Refine your search

The results of your search are listed below alongside the search terms you entered on the previous page. You can refine your search by amending any of the parameters in the form and resubmitting it.

Select all Deselect all Add selection to lightbox
Large Small
Thumbnails per page
Cambodia: Boy begging in traffic, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Clutching small bills and a feather duster to clean windscreens, a boy begs for money from a passenger in traffic, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
China: Coal and other goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
Kristallnacht or 'Crystal Night', also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, was a pogrom against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and Austria that took place on 9–10 November 1938, carried out by SA (Sturmabteilung or Brownshirts) paramilitary forces and German civilians.<br/><br/> German authorities looked on without intervening. The name Kristallnacht comes from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after Jewish-owned stores, buildings, and synagogues had their windows smashed.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
China: Goods being transported on the Huangpu Jiang (Huangpu River) from the Yangzi (Yangtze) River, Shanghai. Shanghai began life as a fishing village, and later as a port receiving goods carried down the Yangzi River. From 1842 onwards, in the aftermath of the first Opium War, the British opened a ‘concession’ in Shanghai where traders could operate undisturbed. French, Italians, Germans, Americans and Japanese all followed. By the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was a boom town. When the Communists won power in 1949, they transformed Shanghai into a model of the Revolution.
The Tonlé Sap (Large Fresh Water River or Great Lake) is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons: its flow changes direction twice a year, and the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. From November to May, Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is home to many ethnic Vietnamese and Cham communities, living in floating villages around the lake.
The Tonlé Sap (Large Fresh Water River or Great Lake) is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons: its flow changes direction twice a year, and the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. From November to May, Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is home to many ethnic Vietnamese and Cham communities, living in floating villages around the lake.
The Tonlé Sap (Large Fresh Water River or Great Lake) is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons: its flow changes direction twice a year, and the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. From November to May, Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is home to many ethnic Vietnamese and Cham communities, living in floating villages around the lake.
For centuries Venice was Europe’s prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century. The city lost some 50,000 people to the Black Death in 1575-77, but remained a major manufacturing center and port well into the 18th century.
For centuries Venice was Europe’s prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century. The city lost some 50,000 people to the Black Death in 1575-77, but remained a major manufacturing center and port well into the 18th century.
For centuries Venice was Europe’s prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century. The city lost some 50,000 people to the Black Death in 1575-77, but remained a major manufacturing center and port well into the 18th century.
For centuries Venice was Europe’s prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century. The city lost some 50,000 people to the Black Death in 1575-77, but remained a major manufacturing center and port well into the 18th century.
For centuries Venice was Europe’s prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century. The city lost some 50,000 people to the Black Death in 1575-77, but remained a major manufacturing center and port well into the 18th century.
For centuries Venice was Europe’s prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century. The city lost some 50,000 people to the Black Death in 1575-77, but remained a major manufacturing center and port well into the 18th century.
The Karen or Kayin people (Pwa Ka Nyaw Poe or Kanyaw in Sgaw Karen and Ploan in Poe Karen; Kariang or Yang in Thai), are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma (Myanmar).<br/><br/> The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people. A large number of Karen also reside in Thailand, mostly on the Thai-Burmese border.<br/><br/> The Karen are often confused with the Red Karen (or Karenni). One subgroup of the Karenni, the Padaung tribe from the border region of Burma and Thailand, are best known for the neck rings worn by the women of this group of people.<br/><br/> Karen legends refer to a 'river of running sand' which ancestors reputedly crossed. Many Karen think this refers to the Gobi Desert, although they have lived in Burma for centuries.<br/><br/> The Karen constitute the biggest ethnic population in Burma after the Bamars and Shans.
