| Honorific Prefix: | Sithu Daw |
| Kyan | |
| Native Name Lang: | my |
| Birth Date: | 1 July 1918 |
| Birth Place: | Thandwe, Thandwe Township, Rakhine State, British Burma |
| Death Place: | Hlaing Township, Yangon |
| Nationality: | Burmese |
| Occupation: | Historian Writer |
| Parents: | U Kyaw Tun (father) Daw Ngwe Hnit (mother) |
| Awards: | Medal (First Class) for Excellent Performance in the Field of Arts Sithu Order 2006 Myanmar National Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement |
| Education: | MA (History) |
| Alma Mater: | University of Yangon |
| Thesis Year: | 1959 |
| Discipline: | Historian |
| Workplaces: | Member of the Myanmar National Literature Awards Selection Committee, Pakokku U Ohn Pe Literary Awards Selection Committee and Myanmar Language Commission |
| Main Interests: | History of Colonial Burma |
Kyan (Burmese: ကြန်, in Burmese pronounced as /tɕàɰ̃/; 1 July 1918 – 16 November 2019), known honorifically as Daw Kyan (Burmese: ဒေါ်ကြန်, in Burmese pronounced as /dɔ̀ tɕàɰ̃/), was a Burmese historian and writer who specialized in the history of Burma under British colony.[1] She received two civil orders, two lifetime achievement awards, six literary awards and three outstanding women awards,[2] and was remembered as the Centenary History Devi of Burma.[3]
She was a full-time member of the Myanmar Language Commission, and served also as a member of the Myanmar National Literature Awards Selection Committee and of Pakokku U Ohn Pe Literary Awards Selection Committee.[4]
Ma Kyan, the eldest of four siblings, was born on 1 July 1918 in Thandwe, Thandwe Township, Rakhine State to U Kyaw Tun and Daw Ngwe Hnit.[5] Her father died when she was nine years old.
Kyan worked as a junior assistant teacher at the government high school in Thandwe where she passed the high school final exam in 1935. She later served as an upper division clerk at the post offices in Thandwe and Sittwe.[6]
In 1951 when she was 32, Kyan continued her education at the special class of the University of Yangon in which she graduated within three years, and completed her master's degree in 1959. She joined as a part-time tutor at the Department of English Language and Literature of Yangon University for two years while she was a master's candidate. In 1956, she was appointed as a research officer in Burma Historical Commission.[7] Kyan went to SOAS University of London to collect the Burmese historical documents in the following year. In 1959, with Daw Yi Yi, she went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and copied microfilms of rare parabaiks and the collections of Henry Burney and Edward Bosc Sladen.[8] In 1963, she was promoted to a senior research officer.[7]
Kyan was sent on Cultural Award Scheme tours to the major cities in Australia in 1977. She retired from the Burma Historical Commission in 1978.[4]
Kyan continued serving as an advisor to the Ministry of Industry No. 1, from 1986 to 1991, for the six-volume set The History of Myanmar Industrial Interprises.[4]
In 1991, Kyan joined the Myanmar Language Commission as a full-time member.[5] She also became a representative of Amyotha Hluttaw to draft new constitution of Myanmar in 1993.
From 2002 to 2005, Kyan was a member of steering committee for the doctorate program at History Department of Yangon University.[4]
Kyan was awarded the Medal (First Class) for Excellent Performance in the Field of Arts in 2006 and the Sithu title, one of the highest civilian decoration, in 2012 by the Burmese government.
On 7 July 2018, Kyan's hundredth birthday was held at the Sarpay Beikman hall in Yangon led by the Minister for Information, Pe Myint,[5] and a book Centenary History Devi Sayamagyi Daw Kyan was released.[3]
Kyan died on 16 November 2019 in room 202, No. 5, Yadanamon road, Hlaing Township, Yangon.[9]
| Award | Year | Nominated Work | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myanmar National Literature Award | 1976 | The Condition of Myanmar (1885–1886) | |
| 2002 | In Search of History and Other Articles | ||
| 2003 | Administration of Chief Commissioner (1886–1897) | ||
| 2005 | Village Administration Early Colonial Period (1886–1897) | ||
| 2009 | Revenue in Konbaung Period | ||
| 2007 | Lifetime Achievement Award for 2006 | ||
| Outstanding Women Award | 2003 | ||
| 2005 | |||
| 2007 | |||
| Pakokku U Ohn Pe Literary Award | 2004 | Life-long Literary Award | |
| Public Service Outstanding Performance Badge | 2006 | Medal (First Class) for Excellent Performance in the Field of Arts | |
| Pyidaungsu Sithu Thingaha Order | 2012 | Sithu Order | |
| Tun Foundation Literary Award | 2006 | Selected Writings of Daw Kyan (Bilingual) |
Kyan had been writing historical books and research papers since the 1960s[1] with the pen name Ma Kyan, and sometimes, Daw Kyan. In addition to the following publications, she also compiled Myanmar Encyclopedia Year books and Myanmar–English Dictionary.[4]