China, Europe and the Netherlands: Opportunity Is Knocking at Our Doors

Apr. 2015 
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老挝的初等教育在共和国成立后有较大发展，
但仍处于落后状态，主要问题是教学质量低，
许多地方还没有完全小学，只有一、二年级。
Lanterns made from Lao Sa paper
A child appreciates her mother's brocade in a well-known northern Lao weaving village.
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  Apr. 2015
Photo Story
图片故事
Lao brocade
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Apr. 2015 
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Lao paper umbrellas
In a Lao weaving village, stalls selling brocade are everywhere.
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Apr. 2015 
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 A Laotian wood carver uses a pre-prepared template to carve a pattern onto the wood piece.
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090 
  Apr. 2015
It is possible to enter Cambodia directly from 
Laos. I took an overnight coach and ferry before 
transferring to a minibus which took me into Cam-
bodia, and then hired a car to cover the length and 
breadth of the country. On this journey there were 
three groups of women who left indelible marks 
on my mind the girls with their heavy make-up 
and dancing figures, the elderly nuns, dressed all 
in white as they walked through temples, and the 
ethereal crowned, shapely bodied devatas which 
inhabit the sculptures at Angkor Wat.
Young dancers decorate themselves with colors 
of every hue over their bodies; nuns display their re-
nunciation of the everyday world with their simple 
white robes; and the devatas, transparent, shape-
ly yet without color, attach themselves to stone, 
wood, a flower or a leaf, and take on their color. 
Of Cambodia’s handicrafts, the most common are 
stone sculptures and wood carvings of Aditi. Since 
ancient times, local craftsmen have specialized in 
stone sculptures, and bas relief in particular; the 
structures of the Angkor Wat complex are a superb 
example of their work.
The material for these sculptures is a grey sand-
stone particular to the region, characterized by its 
soft texture, low density, light weight, and by the 
ease with which it can be carved and transported. 
Its main disadvantage is its coarse grain, which 
makes it unsuitable for working with fine tools, 
which are easily worn down. This is the reason why 
none of the devatas that we encounter at Angkor 
Wat are fine-limbed. Over the years, their features 
have become worn away, making them gorgeously 
soft and attractive. I looked in detail at the traces of 
their facial features, crowns, robes and neck orna-
ments, and regretted the fact that time, as it wore 
away their detail, has also worn away the skills of 
their master craftsmen  leaving only an empty space 
in your imagination.
This empty space was only filled when I reached 
the Banteay Srei. The sandstone of this temple is 
red in color, and is only used within this small area. 
It has a harder texture than its grey counterpart and 
this allowed me to glimpse the apotheosis of Cam-
bodian craftsmanship in the building’s bas relief, 
high-relief and hollow carved pieces.
Their softly sensual beauty embodying the aes-
thetic orientation of the master craftsmen, albeit 
scarred by time. They come as close as possible to 
resembling Aditi which their creators would have 
seen at Angkor Wat. Of course, they are also the fo-
cus of tourists , and stalls all around sell loads of the 
sandstone bas-relief pieces which I had bought at 
the handicraft shop: Buddha,  dancing apsaras, the 
protector deities of Buddhist law of the Ramayana, 
miniatures of the five pagodas of Angkor Wat..The 
craftsmen stack them outdoors, exposing them to 
the sun and rain,  and only once they have accumu-
lated sufficient natural damage are they taken to 
market, and placed on sale.
Dancing devatas in a bas-relief at Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Cambodia’s 
Sandstone 
Sculptures
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Apr. 2015 
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Young dancers
Two elderly nuns dressed all in white as they walked through the temple.
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  Apr. 2015
The Banteay Srei in the Angkor Wat complex. It exquisitely carved stone pieces are often referred to as the pinnacle of the Cambodian stone carving art.
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Apr. 2015 
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Cambodia's omnipresent devatas
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094 
  Apr. 2015
Thai Pra Kruang
T
hailand faces the sea to the Southeast, and 
is bordered by  Myanmar, Cambodia and 
Laos. A member of a group once known as 
the Asian Dragons, the country is world-famous 
for its tourism. Thanks to effective economic as-
sistance and the support of its royal family, the 
development of the nation’s handicrafts is second 
to none along the Mekong River Basin. Thailand is 
well known for its colorful silk products, exquisite 
lacquer ware, hand-painted paper umbrellas, wood 
crafts, embossed silver, bamboo, rattan and even its 
high-quality porcelain, wood carvings, embroider-
ing or jewelry.
Maybe it is because they are so compelling, so 
unique, that I find that I cannot do them justice in 
words. I mulled it over, and decided to write about 
an exquisite piece of craftsmanship which is rarely 
found in night markets and handicraft markets, but 
which nevertheless best conveys the Thai spiritual 
realm – the Pra Kruang.
Pra Kruang are small Buddha statues which are 
used to ward off misfortune, and are considered 
talismans, worthy of prayer and worship. They are 
an object of religious devotion very similar indeed 
to the Tsa Tsa which Bazan gave me in Tibet. The 
main religion in the nations of the Mekong River 
Basin is Buddhism. Except for Vietnam, Hinayana 
Buddhism is the norm, while the Thevarada branch 
prevails on the Tibetan plateau.
Their religious meaning aside, I would like to 
mention their craftsmanship. Although Pra Kruang 
are produced in molds, the crafting of these molds 
Photo Story
Tiny ancient Pra Kruang made of clay or ceramic
Thai brocade
Buddhas in a Thai temple
T
hailand faces the sea to the Southeast, and 
is bordered by  Myanmar, Cambodia and 
Laos. A member of a group once known as 
the Asian Dragons, the country is world-famous 
for its tourism. Thanks to effective economic as-
sistance and the support of its royal family, the 
development of the nation’s handicrafts is second 
to none along the Mekong River Basin. Thailand is 
well known for its colorful silk products, exquisite 
lacquer ware, hand-painted paper umbrellas, wood 
crafts, embossed silver, bamboo, rattan and even its 
high-quality porcelain, wood carvings, embroider-
ing or jewelry.
Maybe it is because they are so compelling, so 
unique, that I find that I cannot do them justice in 
words. I mulled it over, and decided to write about 
an exquisite piece of craftsmanship which is rarely 
found in night markets and handicraft markets, but 
which nevertheless best conveys the Thai spiritual 
realm – the Pra Kruang.
Pra Kruang are small Buddha statues which are 
used to ward off misfortune, and are considered 
talismans, worthy of prayer and worship. They are 
an object of religious devotion very similar indeed 
to the Tsa Tsa which Bazan gave me in Tibet. The 
main religion in the nations of the Mekong River 
Basin is Buddhism. Except for Vietnam, Hinayana 
Buddhism is the norm, while the Thevarada branch 
prevails on the Tibetan plateau.
Their religious meaning aside, I would like to 
mention their craftsmanship. Although Pra Kruang 
are produced in molds, the crafting of these molds
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