Hi Peter,
Yes, southern and western Yunnan is an interesting source of swords and trade into neighboring areas. Nathan was very helpful in identifying the Achang people from the HuSa area who have a long history of bladesmithing. Legend has it that these people are descended from Ming soldiers sent to Yunnan in the 14th C. and who stayed on. There are some very well made and serviceable blades that still come from these smiths. In the northern part of the Burmese-China border, there is trade with the Kachin, Lisu, Naga, and north into Assam and Tibet. Further south we see their influence into eastern Burma, the Shan States, northern Thailand, Laos, and as far east as Vietnam. I have several of the HuSa dha and dao, marked with the regional name in Chinese characters. The Achang people identify mostly with the Shan, also a distinguished Chinese race that was forced south about 800-900 years ago.
I would encourage you to research the swords of Yunnan from a Chinese perspective, as much of what has been discussed here has been from the viewpoint of infiltration of these weapons into neighboring areas of mainland SE Asia.
Ian.
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