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Burma / Myanmar: Buddhist nuns on a staircase at the Hsinbyume Pagoda, close to the Mingun Pahtodawgyi (Mingun Temple), Sagaing District, near Mandalay. The Hsinbyume Pagoda was built in 1816 by King Bagyidaw (1784 - 1846), the seventh king of the Konbaung Dynasty. He built it for his first wife, Princess Hsinbyume who died in childbirth in 1812. The pagoda is also known as the Myatheindan Pagoda. The pagoda's design is based on the mythical Sulamani Pagoda found on Mount Meru, with the seven lower concentric terraces representing the mountain ranges leading to Mount Meru.
Remarkable for their military prowess, their receptivity to Christianity, and their intricate all-embracing kinship network, the Kachins are a hardy mountain people living in the remote hills of northern Burma and on the peripheries of India and China.<br/><br/> 'Kachin' is actually a Burmese word that does not exist in any of the local dialects. Each Kachin tribe has a different name for themselves and their neighbours, but no word to describe the whole group. There are the Jinghpaw (known as Jingpo in China and Singpho in India), the Maru, the Lashi, the Atsi (or Szi), the Lisu and the Rawang—but those represent linguistic groups rather than actual nationalities. Far more important bonds are formed by an intricate system of clans, which cuts across tribal barriers.<br/><br/> Every 'Kachin' belongs to one of five original families: Marip, Maran, Lahpai, N'Hkum and Lattaw. These clans are related in an all-embracing kinship network of extreme complexity. In practice, however, this system binds together the Kachins into a remarkably tight-knit society.
The Kasthamandap, reputedly built from the wood of a single Sal tree, is a kind of half-open, airy pavilion, covered with a three-tiered roof. The simplicity of the building belies its importance.<br/><br/> The Kasthamandap is thought to have been built in the 14th century, but its origins may go back even further. The present building is presumed to date back to the reign of King Lakshminarasinha (1617-41).<br/><br/> The Kasthamandap contains a small shrine dedicated to saint Gorakhnath, and, in line with Gorakhnath’s bizarre exploits, spiritual aspirants are said in the past to have gathered there to perform the Tantric rite of chakra-puja, or 'circle-worship' (from the Sanskrit chakra, 'circle' and puja, 'worship, prayer').
Philip Adolphe Klier was a German photographer best known for his photographs of colonial Burma / Myanmar. By 1871 he was a professional photographer in Moulmein, Burma. His business included work as an optician, watchmaker, and jeweller as well running the firm known as Murken & Klier.<br/><br/>Around 1880 Klier moved to Rangoon, Burma‘s largest city. In the wake of the conquest of the Irrawaddy Delta by the British in 1852, Rangoon had become the center of Indo-British power. Klier worked independently until 1885 when he went into partnership with J. Jackson. By 1890 the partnership was dissolved and Klier became an independent again.
Philip Adolphe Klier was a German photographer best known for his photographs of colonial Burma / Myanmar. By 1871 he was a professional photographer in Moulmein, Burma. His business included work as an optician, watchmaker, and jeweller as well running the firm known as Murken & Klier.<br/><br/>Around 1880 Klier moved to Rangoon, Burma‘s largest city. In the wake of the conquest of the Irrawaddy Delta by the British in 1852, Rangoon had become the center of Indo-British power. Klier worked independently until 1885 when he went into partnership with J. Jackson. By 1890 the partnership was dissolved and Klier became an independent again.
Wat Phra Singh or to give it its full name, Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn, was first constructed around 1345 by King Phayu, 5th king of the Mangrai Dynasty.<br/><br/> King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning 'new city') in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom. Chiang Mai sometimes written as 'Chiengmai' or 'Chiangmai', is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand.
The rugged, indomitable Chinese muleteers known to the Burmese as Panthay, and to the Thai and Lao as Haw or Chin Haw, were—and to some extent still are—the masters of the Golden Triangle. Certainly they were the traders par excellence, penetrating into the remotest reaches of forbidden territory such as the Wa States, whilst at the same time their mule caravans, laden with everything from precious stones and jade to opium and copper pans, traded as far as Luang Prabang in Laos, Moulmein in Burma, Dali and Kunming in Yunnan, and Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.<br/><br/> Doi Mae Salong was once an impoverished, heavily-armed Kuomintang (KMT) outpost, it is today a tranquil oasis of tea gardens, fruit orchards and Yunnanese-style houses.
Wat Phra Singh or to give it its full name, Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn, was first constructed around 1345 by King Phayu, 5th king of the Mangrai Dynasty.<br/><br/> King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning 'new city') in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom. Chiang Mai sometimes written as 'Chiengmai' or 'Chiangmai', is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand.
Wat Phra Singh or to give it its full name, Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn, was first constructed around 1345 by King Phayu, 5th king of the Mangrai Dynasty.<br/><br/> King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning 'new city') in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom. Chiang Mai sometimes written as 'Chiengmai' or 'Chiangmai', is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand.
Felice Beato (1832 – 29 January 1909), also known as Felix Beato, was an Italian–British photographer. He was one of the first people to take photographs in East Asia and one of the first war photographers.<br/><br/> He is noted for his genre works, portraits, and views and panoramas of the architecture and landscapes of Asia and the Mediterranean region. Beato's travels gave him the opportunity to create images of countries, people, and events that were unfamiliar and remote to most people in Europe and North America.<br/><br/> His work provides images of such events as the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the Second Opium War, and represents the first substantial oeuvre of photojournalism. He had an impact on other photographers, and his influence in Japan, where he taught and worked with numerous other photographers and artists, was particularly deep and lasting.
