Alumni Travel Reading: Mysteries of Myanmar

Steinberg provides insight into the changes and reforms that haven taken place in Myanmar during the last decade.

This text takes a historical approach to exploring multiple aspects of the Sino-Burmese people.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.