Moon Princess, The: Memories of the Shan States

by Sao Sanda

An important record of the Shan States, now under Burmese Rule

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Asia, History

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Mona · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Moon Princess was recommended by Aye, owner of the guesthouse where I stayed during 3 weeks in Nyaungshwe, Shan State, Myanmar recently. There was no copy in the town's tiny bookshop, but I was lucky to score one at the expansive Ananda Temple bookstall in Bagan. Aye nearly swooned as she promised the book was so good she couldn't put it down. As I started reading I realized why. It made the relatively recent history of the very town where she lives come alive. The author describes customs and culture of the Shan villagers as well as an inside look at her royal life. Her view of the gradual political changes after WW 2 to a military dictatorship provides a fresh perspective from the daughter of a once-powerful Shan ruler. I'm thinking of rereading the book before my next trip to Burma in January and taking it along as a reference for learning more about Nyaungshwe. Last trip I visited the Royal Palace, now a museum, where she grew up. As a museum it lacks the grandeur a visitor might expect although some exhibits were being added as I walked around the mostly empty rooms. Now I realize we are fortunate so much remains.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting insight into not just the history of a country but also the personal life of the author. I really enjoyed reading about her childhood, growing up as a member of Royalty as well as her travels (later in life) to other countries such as Laos.

[Samantha Soon · Rating 2 out of 5]

有一陣子旅行的時候喜歡在當地買一本當地歷史文化相關的書，這本是在緬甸買的。

文字書寫不算太過流暢，所以花了一段時間頻頻回顧才終於看完。雖然如此，由這位撣邦最後一代的皇家成員敘述的歷史還算珍貴。隨著現代緬甸的成立與獨立，撣族的王朝與歷史從人們的記憶中退去，但他們曾經擁有和各國皇族並肩的優勢，曾經擁有自己的土地與文化，還有自己的故事。

眼看今日緬甸的那些紛爭戰亂，想必我所記得的緬甸也即將褪色。這些被文字封鎖的曾經，因此更有價值。