Mandalay, the royal city of Myanmar, established by King Mindon in Konbaung Era, is the nation’s archaeological showcase for local and foreign visitors. With the well thriving traditional fine arts and the industry of the ten traditional arts and crafts, Mandalay attracts a large number of tourists.

Bagan, the ancient city, teeming with pagodas, stupas and ancient cultural edifices, makes Myanmar well known to the world as a land of pagoda. The city has been civilized since thousands of years ago. A great number of the still existing pagodas, stupas, temples, repositories of Buddhist scriptures and ordination halls stand a tangible proof to the well thriving of religious affairs, literature, culture and fine arts of the city.

With an area of 16 square miles, the fascinating ancient city has more than 2,000 pagodas and stupas, drawing the attention of historians and tourists.

Bagan is located in Mandalay Division. So the Myanmar fine arts of Bagan era can be compared with that of Konbaung era. The tourism industry is making progress cumulatively in Bagan-NyaungU region enjoying regional development. Being globally well known, Bagan is making progress in services and raising the living level of its local people.

Now, all most of the infrastructures needed in the agricultural, transport and social sectors have been built the length and breadth of the nation. A total of 12 electric power projects, one of which is YeYwa Hydropower Project in Mandalay Division, are on their way to satisfy the electricity demand.

On 18^th December 2004, Head of State Senior General Than Shwe made an inspection tour of YeYwa Hydro Power Project that was undertaken by the Ministry of Electric Power on Myitnge River, 31 miles southeast of Mandalay, and gave guidance and provided necessary assistance for the project.

There have been 287 concrete dams all over the world. The YeYwa Hydropower Project is of roller compacted concrete dam, and on completion, it will be one of the largest concrete dams in the world.

In compliance with the guidance of the Head of State, Kyaukse-YeYwa-Hsinmin Cement Plant road is under construction for transport of cement and raw materials. Dokhtawady river bridge (YeYwa) necessary for the project was put into commission on 31^st July 2004. At the opening ceremony, Head of State Senior General Than Shwe said that efforts were to be exerted for ensuring completion of the project ahead of schedule so as to fulfill the nation’s electricity demand.

Emphasis was to be placed on systematization in order to meet the set standards in implementing the construction tasks. He stressed the need for the officials concerned to pay greater attention to the implementation of the project as it was a large one.

Those responsible at all levels were to supervise the construction tasks for minimizing loss and wastage, he noted.

From 1988 to date, the government has made a total investments of some 7,000 million Kyats on the construction of 34 small, medium and large dams in Mandalay Division, thereby benefiting more than 320,000 arable acres of land.

The purpose of the government’s pouring of a huge sum of funds on a large number of irrigation and transport facilities and regional greening projects is to bring economic development to the rural areas and to raise the living standard of the local people and to ensure equitable development of all parts of the division.

Growing a variety of crops, Mandalay Division has stood a reliable region in the agricultural sector of the nation.

The five rural development tasks are under way across the nation under the guidance of the Head of State. The Ministry of Progress of Border Areas and National Races and Development Affairs is putting into motion the rural road project and the water supply project in rural areas. Up to now, the government has spent more the 2,381 million Kyats – more than 1,583 million Kyats contributed by the Government and the Development Affairs Funds and more than 797.86 million Kyats by the wellwishers – on supply of clean water in the three arid zones: Sagaing, Magway and Mandalay Divisions.

The water supply project has benefited 5,405 out of 8,042 villages throughout the nation and 3,183 out of 4,119 villages of 26 townships in Mandalay Division.