The Trouser People: A Story of Burma in the Shadow of the Empire

by Andrew Marshall

Andrew Marshall has written an unforgettable adventure story, the wry account of two journeys into the untraveled heart of Burma. Part travelogue, part history, part reportage, The Trouser People recounts the story of George Scott, the eccentric British explorer, photographer, adventurer, and later Colonial Administrator of Burma, who introduced the Empire's best game (soccer!) to Burmese natives and to the forbidden Wa state of headhunters, who were similarly enthusiastic about it. The second, contrasting journey is Marshall's own, taking the same dangerous path one hundred years later in a country now devastated by colonial incompetence, war, and totalitarianism. Wonderfully observed, mordantly funny, and skillfully recounted, this is journalistic travel writing at its best.

Genres: History, Travel, Nonfiction, Asia, Biography Memoir

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Andrew Marshall (born 1967) is a British journalist living in Bangkok, Thailand, who specializes in Asian topics.

Reviews

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon The Trouser People in 2019, while scavenging for postcolonial narratives that blend history with travel. What I found instead was a strange, brilliant cocktail: Kiplingesque nostalgia spiked with modern journalism. Marshall's book isn’t just about Burma; it’s about how empires leave behind ghosts in polyester trousers.

The narrative waltzes between two timelines—Sir George Scott, the Victorian officer who brought football and the Union Jack to hill tribes, and Marshall himself, trying to retrace Scott’s footsteps a century later in junta-ruled Myanmar. That structural duality is what sold me. It’s like reading history through a funhouse mirror.

Scott is no straightforward villain, which confused me at first. He’s charismatic, paternal, colonial in a very British way—driven, racist, oddly endearing. Marshall, in contrast, is a 21st-century interloper wrestling with the same land and its trauma but without the swagger. What emerges is a layered portrait of Burma: exploited, exoticised, and astonishingly resilient.

I read this while planning a lecture series on colonial footprints in South Asia. The irony was palpable—here was a man in trousers (again!) writing about a man in trousers who brought trousers to a land that never asked for them.

In the end, Marshall’s wit, honesty, and refusal to simplify made this more than travel writing. It was a mournful, funny, sharply observant elegy for a land—and legacy—crumpled under too many boots.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Afraid I'm bailing on this one halfway through. The first part concerning Burmese history and associated travel narrative was fine. The second consists of visits to various minority tribe areas, and their oppression by the national government, which just isn't holding my interest enough to go on.

[Hazel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Note: I can only speak for the first third of this book, because I stopped reading there.

I enjoy discovering interesting facts about other cultures, and a book discussing Myanmar/Burma, a place I know very little about, seemed pretty promising. The Trouser People had facts. Lots of facts. But it didn't offer me anything else: It read like a collection of trivia, loosely organized along the author's journeys through the country.

The book was dry. It entirely lacked passion or emotion. Even the jokes (which were plentiful) were dry. I guess that's the British way, which makes sense since the author's an Englishman.

And that leads me to the final complaint I had about the book. This one's my fault entirely: I didn't read the title carefully enough. The book's not really about Burma at all. Burma's more a case study, really, about the colonial influence the British had over the world, and how their former colonies have changed in the years since achieving independence. "Trouser People" are apparently what the Burmese called Europeans. If I had been aware what the book was actually about before starting perhaps I would have given it a fighting chance.

I don't like giving up on books. Perhaps someday, in a moment of weakness, I'll pick this one up again and find out that it wasn't so bad after all. But for now, I put it in the pile and move on to something more interesting.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Burma (and its new name Myanmar) is a very isolated and secretive country thanks to its military dictatorship. The dictatorship controls every facet of life there and the only group who live well are of course the military. Andrew Marshall decided, that despite the restrictions and possible problems, he would like to try and emulate the trip that Sir George Scott had ventured on in Burma in the late 1800's.
Very much a type of travel guide and travel experience, it varied, in my opinion, from being a very interesting account of the life and struggles of the Burmese people, through to at times, a rather bland page filler. It had been recommended to me as a useful book to read about Burma. I don't think that I would say the same to someoone else. An insight of life there yes, but I am sure there are better accounts elsewhere.

[Bob Schmitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about the history and present conditions of Myanmar. The author walks in the footsteps of a Scotsman, Sir J George Scott, an explorer, mapmaker, ethnographer and British administrator in Burma during the late 1800’s. Marshall blends the stories of Scott's adventures, with Burmese history and his own travels modern day (2002) travels. It is a fascinating story of the history, politics and ethnography of Myanmar.