The Karen or Kayin people (Pwa Ka Nyaw Poe or Kanyaw in Sgaw Karen and Ploan in Poe Karen; Kariang or Yang in Thai), are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma (Myanmar).<br/><br/> The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people. A large number of Karen also reside in Thailand, mostly on the Thai-Burmese border.<br/><br/> The Karen are often confused with the Red Karen (or Karenni). One subgroup of the Karenni, the Padaung tribe from the border region of Burma and Thailand, are best known for the neck rings worn by the women of this group of people.<br/><br/> Karen legends refer to a 'river of running sand' which ancestors reputedly crossed. Many Karen think this refers to the Gobi Desert, although they have lived in Burma for centuries.Today, the Karen constitute the biggest ethnic population in Burma after the Bamars and Shans.
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.<br/><br/> The ethnic Tai-Shan people are believed to have migrated from Yunnan in China. The Shan are descendants of the oldest branch of the Tai-Shan, known as ‘Tai Long’ (Great Tai) or ‘Thai Yai’ (Big Thai). The Tai-Shan who migrated to the south and now inhabit modern-day Laos and Thailand are known as ‘Tai Noi’ (Little Tai) or ‘Tai Nyai’.<br/><br/> The Shan have inhabited the Shan Plateau and other parts of modern-day Myanmar as far back as the 10th century CE. The Shan kingdom of Mong Mao (Muang Mao) existed as early as the 10th century CE, but became a Burmese vassal state during the reign of King Anawrahta of Pagan (1044-1077).
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.<br/><br/> The ethnic Tai-Shan people are believed to have migrated from Yunnan in China. The Shan are descendants of the oldest branch of the Tai-Shan, known as ‘Tai Long’ (Great Tai) or ‘Thai Yai’ (Big Thai). The Tai-Shan who migrated to the south and now inhabit modern-day Laos and Thailand are known as ‘Tai Noi’ (Little Tai) or ‘Tai Nyai’.<br/><br/> The Shan have inhabited the Shan Plateau and other parts of modern-day Myanmar as far back as the 10th century CE. The Shan kingdom of Mong Mao (Muang Mao) existed as early as the 10th century CE, but became a Burmese vassal state during the reign of King Anawrahta of Pagan (1044-1077).
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.
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.
Chiang Mai is often called Thailand’s ‘Rose of the North’, and is the country’s second city and a popular tourist destination due primarily to its mountainous scenery, colourful ethnic hilltribes and their handicrafts.<br/><br/> Founded in 1296 by King Mengrai as the capital of his Lanna kingdom, Chiang Mai was later overrun by Burmese invaders in 1767. The city was then left abandoned between 1776 and 1791. Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1774 by an agreement with local prince Chao Kavila, after the Siamese King Taksin helped drive out the Burmese. Chiang Mai then slowly grew in cultural, trading and economic importance.
The Tonlé Sap (Large Fresh Water River or Great Lake) is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons: its flow changes direction twice a year, and the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. From November to May, Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is home to many ethnic Vietnamese and Cham communities, living in floating villages around the lake.
This exotic scene from China features market traders beneath a pagoda selling silks, birds, spices, porcelain, fans and other Eastern riches. Wealthy shoppers appear in fine robes, escorted on rickshaws. Interestingly, a camel is depicted with a howdah and a parasol for the use of a rich merchant.<br/><br/> Boucher never visited China. It is thought he produced this tapestry on a Beauvais loom by replicating designs from imported Oriental porcelain and from sketches drawn by Dutchman Arnoldus Montanus during his voyage to Japan in the 17th century.
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.<br/><br/> 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 and now used for political prisoners. Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Rangoon on occasion all the way until the 1930s.<br/><br/> 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 Jan. 4, 1948.
Hanoi is the capital and second-largest city in Vietnam. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political center in the country, but was eclipsed by Hue during the Nguyen Dynasty as the capital of Vietnam. Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina from 1902 to 1954, and from 1954 to 1976, it was the capital of North Vietnam.
Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997) was a Chinese politician, statesman, theorist, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy. While Deng never held office as the head of state, head of government or General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, he nonetheless served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China from 1978 to the early 1990s.
