A people of Myanmar (Burma). They are akin to people in Laos and Thailand, and originated in Yunnan province in south-west China, entering Burma about the 13th century ad. Based in the hills east of the Irrawaddy River, they lived under chieftains thought to have divine powers. There was deep enmity between Burmans and Shans, though the latter, except in very remote areas, adopted Burman culture and Theravada Buddhism. A kingdom founded by a Burmanized Shan prince at Ava had considerable power from about 1360 until the unification of Upper Burma under the first Toungoo dynasty in the late 15th century.