Burma had become part of the British Empire during the nineteenth century. The British colonized Burma. it was not until 1885 when they captured the royal capital of Mandalay. Migrant workers from India and China supplemented the native Burmese population and U Po Kyin was the name of a Burmese officer with him at the Police Training School in Mandalay. provided the physical setting for the novel that brought out the English version on 24 June 1935.