Scott spent much of his time among the Shan States among the hill tribes of Burma where isolated fiefdoms developed myriad languages and customs and is the source in history and today of much of the strife in Burma. Scott wrote a masterpiece “The Burman” in 1882 which is still in print today and is the authority on the Burmese of that time. He also introduced soccer to the country where it took on rapidly because the Burmese felt it was “just like fighting.” The Burmese had grown up with “chinlon” a volleyball like game using only the hands and feet and adapted to soccer quickly and it gave them an opportunity to thrash the imperialist British at their own game. The author observed a modern soccer game and noted that 13 yellow cards were given and 5 people thrown out apparently about average for a Burmese game. Soccer is one of the few places where the fans can scream obscenities and all the better if any of the ruling generals are in the crowd.

In 1878 King Thibaw at age 19 ascended to the Burmese throne whereupon 80 of his relatives were put in sacks and clubbed to death to eliminate rivals while an orchestra played to drown out their screams. Later he slaughters 300 prisoners and buries their bodies around the palace walls where they are rooted up by the 1000 pigs that his father had fed and then released in the city as an offering to the gods. Scott visited Thibaw’s court and the author travels to Mandalay to visit with the kings grandson, Taw Paya, who supports himself in the jade trade and mentiones that the former royal family still talk in a court language that no one else can understand.

The author uses colorful imagery for Myanmar's roads and vehicles: a truck engine sounding like “a washing machine full of aircraft wreckage,” a road is covered with “scabs of tarmac left over from colonial times,” a gear box is “weeping for mercy” as a truck “clawed its way” up a mountain and a Land Cruiser is reduced to a “box of whimpering spare parts.”

The author describes the genocide carried out by the military regime among the hill tribes in the north of the country and suggested that Aung Sun Suu Kyi would be the person to stop this. Now we know that is not the case. Murder, rape, burning of villages and evacuations of entire areas of the country were practiced by the Burmese military in the 1990’s sending hundreds of thousands of refugees into Thailand. Most of these practices were used by the British military in their attempt to pacify Upper Burma a century earlier.

Herbert Hoover partly made his fortune in Burmese silver.

The author describes how some of the Shan states in Northern Burma have, with the tacit approval of the Burmese military government, become narco-states based on opium and more recently methamphetamine. These areas have their own police forces and no Burmese soldiers. The currency is often Chinese and gambling and prostitution are prevalent with busloads of Chinese coming in each day.

At the end of the story The author goes into the area of the Wa, a fierce formerly head hunting tribe now in the narco business in search of a lake that was supposed to be where the tadpoles that developed in to the Wa people lived. He eventually finds it.

I learned a lot of new words in this book:
Wallahs (a person concerned or involved with a specified thing or business),
Jaggery, (a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugarconsumed in Asia)
Dacoit, (a Burmese bandit)
Bespoke (custom made)
Claymore (a two-edged broadsword used by Scottish Highlanders)
Pariah kites (a scavenger kite (Milvus migrans govinda) of India)
Aubade (a poem or piece of music appropriate to the dawn or early morning)
Embrocation (a liquid used for rubbing on the body to relieve pain from sprains and strains)
Sepoy (a native soldier, usually an infantryman)
Hoardings (British for billboard)
Shikho, or gadaw (kneeling with hands together and head on floor to a superior)
Treacle (British for molasses)

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by recounting the journey of Sir George Scott starting in the 1880's, Andrew Marshall revisits many of the same areas and finds: minimal cultural changes, traces of Scott's influence, and a city run by a drug lord. Interesting read, gives one perspective to the country before setting foot there. Worth a read if you're planning a trip there.

