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In January 1867, the French Mekong Exploration Commission sidetracked its Mekong journey to visit the Siamese city of Ubon on the Mun River, one of the tributaries of the Mekong. Members of the French delegation were invited to attend the anointment of the new ruler. A French chronicle reads: “The morning of the big day we were deafened by the noise of gongs [and drummers] … Everyone gathered at the palace. Soon the retinue emerged and paraded on the great square. Mounted on a big elephant, which had gigantic tusks, the king of Oubon appeared, surrounded by guards on foot and horses, and followed by his highest dignitaries, mounted as he was.”
The River Mekong is the world's 12th-longest river. From its Himalayan source on the Tibetan plateau, it flows some 4,350 km (2,703 miles) through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, finally draining in the South China Sea. The recent construction of hydroelectric dams on the river and its tributaries has reduced the water flow dramatically during the dry season in Southeast Asia.
This illustration by Louis Delaporte is one of dozens he produced during his two-year venture (1866-68) with the Mekong Exploration Commission sponsored by the French Ministry of the Navy, the intention of which was to lay the groundwork for the expansion of French colonies in Indochina. Traveling the Mekong by boat, the small French delegation voyaged from Saigon to Phnom Penh to Luang Prabang, then farther north into the uncharted waters of Upper Laos and China's Yunnan province, before returning to Hanoi in 1868 by foot, accompanied by porters and elephants. In this 1867 drawing of a fire caused by expeditioners trying to ward off wild animals, the Mun River is estimated by the artist at 18 m in height and 120 to 150 m wide. Nowadays, the controversial Pak Mun Dam stands close to this very site.
This illustration is based on a watercolor by Louis Delaporte—one of dozens he produced during his two-year venture (1866-68) with the Mekong Exploration Commission sponsored by the French Ministry of the Navy, the intention of which was to lay the groundwork for the expansion of French colonies in Indochina. Traveling the Mekong by boat, the small French delegation voyaged from Saigon to Phnom Penh to Luang Prabang, then farther north into the uncharted waters of Upper Laos and China's Yunnan province, before returning to Hanoi in 1868 by foot, accompanied by porters and elephants. In this illustration, a reunion takes place: Delaporte and other members of the expedition had taken a detour to Siam on the Mun River and waited until Lagree and his retinue returned from a logistics trip to Phnom Penh.
The River Mekong is the world's 12th-longest river. From its Himalayan source on the Tibetan plateau, it flows some 4,350 km (2,703 miles) through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, finally draining in the South China Sea. The recent construction of hydroelectric dams on the river and its tributaries has reduced the water flow dramatically during the dry season in Southeast Asia. In this 1867 drawing by French expeditioner Louis Delaporte, the Mun River is estimated by the artist at 18 m in height and 120 to 150 m wide. Nowadays, the controversial Pak Mun Dam stands close to this very point.
This illustration by Louis Delaporte is one of dozens he produced during his two-year venture (1866-68) with the Mekong Exploration Commission sponsored by the French Ministry of the Navy, the intention of which was to lay the groundwork for the expansion of French colonies in Indochina. Traveling the Mekong by boat, the small French delegation voyaged from Saigon to Phnom Penh to Luang Prabang, then farther north into the uncharted waters of Upper Laos and China's Yunnan province, before returning to Hanoi in 1868 by foot, accompanied by porters and elephants.
The River Mekong is the world's 12th-longest river. From its Himalayan source on the Tibetan plateau, it flows some 4,350 km (2,703 miles) through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, finally draining in the South China Sea. The recent construction of hydroelectric dams on the river and its tributaries has reduced the water flow dramatically during the dry season in Southeast Asia. In this 1867 drawing by French expeditioner Louis Delaporte, the Mun River is estimated by the artist at 18 m in height and 120 to 150 m wide. Nowadays, the controversial Pak Mun Dam stands close to this very point.