Guides: Alumni Travel Reading: Mysteries of Myanmar

Wildlife Preservation

Taking a Dip: Bengal Tiger. Image from flickrfavorites | kewlwallpapers. Obtained on flickr with Creative Commons.

Life in the Valley of Death by Alan Rabinowitz
ISBN: 9781597261296
Publication Date: 2007
Life in the Valley of Death describes Alan Rabinowitz's ambitious creation of the world's largest tiger reserve located in the Hukaung Valley of Myanmar, home to one of the largest tiger populations outside of India. Rabinowitz navigates local politics and diplomacy while trying preserve this beloved and endangered species.

Inle Lake

Myanmar - Inle Lake. Image from Marc Veraart. Obtained on flickr with Creative Commons.

Amarapura

Boats on the shore of Thaungthaman Lake in Amarapura. Image by Paul Arps. Obtained on flickr with a Creative Commons license.

Culture & History of Myanmar

Burma/Myanmar by David I. Steinberg
Call Number: JQ751.A58 S84 2013
ISBN: 9780199981687
Publication Date: 2013
Steinberg provides insight into the changes and reforms that haven taken place in Myanmar during the last decade.
Mapping Chinese Rangoon by Jayde Lin Roberts; Charles F. Keyes (Contribution by); Vicente Rafael (Contribution by); Laurie J. Sears (Contribution by)
Call Number: DS530.9.R3 R63 2016
ISBN: 9780295996677
Publication Date: 2016
This text takes a historical approach to exploring multiple aspects of the Sino-Burmese people.

Mysteries of Myanmar

Myanmar Bagan. Image by Roderick Elme. Obtained on flickr with a Creative Commons license.

Bibliographer

Selected and Annotated By:

Kelsey LeClair

Specialist in Classical Studies

Administrative Assistant, Penn Libraries

kleclair @ pobox.upenn.edu

For more information about this Penn excursion, please visit the Penn Alumni Travel website.

Documentaries

Stories from Myanmar

A collection of 18 short documentaries about children in Myanmar, created by young Burmese men and women who were participants in The Art of Documentary Filmmaking Beginners Workshop in 2007 organized by the non-profit organization Yangon Film School.

Please view the video series by using the following link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017.12/1495951

The Mekong region [videorecording] : the soul of Southeast Asia. Deep in the tropical forest / Film Ideas by Ll Jiang, MA Rusheng & Michel Noll present ; a discovery series by Michel Noll
Call Number: DVD 024 208
This first documentary of a series plots the course of the Mekong from its source to its delta. In a succession of spectacular images we see the extraordinary geographical route that the Mekong takes, from the Tibetan plateau, down the mountains of the Yunnan Province in China, then through the tropical valleys and virgin forests of Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand before reaching the green plains of Vietnam. In the tropical forest, nature abounds with wild animal species, rare plants and flowers. In Laos, whole villages still pray to the Gods of Trees while in Thailand a hunter shows how the hunting of Asian elephants for preservation, now forbidden, was practiced." Container label.

Burmese Folk Music

Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images. A young boy playing a Burmese harp. Process print. Published.

Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution-only license CC BY 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons.

Sounds of the Burmese Harp

Listen to the sounds of the Burmese Harp from our music archives. This folk music album is played by the Hsaing Waing Orchestra.

Myanmar [electronic resource]: Music by the Hsaing Waing Orchestra in a Smithsonian Recording

Penn ID holders may stream the album here: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017.12/162741

Architecture

Indein Temple Ruins: Indein, Shan State, Myanmar. Image from ReflectedSerendipity. Obtained on flickr with Creative Commons.

Myanmar architecture : cities of gold by text by Ma Thanegi ; photographs by Barry Broman.
Call Number: NA1512 .T43 2013
Publication Date: 2013
In Myanmar Architecture, explore color photographs and chapters rich in the history of temples ruins, royal cities, and ancient customs of Myanmar. Uncover the traditions that dictate details in palace design, construction, and decoration, as well as in places of worship and ordinary homes; and how colonial influence shaped the design of modern Myanmar cities.
The Golden Lands by Vikram Lall
Call Number: NA6011 .L35 2014
ISBN: 0789211947
Publication Date: 2014
Over the course of its 2,500-year history, Buddhism has found expression in countless architectural forms, from the great monastic complexes of ancient India to the fortified dzongs of Bhutan, the rock-carved temple grottoes of China, the wooden shrines of Japan, and the colorful wats of Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. The first volume in a six-part series, The Golden Lands, is devoted to Southeast Asia, home to many of the most spectacular Buddhist monuments. Following a general introduction to the early history of Buddhism and its most characteristic architectural forms (the stupa, the temple, and the monastery), Lall examines the Buddhist architecture of Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. From the publisher.

Buddhist Art

Buddhist Art of Myanmar by Sylvia Fraser-Lu (Editor); Donald M. Stadtner (Editor); U. Tun Aung Chain (Contribution by); Jacques Leider (Contribution by); Patrick Pranke (Contribution by); Robert Brown (Contribution by); Heidi Tan (Contribution by); Adriana Proser (Contribution by)
Call Number: N7312 .B83 2015
ISBN: 9780300209457
Publication Date: 2015
Since the 5th century, the practice of Buddhism in Myanmar has produced an array of dazzling objects and architecture. This publication showcases Buddhist works of art from museums both the United States and Myanmar itself, many of which have never before been seen outside of the country. Selected authors describe artistic styles from around the country and how they convey Buddhist narratives.

Yangon

Yangon Street. Image by Waldemar Merger. Obtained on flickr with Creative Commons.