This article examines the Buddhist ethnic-religious identity expressed by the Tai Khun people of the Eastern Shan State of Myanmar. The author argues that they possess a double ethnic identity: on the one hand, they have an ethnic-political identity as a Shan people, while on the other hand, they have an ethnic-religious identity based on Yuan Buddhism and connected with the historical region of Lan Na. The article discusses the history, myth and cult of a Burmese Buddha image standing in the middle of the city of Chiang Tung and the ways in which religious visual culture expresses ethnic-religious identity.