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An Introduction to Myanmar
Len Gao
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7
 A
lone horse cart awaits for arrival passengers at Pyin U Lwin train
station. Once known, and still known to many, as Maymyo (May Town) after
the British Colonel May, the town plays an important military role in
contemporary Myanmar history. Formally turned into a British hill station
in 1896, it became a stronghold of British influence in central Burma.
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 After
the evacuation of Rangoon during the World War II, the British's seat of
government house settled in Maymyo. It was here in 1942, General Hutton
was replaced by General Alexander as supreme commander of the British
force in Burma, due to the repeated loss of battle to the Japanese force.
A joined meeting among generals from the UK, the US and China was held to
stop the Japanese advance. However, the effort of the fragile alliance was
soon proven to be futile, as the incompetence of the commanders, the
mistrust and superficial friendship among allies, as well as the
selfishness on each side superseded co-ordinations and morale. The
imperial Japanese army marched into the heart of the country like
unstoppable flood. The battered British army pulled back westward to
India. The Chinese Expedition Force, however, was blocked in the east
front, and forced into the wild jungle north of Myitkiyna. Tens of
thousands died from hunger and tropical illness. By then, the Japanese had
virtually seized the country and even issued Japanese Imperial Rupees as
the legal currency. |
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Decades of the British rule created a landscape like
Cotswolds. Until recently, these colonial houses had been shared by
multiple families and severely lack of maintenance. However, more and more
of them now have been renovated for luxury hotels, or sold to the wealthy
Chinese merchants who made a fortune from cross-border trade.
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 It
is unsure that exactly when and how this type of horse cart seemingly
emerged from classical stories had become a standard mode of
transportation in Pyin U Lwin. One only knows that they can be found
nowhere else in Burma. |
 Following
their traditions, the people of Pyin U Lwin continue to construct their
buildings in European style like this fashion shop on the main street. |
Next Page:
Artistic
(black-and-white)
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