In Myanmar's remote north, China is the key

Irrawaddy town that inspired Orwell's 'Burmese Days' hopes for BRI prosperity

20200206 Tea Leaves Fish

A Myanmar woman spreads out fish to dry in the sun. (Photo by Lindsay Stubbs)

LINDSAY STUBBS

Katha, on the Irrawaddy River in northern Myanmar, is best known as the inspiration for "Burmese Days," a fictional critique of British colonialism by the English novelist George Orwell. A century after Orwell worked in Katha as a colonial police officer, however, the remote town's future may depend on its links to a newer (and older) foreign power -- China.

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