A hand-drawn, hand-coloured watercolour from the late 19th century by an unknown Burmese artist.<br/><br/> The name of the ethnic group featured appears near the top of the picture in Shan script (left), Burmese script (Centre) and Khun script (right). Khun script was formerly used in Kengtung / Kyaingtong in eastern Shan State and in Lan Na or Lanna, northern Thailand.<br/><br/> The Tai ethnicity refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from Hainan to eastern India and from southern Sichuan to Laos, Thailand, and parts of Vietnam, which speak languages in the Tai family and share similar traditions and festivals, including the water festival. Despite never having a unified nation-state of their own, the peoples also have historically shared a vague idea of a "Siam" nation, corrupted to Shan or Assam in some places. The majority of Tai Lu live around Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province in southern China. Other Tai Lu villages can be found in Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Burma.
The cheroot that the young woman holds is a typical attribute in studio portraits of Burmese women, whose custom of smoking large cigars was noted with some astonishment by European visitors, who also commented on their relative freedom, beauty and confidence.<br/><br/> She wears a striped silk <i>hta-mein</i> (wrap-around skirt) and a close-fitting jacket of fine muslin or cotton known as an <i>ein-gyi</i>. Her hair is adorned with a floral headband and she wears necklaces and earrings.<br/><br/> During the Konbaung Dynasty (1752-1885), rich jewellery, fine fabrics such as silk and garments such as her jacket were reserved for court officials and their wives by law. After the fall of the Burmese monarchy in 1885 they were worn by the wealthy.<br/><br/> This photograph is from an album recording aspects of Lord Elgin's Burma tour of November to December 1898. Victor Alexander Bruce (1849-1917), 9th Earl of Elgin and 13th Earl of Kincardine, served as Viceroy of India between 1894 and 1899.
A hand-drawn, hand-coloured watercolour from the late 19th century by an unknown Burmese artist.<br/><br/> The name of the ethnic group featured appears near the top of the picture in Shan script (left), Burmese script (Centre) and Khun script (right). Khun script was formerly used in Kengtung / Kyaingtong in eastern Shan State and in Lan Na or Lanna, northern Thailand.
Ifugao is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Covering a total land area of 262,820 hectares, the province of Ifugao is located in a mountainous region characterized by rugged terrain, river valleys, and massive forests. Its capital is Lagawe and borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela to the east, and Nueva Vizcaya to the south.<br/><br/> The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras and Banaue Rice Terraces are the main tourist attractions in the province. These 2000-year-old terraces were carved into the mountains, without the aid of machinery, to provide level steps where the native Ifugao people can plant rice. In 1995, they were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<br/><br/> Ifugao culture revolves around rice, which is considered a prestige crop. There is an elaborate and complex array of rice culture feasts inextricably linked with taboos and intricate agricultural rites, from rice cultivation to rice consumption. Harvest season calls for grandiose thanksgiving feasts, while the concluding harvest rites 'tungo' or 'tungul' (the day of rest) entail a strict taboo of any agricultural work. Partaking of rice wine (bayah), rice cakes, and moma (a mixture of several herbs, powdered snail shell and betel nut/ arecoline: and acts as a chewing gum to the Ifugaos) is an indelible practice during the festivities and ritual activities.
Wat Phra Singh is a Theravada Buddhist temple within the walled moat of the old city of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand.<br/><br/> King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII), the older brother of the present King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), bestowed it the status of Royal temple of the first grade in 1935.<br/><br/> Built in 1345 CE, Wat Phra Singh is notable for the Phra Buddha Sihing statue after which the temple was named. It is thought the Buddha statue came to King Mangrai's “new city” (chiang mai, in Thai) from Sri Lanka via the former Siamese capital of Ayutthaya.<br/><br/> This royal Buddhist temple contains several intricate murals that help define the city’s history and close relations with Burma. In this mural, a man’s legs are tattooed and the women’s hair and dresses indicate an attachment to Burmese styles of the day.
The British conquest of Burma began in 1824 in response to a Burmese attempt to invade India. By 1886, and after two further wars, Britain had incorporated the entire country into the British Raj. To stimulate trade and facilitate changes, the British brought in Indians and Chinese, who quickly displaced the Burmese in urban areas. To this day Rangoon and Mandalay have large ethnic Indian populations. Railways and schools were built, as well as a large number of prisons, including the infamous Insein Prison, then as now used for political prisoners.<br/><br/> Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Rangoon on occasion all the way until the 1930s. Burma was administered as a province of British India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony. Burma finally gained independence from Britain on January 4, 1948.
Located in the northeast of the country, Shan State covers one-quarter of Burma’s land mass. It was traditionally separated into principalities and is mostly comprised of ethnic Shan, Burman Pa-O, Intha, Taungyo, Danu, Palaung and Kachin peoples.
The British conquest of Burma began in 1824 in response to a Burmese attempt to invade India. By 1886, and after two further wars, Britain had incorporated the entire country into the British Raj. To stimulate trade and facilitate changes, the British brought in Indians and Chinese, who quickly displaced the Burmese in urban areas. To this day Rangoon and Mandalay have large ethnic Indian populations. Railways and schools were built, as well as a large number of prisons, including the infamous Insein Prison, then as now used for political prisoners.<br/><br/> Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Rangoon on occasion all the way until the 1930s. Burma was administered as a province of British India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony. Burma finally gained independence from Britain on January 4, 1948.