Some excepts:
* Useful phrases with western equivalents: "To play a harp for a water buffalo" is "to throw pearls before swine." To "praise the pickling of your own fish" was to "blow your own trumpet." To "bask in someone else's glory" was to "lean on the sacred white elephant and suck sugar cane." Most humorously is this one without an english equivalent, which is to be used at times when a man is sitting in such a way that his sarong was gaping open: "Excuse me sir, but I see your deportment store is open even on weekends." p137

* Cultural groups included the Intha, or 'Children of the Lake,' surrounding Inle lake who had "the curious ability to row with one leg while standing stork ilk eon the other. This freed up their hands to cast a fishing net, and to gesture furiously at passing tourist boats which frightened away the fish." Also the Padaung women (giraffe women or long-necks) were known for the heavy brass rings they wore around their throats. p146. In Thailand there were 'long neck villages,' where not Kayan women, but Karenni refugees (driven out by the military) wore these neck rings in Yawnghwe freak shows. Additionally there were Karen, Kachin, Palaung, Arakanese, Shan, Pa-O, Chin, Mon and Wa minority groups that had fought for decades with the Burmese military. p152

* Scott wrote a massive 5-volume gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan States, which chronicled in great detail the people and cultures of that part of the Empire. It is interesting to think how "the Empire was not won just by force of arms, but also by sheer tonnage of paperwork… Scott's Gazetter records every man, woman, child, bullock, buffalo, cow, pig and pony in the Shan states, along with the geography, ethnicity and chief produce of even the tiniest village."

* During an expedition, Scott writes about the cannabalizing Wa as 'very extraordinary people.' Elaborating: "heads are not lopped off for mere wantonness, but as a sort of auto da fé, or at any rate on mistaken agricultural theories…. The cutting off of heads inevitably tempers esteem, and the amount they drink and the extent to which they neglect to wash, tend to create dislike, but otherwise their qualities command approval." (Reading these historical accounts are shockingly straightforward and punchy).

* Probably my favorite is the description of Mongla, a city of the Burmese regime regarded as a model development and possessing wise government that thoroughly eradicated drug production such as heroin and E. (In fact it was a city run by drug lords such as Lin Mingxian who built all the great infrastructure such as street lights, reliable electricity, and paved roads.) This city, nestled on the border with China, is a bizarre derivative of Los Vegas as filtered through to the minds of drug lords who cannot travel but instead view the world through satellite TV with hundreds of channels. "They have bars, casinos, whorehouses; then ladyboy cabarets, Russian girlie shows, and a circus arena to pester rare and magnificent animals in. [They] toy with plans for a school and a hospital, but forget about the court and the jailhouse, since justice is summary and executions are carried out in the marketplace. Then throw up a temple and a museum to dignify it all, and get the UN to light everything." Chinese tourists pour in, including elderly chinese who gawk at the hedonistic sights. The author's friend in Yunnan refers to Mongla as 'zhongguo de gangmen', meaning 'the anus of China.' p223

[Ellis Amdur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable travelogue and history book, with a heart of outrage. Marshall recovers the history of one of the great Victorian adventurer/imperialists, the five-foot- and-a-little George Scott, who brought the Shan States and other tribal areas into modern Burma, introduced soccer, and explored some of the most exotic (to us) peoples on earth. Scott was an example of what Jack London called “the inevitable white man,” so convinced of his own rectitude and superiority that he carried whole nations into the English empire single-handed. He had a life that, if nothing else, is a testimony of the charisma of absolute certitude coupled with bravery. Marshall chronicles his own travels through modern Burma, a typical example of the modern English travel writer, one who no longer builds empires, but delights not only in all he sees, but also the discomforts he encounters on the way. His portrayals of modern “tribal” peoples are contrasted with the way they were 100 years ago during Scott’s time.

This book is, however, not merely a lighthearted travelogue. It is also an indictment of the Burmese government and army, who have turned the entire country in a narcoterrorist kleptocracy, supplying the bulk of the world’s heroin, a large amount of Asia’s methamphetamine, and genocidal ethnic cleansing. One general, when asked about the tribal peoples at a party, is quoted as saying, “The only thing I know about them is how to kill them.” Above all else, it illustrates how a government, with enough time (four years training per boy) and power can turn 400,000 of it’s own nation’s youth into trained killers of their own people.

[Ted Gault · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and found that there were some unique observations about colonial and post-colonial Burma that I had not encountered before. It was very readable and I enjoyed learning about the swashbuckling adventures of George Scott and the British colonial experience in general.

That said, I was a very surprised that Senior General Than Shwe was not mentioned AT ALL in this book. Shwe was the top general and defacto leader of Burma from the early 1990s to 2011, not Khin Nyunt. While Khin Nyunt was indeed a very influential figure, at best he was a somewhat equal partner of Than Shwe. I've read a dozen books on Burma/Myanmar and never seen Khin Nyunt listed as the key figure. It should also be noted that Khin Nyunt was purged from the regime several years after this book was published, showing further weakness. Perhaps the view inside Burma is different, although when I traveled there in 2008 Than Shwe was considered the long-time leader. Still, I don't know how Marshall managed to research this book without coming across Than Shwe's name and this gives me reason to worry about his other assertions.

