WONDERS OF RANGOON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24861, 10 March 1942, Page 6

WONDERS OF RANGOON

UNFORGETTABLE PICTURES MANY MAGNIFICENT SHRINES MODERN COMMERCIAL PORT Visiting Rangoon for the first time you can Hardly believe you are looking at an Oriental city, as you gaze at all the modern buildings facing the river while your ship makes her way slowly to one of the many fine wharves which line the shore, says May L. Byron in an article in the B.P. Magazine. As you drive around the city you will find many more splendid buildings but none that will command attention more than Rangoon's City Hall. Oriental decoration—Burmese, you suppose—blended with modern European architecture! You have to admit that in this magnificent structure both are combined in perfect harmony. The carving is the work of skilled Burmese artists, some of whom excel in their carved ornaments of ivory, silver and wood. You must not fail to visit Rangoon's carving centre. There too, you will find carved figures such as those you see in the decorations of the City Hall. They represent mythical animals of Burmese legend, such as the peacock, which is Burma's national emblem. Famous Pagoda Within walking distance of the City Hall you will come to a handsome pagoda, which stands in the heart of Rangoon's business centre. It is the Sulay Pagoda, famous for a Nat or spirit that gives rewards for work well done. You cannot, see the great Shwe Da Gon Pagoda from here. come to it as you drive to the Royal Lakes, most delightful of Rangoon's scenic charms. You will only be able to look at the Shwe a Gon from your car. unless you are willing to take off your shoes and stockings, for in recent years the Burmans have prohibited "foot-wearing" in their shrines. Most American tourists obey this order but take the precaution of putting straps of sticking-plaster under the soles of their feet for hygienic reasons. The-" can then climb up the 400odd steps that lead to the huge platform encircling the pagoda and take a closer look at the many shrines and wonderful specimens of carving. It gives you, too, a better idea of the great height and massive brickwork of the pagoda itself, and you can see the gleam of the precious gems which form part of the little umbrella-like ornament that crowns the oldest Buddhist shrine in Asia. These gems are said to be worth fully £SOOO, and are the gifts of wealthy Buddhists throughout the land. From the Shwe Da Gon Pagoda to the Royal Lakes is but a few minutes' drive, but it takes about half an houi to traverse the whole distance around this beautiful, palm-fringed expanse of water. If you happen to be xhere at the sunset hour, go to its Scandal Point, and there you will see one of the- most unforgettable pictures of your whole sight-seeing tour round the city, for at this point the great Shwe Da Gon Pagoda stands reflected in the extravagantly sun-kissed waters of the lake and is framed in allots majestic beauty. Two of Rangoon's most famous clubs are built by the waters of these lakes, and at the annual regatta competitions between the boating members of the two clubs are keenly contested.

Charm of Residential Area

The cantonments where the troops are housed and the golf clubs lie farther out, and these, with another expanse of water known as the Victoria Lake, contribute greatly to the. charm of Rangoon's suburbs. The residential area extends beyond the city's business centre,, and the attractive homes of Europeans and the wealthy Burmese, Indian and Chinese residents are large and cool and surrounded by beautiful gardens. It is only when you are sailing awav from Rangoon that you realise that, beyond the timber and the rice mills, you. have not seen many factories or manufacturing centres. Rangoon is. first of all, a port, and is more commercial than industrial. It is also the legislative capital and the financial hub of Burma. To-day it rises in even greater importance because it is the only outlet for China's export and import, trade. , It is connected with the Chines* frontier by the now famous Burma road and by air services which run bi-weekly between Rangoon and Chungking. The trip by air takes only seven hours, while the journey by road, or by rail, to Lashio and then on to the frontier and Kunming takes flve o days, and from there to Chungking another two days.