History
During the colonial era, in spite of the British delegating Yangon as the new Burmese commercial and political hub, Mandalay became the centre of Burmese culture and Buddhist teachings and was regarded by the Burmese as a primary symbol of sovereignty and identity.
Before and during Burmese independence, which came in 1948, Mandalay had gone through a process of deterioration. With a high population of Chinese immigrating from Yunnan and Sichuan Province in the 1980s, the city began rebuilding and has become a major trade centre for Lower Burma, Upper Burma, China and India.