Also, his view of the military is not very nuanced. It's a shame that Marshall aimed to take an extremely complicated history and political situation and sum it down to a black and white, evil (military) vs. good (everyone else) narrative.

[Subvert · Rating 4 out of 5]

My plan for travelling Burma last month was to simultaneously travel and read about Burma. This was the first I read and also my favourite. I finished in my first three days, while mostly hanging out in the teashops in Rangoon. I ended up visiting pretty much all the described places except for Mongla and the 'inaccessible' parts of Burma. Sir George Scott's life is truly fascinating and his book "The Burman" can still be found everywhere in Burma and in the streets of Rangoon they simply sell the Gazzeteer (hardcore descriptive thousands-of-pages-long anthropological writings) he compiled, which is truly fascinating in itself; how many countries do you know where they sell stuffy academic books like that on the streets rather that tabloids about celebrities?

Therefore it makes sense to write an appreciative account of this forgotten character. It's not just about George Scott though, his life serves as a background to write about the current Burma and Andrew Marshall's analysis to me seems generally spot-on. Unlike some of the other reviewers here (who I really do not understand; "passionate and dry", did we read the same book!?), I also really liked his humour. He made me laugh out loud regularly and some of the anecdotes are mind-boggling. Anyway, highly recommended.

[Nay Lin Soe · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's great to read about the customs and history of the people who live in very remote areas of Myanmar, almost in isolation. The book flows with partly recounting the relevant history as recorded by a 19th-century British adventurer, George Scott, and partly recording the modern-day travel experience of the author. Many facts presented are very little known even to those who were born and raised in Myanmar. The prose is engaging, with very witty humour in places.

Among many things, I read with great interest about the wild Wa headhunters. And the author's venture into the Wa's territory in search of the mysterious 'Dragon Lake' sacred to Wa people. My favourite part? The author's asking for direction to some Wa people:
'Is there a lake near here?'
'Yes.'
'Where is it?'
'Where is what?'
'The lake.'
'What lake?'
'The lake you said was near here.'
'Oh, there is no lake around here.'

I only wish a guide map was provided among the pages.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A travelog of the author's journey into the northeastern portion of Burma in search of minority ethnic tribes in the semi-autonomous regions bordering China and Thailand. Roughly parallels the imperialist push of the British Raj into these regions during the late 19th century, headed by George Scott, whose life is described in some detail. Also a severe indictment of the current military regime, highlighting the atrocities committed against not just the minorities, but anybody who dares stand up against them. Overall this aspect of the book overshadowed the more objective travel narrative, I felt, and detracted needlessly from an otherwise insightful account of places few westerners have visited. I suppose politics can't be ignored in a place like this, but just seemed rather overdone for a non-current affairs book.

[Monta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hard read. Kind of boring. but I found it very interesting learning more about Myanmar. This was mostly about the ethnic groups in the North and East of Myanmar. I learned a lot. One fascinating part was the photos. The author had photos from a British military colonizer taken 100 years ago, and then he had photos he recently took. Many of the tribal people (women especially) looked exactly the same 100 years ago as they do today. This had been on my "to read" list for over a year and I'm glad I finally read it. Rob had to special order it from Amazon and it took a long time to get. I actually think we ended up canceling the Amazon order and buying it used from a private individual. If you love geography, you'll want to read this one, boring or not. :)

[Daniel Kipp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, primarily because I am interested in Burma/Myanmar, and am trying to learn more about it. The author's travels are FAIRLY interesting, the writing is good. This is one of those "in the footsteps of....", sort of, books. In this case, in the footsteps of a larger-than life englishman, in the days when England controlled - or TRIED to control - remote areas of what we now call Burma, or Myanmar.

For general readers, I would give this a 3 star rating. For those interested in Burma/Myanmar, I give it a 4. Given that there really isn't much contemporary writing on Burma/Myanmar, it's one of the best.

[Mona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished the book. Did I like it? Not really. Men might enjoy the bits of fourth grade humor (farts, etc.). A gripe: surely after slogging through almost 300 pages and finally reaching the mythical Wa lake with the author and his friend, David, the reader deserves at least one photo of it. If you do choose to read this adventure don't skip the short Epilogue. Of course so much has changed (hopefully for the better) since it was written. It's definitely not a book to prepare you for a present day first or second visit to Burma.

