The rugged; indomitable Chinese muleteers known to the Burmese as Panthay; and to the Thai and Lao as Haw or Chin Haw; were鈥攁nd to some extent still are鈥攖he masters of the Golden Triangle. Certainly they were the traders par excellence; penetrating into the remotest reaches of forbidden territory such as the Wa States; whilst at the same time their mule caravans; laden with everything from precious stones and jade to opium and copper pans; traded as far as Luang Prabang in Laos; Moulmein in Burma; Dali and Kunming in Yunnan; and Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.

Doi Mae Salong was once an impoverished; heavily-armed Kuomintang (KMT) outpost; it is today a tranquil oasis of tea gardens; fruit orchards and Yunnanese-style houses.