YangonYangon originated as a small fishing village known as Dagon. King Alaungpaya renamed it as Yangon which means "end of strife", in 1755 to commemorate his conquest of Lower Myanmar and the additional of the region to the Myanmar Empire. Even as a small village Yangon was a place of great religious significant for Myanmar, as it has long been the site of the Shwedagon Pagoda, which rests on top of Sanguttara Hill. Legend says that the Shwedagon Pagoda was built during the lifetime of Gautama Buddha, after he give eight of his hairs to two traveling merchant brothers to take back to Myanmar. Upon their return they presented the holy relics to King Okkalapa, who built a pagoda to enshrine them. According to the stay, the Sanguttata Hill site was chosen by the guardian of Sule Pagoda, which already existed at the time. Just two years short of a century after Alaungpaya renamed the town in 1755, the colonial British took over the delta region, including Yangon, which they pronounced and spelt as Rangoon. The British turned it into a port city and made it their capital. Yangon changed at a rapid pace thorough the year of British rule as the swampy load in the area was filled in and elegant colonial-style buildings were constructed. The small, octagonal Sule Pagoda, which had once stood far beyond the protective walls built by King Alaungpaya on a spur of laterite rock surrounded by marshland, became the center-point of the city from which a network of new streets radiated. After the British colonized the whole country in 1885, the city became the true hub of the country, bustling with financial activity and hopeful immigrants. In the park near Sule Pagoda, the Independence Monument now stands as a beacon of hope for the people of Myanmar as it commemorated the winning of independence in 1948. Today Yangon Yangon is now a modern metropolis set like a green jewel in country enjoying an increasing numbers of tourist visits. The Garden city of Yangon still maintains its colonial charm with wide. three-lined avenues, tranquillakes and gracious turn-of-the-last century architecture. It is home to one of the ancient wonders of the world, the Shwedagon Pagoda, a 320-food-high golden stupa that rises majestically over the city like a beacon of glory. One of the first things visitors will notice is that Yangon possesses the vibrancy typical of many Asian cities but manages to retain an old-world charm and cultural distinction that seats it apart from any other urban area in the world. Tall pagodas share the skyline with colonial-era buildings and modern high-rises. Vendors sell electronics alongside traditional fabrics on tree-lined sidewalks, while cars and buses view for space in the streets which bicycles and trishaws. Young men play the distinctly Southeast Asian game of chinlon outside internet cafés, where other youngsters use the latest technology to keep in touch with the rest of the world. The curious mix is apparent in nearly all aspects of the city. Gleaming hotels offer all the amenities and conveniences that contemporary travelers have come to except, yet the staff pamper guests with traditional hospitality that is becoming increasingly difficult to fond in many other parts of the fast-paced world. |
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