How Myanmar’s ancient city of Mandalay has embraced rapid technological change

Once a seat of kings, the city of Mandalay in northern Myanmar has endured turbulent chapters in its 162-year history – the fall of the country’s last royal dynasty and decades of colonial rule. Now, officials are attempting to transform the former royal capital into Myanmar’s first “smart city”.In a country where officials still largely labour with pen and ink, surrounded by stacks of mouldering papers, authorities in Mandalay are tapping social media and new technologies such as artificial…