The Bru, or Brao, are an ethnic group living in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Nowadays there are few known Bru, if any, in Cambodia. They speak Bru, a Mon-Khmer language, which has several dialects. Their total population is estimated at 130,000. In Laos, most Bru live in eastern Savannakhet Province in the Sepone District, in the Isaan region. In Thailand, most Bru live in Sakon Nakhon Province, in the Isaan region of northeast Thailand. In Vietnam, most Bru live in the Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Dak Lak and Thua Thien-Hue provinces.
Ieng Sary, Khmer Rouge 'Brother No 2', was born Kim Trang in Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam, in 1924. He was Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Democratic Kampuchea from 1975 to 1979 and held several senior positions in the Khmer Rouge until his defection in 1996. He is married to Ieng Thirith, former Khmer Rouge Social Affairs Minister.
When Vietnam was under French rule, the colonial government governed the Indochinese monetary system through the Indochinese Bank, which also acted as a commercial bank in French Indochina. After the August Revolution in 1945, the Vietnamese government gradually attempted to exercise a monetary system independent from France. In July 1976, the National Bank of Vietnam was merged into the State Bank of Vietnam.
Edwin Lord Weeks (1849 – 1903), American artist and Orientalist, was born at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1849. He was a pupil of Léon Bonnat and of Jean-Léon Gérôme, at Paris. He made many voyages to the East, and was distinguished as a painter of oriental scenes.<br/><br> Weeks' parents were affluent spice and tea merchants from Newton, a suburb of Boston and as such they were able to accept, probably encourage, and certainly finance their son's youthful interest in painting and travelling.<br/><br> As a young man Edwin Lord Weeks visited the Florida Keys to draw and also travelled to Surinam in South America. His earliest known paintings date from 1867 when Edwin Lord Weeks was eighteen years old. In 1895 he wrote and illustrated a book of travels, From the Black Sea through Persia and India.
Originally built by the French administration in 1889 in the Old Quarter of Hanoi when the city's two main marketplaces, one at Hang Duong Street and the other at Hang Ma Street, were closed. The most recognizable feature of the market was the 5-arch entrance corresponding to Dong Xuan Market's five domes.<br/><br/> Dong Xuan Market has been renovated several times since, the latest in 1994 after a fire almost destroyed the market. Nowadays, Dong Xuan Market is the largest covered market in Hanoi where the wholesale traders sell everything from clothes, household goods to foodstuffs.
Khmer Rouge Leadership: Vorn Vet (1934–1978), born Pen Thuok, was Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy of Democratic Kampuchea (and effectively Brother No 4 or 5) until his arrest in November 1978 on suspicion of treason. He was interrogated and tortured at Tuol Sleng (S-21) before being murdered there, probably in December 1978.
Pack oxen were the prime mode of transport at the time and facilitated trade around Laos, southern China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Burma. Each of the baskets on the packsaddles could carry 20 kg of paddy.
Hanoi is the capital and second-largest city in Vietnam. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political center in the country, but was eclipsed by Hue during the Nguyen Dynasty as the capital of Vietnam. Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina from 1902 to 1954, and from 1954 to 1976, it was the capital of North Vietnam.
For centuries Venice was Europe’s prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century. The city lost some 50,000 people to the Black Death in 1575-77, but remained a major manufacturing center and port well into the 18th century.
Mong Ma is a mountainous area in eastern Shan State situated east of Kengtung, near the Burma-Lao and Burma-China borders, and close to the Mekong River.
The Old Quarter, near Hoan Kiem Lake, consisted of only about 36 streets at the beginning of the 20th century. Each street then had merchants and households specializing in a particular trade, such as silk, jewellery, silversmiths, etc. Most street names in Hanoi's Old Quarter begin 'Hang', meaning 'shop' or 'merchant'. The names still stand to this day. 'Hang Khay' means 'Trays Street' though the majority of merchants sold furniture such as cabinets, chairs and wardrobes. In the 18th century, the French renamed the street 'Rue des Incrusteurs' (Street of Engravers).
Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997) was a Chinese politician, statesman, theorist, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy. While Deng never held office as the head of state, head of government or General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, he nonetheless served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China from 1978 to the early 1990s.
For centuries Venice was Europe’s prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century. The city lost some 50,000 people to the Black Death in 1575-77, but remained a major manufacturing center and port well into the 18th century.
This sketch by Louis Delaporte is one of dozens he drew 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.
Pack oxen were the prime mode of transport at the time and facilitated trade around Laos, southern China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Burma. Each of the baskets on the packsaddles could carry 20 kg of paddy.
The Italian cities of Venice and Genoa dominated trade with the East in the 1300s though they were often at war with each other. Situated on the Adriatic Sea, Venice traded regularly with the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim world extensively.<br/><br/> By the late 13th century, Venice was the most prosperous city in all of Europe. At the peak of its power and wealth, it had 36,000 sailors operating 3,300 ships, dominating Mediterranean commerce. During this time, Venice's leading families vied with each other to build the grandest palaces and support the work of the greatest and most talented artists. Venice's decline was swift though—in between plagues of the Black Death in 1348 and 1575 that devastated the population, Venice was defeated by the Ottoman Turks and lost influence in Constantinople by the 1450s.<br/><br/> After Columbus discovered the New World, new trade routes were established to the East via the Americas, and Venice's monopoly of trade routes via the Arabian Sea was promptly ignored by other European powers.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. Every household had a boat, an estimated 600,000 of which navigated the canals and rivers of Bangkok. Rowing was done from the back of the boat. Most houses were made from wood and bamboo, and were built on stilts with a ladder running to the water.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. A perfect climate, fertile soil and an excellent irrigation system lent to some farmers enjoying three rice harvests a year. Farmers were also able to grow maize, corn, wheat and barley. Other crops include beans, peas, garlic, cauliflower, melons, pumpkin, cabbage, lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, mustard seed, mangoes, oranges, sugar cane, papaya, sago, opium poppies, many spices, coffee, tea, cotton and tobacco.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. Fishermen, too, lived close to or on the rivers and canals. Every household had a boat, an estimated 600,000 of which navigated the canals and rivers of Bangkok. Rowing was done from the back of the boat. Most houses were made from wood and bamboo, and were built on stilts with a ladder running to the water. Corn was mostly grown in the mountainous north of the country, often by ethnic hilltribes peoples.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. Fishermen, too, lived close to or on the rivers and canals. Every household had a boat, an estimated 600,000 of which navigated the canals and rivers of Bangkok. During the reign of King Chulalongkorn (1868—1910), many irrigation projects were ordered, the first of which was the Rangsit Canal in 1890.
Klong Rangsit, or Rangsit Canal, was the first irrigation project in Siam and is located in the eastern part of the Chao Phraya valley in central Thailand. Construction of the canal was ordered by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1890, and was named in honour of his son, Rangsit, Prince of Chainat.
Chiang Mai is often called Thailand’s ‘Rose of the North’, and is the country’s second city and a popular tourist destination due primarily to its mountainous scenery, colourful ethnic hilltribes and their handicrafts.<br/><br/> Founded in 1296 by King Mengrai as the capital of his Lanna kingdom, Chiang Mai was later overrun by Burmese invaders in 1767. The city was then left abandoned between 1776 and 1791.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1774 by an agreement with local prince Chao Kavila, after the Siamese King Taksin helped drive out the Burmese. Chiang Mai then slowly grew in cultural, trading and economic importance.
Chiang Mai, Thailand’s ‘Rose of the North’, is the country’s second city and a popular tourist destination due primarily to its mountainous scenery, colourful ethnic hilltibes and their handicrafts.<br/><br/> Founded in 1296 by King Mengrai as the capital of his Lanna kingdom, Chiang Mai was later overrun by Burmese invaders in 1767. The city was then left abandoned between 1776 and 1791.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1774 by an agreement with local prince Chao Kavila, after the Siamese King Taksin helped drive out the Burmese. Chiang Mai then slowly grew in cultural, trading and economic importance.
