Unleash the Forgotten Glimmer

The Shwedagon Pagoda is the most sacred Buddhist stupa in Myanmar. Situated in the center of Yangon, it was built over 2,600 years ago, making it the oldest Buddhist stupa in the world. It was made of bricks, yet covered with gold plates, and adorned with a crowning umbrella encrusted with diamonds.

Following the tradition when the Queen Shin Sawbu donated gold to the pagoda, the Buddhist devotees followed suit. Over 90% of Burmese are Hinayana Buddhists, who focus on individual salvation through meditation, in contrast to the Mahayana, who highlight the universal liberation of suffering for all beings.

Not only does the golden pagoda light up the city, but the history also has a strong appeal. While the Independence Monument in the Maha Bandula Park commemorates the end of British colonial rule, the Toungoo Dynasty was once the most powerful Burmese kingdoms, conquering Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.

While it was ruled by a military dictatorship for half a decade, the opposition National League for Democracy won the election in 2015. Citizens have enjoyed freedom of press. In our study tour, we visited the Frontier Myanmar and the Myanmar Golden Phoenix, the English and Chinese news publications respectively.

Since it was a reporting trip, we have to do some news coverage as well. To my surprise, Burmese were willing to share their opinion with journalists. For example, the traditional longyi; the thanaka, as a beauty aid to prevent wrinkles and sunburn; and the Yangon Bus Service, as a way to solve the traffic problem.

What made us disappointed was the inland water transport. Taking the ferry from Dala to Pansodan allowed us to catch the sunset. Some locals shared their daily life with us. Yet, they charged us extra fee as if they were our tour guides, when we got off the ferry. So unlucky to wrap it up with this tourist trap.