Khun San Law and Nan Oo Pyin (also spelled as Khun Sam Law–Nang Oo Peim in Shan style) is a tragic love story from Shan folklore. It tells the tale of a young man, Khun San Law, who defies an arranged marriage to pursue true love and marries Nan Oo Pyin, only to face a series of heartbreaking events that lead to their untimely deaths and their transformation into stars.[1] To this day, the story is told through novels, cartoons, films, and songs. The story is considered the Shan equivalent of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.[2]
The story is an important piece of literature for the Shan people. It is believed to have been created around the 1870s by a 19th-century Shan female writer, Nang Kham Ku (1853−1919), who based it on a true story.[3]
- ^ "Myanmar minorities fight to save mother tongue". Arab News.
- ^ Phorn, Khamindra (2015). "Affirmation of Shan Identities through Reincarnation and Lineage of the Classical Shan Romantic Legend 'Khun Sam Law'". Thammasat Review. 18 (1): 1–26. ISSN 2630-0303.
- ^ "Shans in Publications: Using Library Bibliographic Information as a Tool of Searching Shan Representations, Their Ethnic Consciousness and the Current Situation Surrounding Shan Language". CSEAS Newsletter.