Chiang Mai, Thailand’s ‘Rose of the North’, is the country’s second city and a popular tourist destination due primarily to its mountainous scenery, colourful ethnic hilltibes and their handicrafts.<br/><br/> Founded in 1296 by King Mengrai as the capital of his Lanna kingdom, Chiang Mai was later overrun by Burmese invaders in 1767. The city was then left abandoned between 1776 and 1791.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1774 by an agreement with local prince Chao Kavila, after the Siamese King Taksin helped drive out the Burmese. Chiang Mai then slowly grew in cultural, trading and economic importance.
Known to the central Siamese as the Lao States at the turn of the 20th century, the northern region of what is now Thailand was an independent region known as the Lanna kingdom. The main city, Chiang Mai, was built in 1296 by King Mengrai. The city was abandoned in 1776—91 due to Burmese invasions, but became an acknowledged part of Siam around the same time. The north was linked to Bangkok only by river, a journey which could take some six months, until in 1922, a railway was completed which connected Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
Phitsanulok is an ancient city in the lower plains of northern Thailand. It was capital of the Ayutthaya kingdom for 25 years from 1463 after a series of Burmese invasions. Although Phitsanulok is not located far to the north, the people of the region were known to the central Siamese as Lao at the turn of the 20th century.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. Fishermen too lived close to or on the rivers and canals. Every household had a boat, an estimated 600,000 of which navigated the canals and rivers of Bangkok. Rowing was done from the back of the boat. Most houses were made from wood and bamboo, and were built on stilts with a ladder running to the water.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. Fishermen, too, lived close to or on the rivers and canals. Every household had a boat, an estimated 600,000 of which navigated the canals and rivers of Bangkok. During the reign of King Chulalongkorn (1868—1910), many irrigation projects were ordered, the first of which was the Rangsit Canal in 1890.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. Every household had a boat, an estimated 600,000 of which navigated the canals and rivers of Bangkok. Rowing was done from the back of the boat. Most houses were made from wood and bamboo, and were built on stilts with a ladder running to the water.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. Every household had a boat, an estimated 600,000 of which navigated the canals and rivers of Bangkok. Rowing was done from the back of the boat. Most houses were made from wood and bamboo, and were built on stilts with a ladder running to the water.
Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty.<br/><br/> Xi'an is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, having held that position under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history, including the Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang. Xi'an is the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and home to the Terracotta Army.
The earliest mention of Kashgar occurs when a Chinese Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) envoy traveled the Northern Silk Road to explore lands to the west. Another early mention of Kashgar is during the Former Han (also known as the Western Han Dynasty), when in 76 BCE the Chinese conquered the Xiongnu, Yutian (Khotan), Sulei (Kashgar), and a group of states in the Tarim basin almost up to the foot of the Tian Shan mountains.<br/><br/> Ptolemy spoke of Scythia beyond the Imaus, which is in a 'Kasia Regio', probably exhibiting the name from which Kashgar is formed. The country’s people practised Zoroastrianism and Buddhism before the coming of Islam. The celebrated Old Uighur prince Sultan Satuq Bughra Khan converted to Islam late in the 10th century and his Uighur kingdom lasted until 1120 but was distracted by complicated dynastic struggles. The Uighurs employed an alphabet based upon the Syriac and borrowed from the Nestorian, but after converting to Islam widely used also an Arabic script. They spoke a dialect of Turkic preserved in the Kudatku Bilik, a moral treatise composed in 1065.
Originally built by the French administration in 1889 in the Old Quarter of Hanoi when the city's two main marketplaces, one at Hang Duong Street and the other at Hang Ma Street, were closed. The most recognizable feature of the market was the 5-arch entrance corresponding to Dong Xuan Market's five domes.<br/><br/> Dong Xuan Market has been renovated several times since, the latest in 1994 after a fire almost destroyed the market. Nowadays, Dong Xuan Market is the largest covered market in Hanoi where the wholesale traders sell everything from clothes, household goods to foodstuffs.