianning, Shiping, Gengma, Lancang and other places. People from the Lahu, Yi, Bulang and other ethnic groups responded one after another and formed an army of nearly 2,000 people on May 15, 1934. The day after its establishment, the Southwest Frontier People's Volunteer Army began its march to the anti-British front line, receiving strong support from county governments and people along the way. On May 25, the volunteers rushed to Xinhe on the Banhong border and received a warm welcome from King Banhong and the people of all ethnic groups in the Banhong area.

Hu Zhonghan, the chief of Banhong, who bore the title "Loyal-to-Han" bestowed by Chinese officials, played a prominent role. Now recognized with the modern title of "zong’guan" (Chinese: 总管), he allegedly insisted to the British that any matters must involve China, which was logical given his Chinese ties and the long history of Chinese miners in the area.

However, considering the contrasting assessment by the Chinese military official at Meng Mountain, this account might be another biased Chinese interpretation aimed at supporting official recognition, redefinition, and strategic investment in "their" Wa leaders.

Afterwards, under British diplomatic pressure, the Nationalist Government ordered the Yunnan Provincial Government to stop the anti-British actions of the border people and put Li on trial. The Yunnan Provincial Government ordered the Lancang County Government to raise 50,000 yuan to peacefully disperse the People's Volunteer Army. Due to the loss of food supplies, the army evacuated Banhong on September 10, 1934 and disbanded themselves, ending their anti-British struggle. After that, the British army reoccupied the Lu Fang area.

Cultural significance

The Banhong conflict represented a broader struggle by ethnic groups in Yunnan to protect their lands from foreign intervention and assert their sovereignty. The Incident is commemorated locally as a moment of resistance and is often highlighted in narratives of Wa history as a symbol of their resilience against colonial forces. In contemporary Cangyuan County, a memorial honors this event, symbolizing the ongoing pride and cultural identity of the Wa community.

Aftermath

After the incident, both China and Britain feel the urgency of resolving the undetermined southern section of the China-Myanmar boundary. In 1935, both sides sent representatives and agreed that Swiss Army Colonel Islam would be a neutral commissioner to participate in the demarcation. However, Second World War broke out soon after, and China went all out to fight the war against Japan. However, Britain announced in July 1940 that the Burma Road would be closed for three months, exerting strong pressure on China. The Chinese government was forced to sign an exchange of notes with Britain on June 18, 1941, and demarcated the undetermined southern section. This boundary was called the "1941 Line China-Burma".

According to this line, about three-fourth of the Awa Mountain area was assigned to British Burma, and the Cangyuan Banlao area that had armed resistance to British invasion and an area east of the Nanxi River in the west of Ximeng were also assigned to British Burma, while China only retained about 1/4 of the Awa Mountain area. However, before this line was demarcated, the Pacific War broke out. So the "1941 Line China-Burma" was actually still dragged on as an undetermined boundary. In 1960, the Sino-Burmese Boundary Treaty was signed, confirming the return of the Banhong/Banlao area of ​​Myanmar ceded to China along what China claimed northern Myanmar in 1941.