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Pearls of the Orient II
7oo pages of legend & myth, history, poetry & prose, photo essays & humor from Central, East & Southeast Asia. Includes 77 pieces from India, China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bali, Laos, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Mongolia, Korea & Russia. Myths & legends - Bali’s Basakih Dragon & the battle for end times; construction of the Great Wall at Xifeng Kou & Jiayu Guan; the centuries of secrets built into Bagan’s temples; & the Chinese Buddhist princess turned angel turned goddess of mercy, Guan Yin. More than 2oo images & photo essays including - Hanoi’s Old Quarter, then-&-now; the Strings of Yangon; Khmer Hindu stone carvings; the Buddhist Face of Cambodia; Shanghai’s fast-racing skyline; & Bali’s sacred Canang Sari offering baskets. Humorous takes – on Lao Vowels; Stolen Russian Tetris letters; the Voluptuous Burmese Alphabet; what’s become of Hanoi’s oldest streets; Southeast Asian cockfighting; & Tiger Balm, for what ails you. Reflections on women & religion – or how arranging flowers & folding leaves, offering food, donning humble cover & singing can bring a woman closer to heaven – from Hindu Bali & Buddhist Laos, street scenes in Muslim lands; & Roman Catholic Filipina transplants in Hong Kong. Essays & poems & photos on Building Projects across Asia, both then & now – from the origins of the Great Wall; to Bagan’s eclectic continental temple architecture; to Angkor Wat & the Khmer Empire; to the futuristic ambitions of modern Kuala Lumpur & Taipei, western Asia & China; & the peaks of Shanghai - SH - aka Skyscraper Heaven. Short bio pieces on some of Asia’s greatest men & women – including King Anawrahta & King Jayavarman; Japanese Sumo wrestlers; sales vendors on KL’s Pasarama Kota Road; the Chinese princess Miao Shan & the Buddha.
866 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 21, 2020
1 person want to read
About the author
Willy Thorn
34 books3 followersWilly Thorn is a journalist & copywriter, teacher, author & artist.
He has published more than 30 books & plays & proudly notes a Master’s Degree from Marquette University & books in Washington's Library of Congress & the Vatican Archives in Rome.
His Milwaukee-centric column of sports prose [‘Run of the Mil’] can be found at Milticket.blogspot.com
Thorn’s writing background includes a Masters Degree in Journalism & more than 300 published articles & reviews. He has reported from both an NFL locker room & the Rose Garden & also has a specialization in the visual & performing arts.
As a copywriter & creative, his work for Coca-Cola during CNY in China was aimed at an audience of more than 800 million & his television commercials for Princess Cruises played in a media market of more than 25 million.
Other media endeavors include work as an international wire editor & magazine editor, public relations campaigns, lecturing & academic publication, ghostwritten biographies, art studio teaching & arts criticism, & time on the radio — as a DJ & on-air host, play-by-play sports announcer & music promoter.
He has won awards at Cannes Lions & been recognized for sports writing & political columns, magazine features, theatre scripts, religious publications & photography.
His artistic C.V. includes classical oil painting training at the Corcoran in Washington, DC; photography gallery shows; sculpting in Mamallapuram, India; concrete statuary in Luang Prabang, Laos; flower petal mosaics in Cagli, Italy; & documenting temple architecture.
Thorn is also a Buddhist meditation instructor & graduate of Thailand’s renowned Willpower Institute. He was the rare foreigner to complete the entire six month course in spoken & written Thai & he currently sits as an advisor on the institute’s English Foreign Language subcommittee – where he translates books, helps develop outreach programs & occasionally lectures.
He was born in Milwaukee, raised in Rome & lives in Bangkok.
He has published more than 30 books & plays & proudly notes a Master’s Degree from Marquette University & books in Washington's Library of Congress & the Vatican Archives in Rome.
His Milwaukee-centric column of sports prose [‘Run of the Mil’] can be found at Milticket.blogspot.com
Thorn’s writing background includes a Masters Degree in Journalism & more than 300 published articles & reviews. He has reported from both an NFL locker room & the Rose Garden & also has a specialization in the visual & performing arts.
As a copywriter & creative, his work for Coca-Cola during CNY in China was aimed at an audience of more than 800 million & his television commercials for Princess Cruises played in a media market of more than 25 million.
Other media endeavors include work as an international wire editor & magazine editor, public relations campaigns, lecturing & academic publication, ghostwritten biographies, art studio teaching & arts criticism, & time on the radio — as a DJ & on-air host, play-by-play sports announcer & music promoter.
He has won awards at Cannes Lions & been recognized for sports writing & political columns, magazine features, theatre scripts, religious publications & photography.
His artistic C.V. includes classical oil painting training at the Corcoran in Washington, DC; photography gallery shows; sculpting in Mamallapuram, India; concrete statuary in Luang Prabang, Laos; flower petal mosaics in Cagli, Italy; & documenting temple architecture.
Thorn is also a Buddhist meditation instructor & graduate of Thailand’s renowned Willpower Institute. He was the rare foreigner to complete the entire six month course in spoken & written Thai & he currently sits as an advisor on the institute’s English Foreign Language subcommittee – where he translates books, helps develop outreach programs & occasionally lectures.
He was born in Milwaukee, raised in Rome & lives in Bangkok.
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