[Sabita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time I decided to carry a travelogue story rather than a guide book and am glad I did it. This book is good to read if you are traveling or just have visited Burma (Myanmar). Thought the approach was novel - the author replicates the travel of Sir George Scott who helped establish British colonial rule in the 1850s. The book describes Burma in the eighties. Quite humorous and insightful for someone like me who hasn't read many travelogues and is unfamiliar with Burma. The only thing this book doesn't have is a more rounded version of more recent history: talks more about British Burma.

[Choltanutkun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up in Thailand, we were taught specific things about Burma in school and never this kind of stories, I've really gained some new respect for those people now after this book. Andrew has a very fun, adventurous way of writing that turns a history into something not boring. I enjoyed this book very much, it was so new and a breath of fresh air. David was my favourite character. The book was rather unexpected and very adventurous, though I'm only giving it 4-star because some writing was a bit too vague in there that I just couldn't follow or keep up with the turn of event.

[Sandra D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good primer on Burma's British colonial history and its modern-day military dictatorship, as well as an entertaining travelogue. It isn't quite as good as Kevin Rushby's Children of Kali , which was written in a similar vein, but it does come close.

[Cjsavage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvellous piece about George Scott - often known as Scott of the Hills - one of the preminent British soldiers-cum-researchers into the Shan State of Burma. Brilliantly told history, beautifully dense travelogue and funny to boot, Marshall brings Scott alive in this excellent work. A must read for anyone yearning to learn more about Burma than simple travel books and excerpts from AASK's past letters.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book if you want to understand Myanmar a little more deeply. You have to be interested in Myanmar to get the most from this book. Parts of it are more interesting than others, and if you're struggling I'd recommend going straight to the chapters on the Wa - this is the most intriguing part of the book.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marshall's book provides a look at Myanmar before 2011 and the beginning of the changes that have led to the current government. As someone who has only known Burma since these changes, it just heightens the respect and admiration you have to feel for everyone who have worked to move the country forward. Especially interesting the parts on his Scott inspired visits to The Shan and Wa highlands.

[rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author takes a trip to Burma (again, I was preparing for my trip!) to retrace the steps of the famous Victorian adventurer George Scott. Interesting, but might be too much info for a casual reader.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides an interesting counterpoint to Emma Larkin's work tracing an historical Brit through Burma. Larkin is more effective for her more nuanced politico-social viewpoints while Marshall focuses on empire and adventure, with an excellent ending.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part travelogue, part history, part reportage, "The Trouser People" recounts the story of George Scott, the eccentric British explorer, photographer, adventurer, and later Colonial Administrator of Burma, who introduced the Empire's best game (soccer) to Burmese natives. of photos.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A blend of history, biography, and travel writing, this book held my attention easily once I got past the narrator's often cocky tone. Great research and enthusiasm for the subject at hand. Wonderful stories of the Shan States.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Marshall used the experiences of British colonial administrator Sir George Scott as he explored Myanmar. true intrepid adventure and interesting history.

[Tom & Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great read about Burma

[Issi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reading, following the path of George Scott. Informative about Burma, post independence.

[Summer Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Candid, down-to-earth, and funny (but not over-the-top funny). Great read on Burma.

[Melanie Sandford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous read. Not a word wasted. Funny, sad, interesting.... what else you could one hope for?

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sir James George Scott was born in Scotland in 1851. He attended King's College School and Lincoln College, though he did not complete his education due to insufficient funds. He worked as a journalist, covering the goings on in Colonial Burma. He also worked as a teacher in Burma during this period. When the British officially annexed Upper Burma, he was invited to join the Burma Commission. He was also knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) in November 1901. He also hacked his way through the jungle in order to bring outlying Shan States under British control. In his conquest and travels, he did wind up teaching the local inhabitants about soccer, which is where the cover image comes from.

I am trying so hard to go through my shelves and review things I have read while I am on my library downsizing project. If you are following my reviews, I am sorry for flooding your timeline with reviews. =/ Anyway, I bought this book at the library sale, simply because I had never heard of this subject. The author did a great job researching Scott's activities and personal papers. He even went to Burma and retraced some of his routes. I thought the research was wonderfully done. The way the author told Scott's story, mixed with the history of British Colonialism in Burma, was really well done.