The Great Hill Stations of Asia

by Barbara Crossette

Release Date: 01 June, 1999

Edition: Paperback

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An enchanting book offering history and comtemporary news

Ever since I learned about this book on Booknotes I have wanted to read it, but never had the time until now. I enjoyed the book a great deal. I had no idea what Hill Stations were, was pretty vague on the colonial history of India, nor have I been able to clearly understand the cultural transitions since independence and partition. My sense of the British and American exploits in southeast Asia prior to the Second World War are even more slight.

The Hill Stations were places the colonists (particularly the British) built up in the mountains to get away from the heat and disease of the tropical lowlands. They tended to live lavishly and in the case of Simla, built the summer capital there. This book is a wonderful introduction to that history in Pakistan, India, Sri Lank, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Since the end of the colonial period these stations have been taken over by the governments in some cases and in others by private enterprise. The author visited all of the stations she talks about in the book and gives us very interesting observations on what has been kept intact (if decayed) from the former times (including bad cuisine and slow service in one station) and what has been modernized and to what effect. In almost all cases the vastly increased domestic populations have led to more building at the expense of the local flora and especially the fauna.

I think the saddest visit she describes is the military ruination of Burma (now Myanmar) by its removal of history, education, and learning from its population. Just hideous, but unfortunately, far from unique. The detail and personal experiences of this tragedy add to the value of the really marvelous little book.

If you know about these places from your own experience you may or may not like what the author has to say. I came to this book completely ignorant of these places and may still be. However, I enjoyed the tour this book gave me and I think it taught me a great deal. The author provides a nice bibliography for further reading and an index

good collection

Hill Stations are an interesting topic of colianialsm in Asia. Hill Stations are interesting because it is where westerners tried to maintain their lifestyles in Asia and taking in Asian populations in the schools. Also, the differences in different colonies is interesting to see. In places like South Asia, Hill Stations you saw a mix of them because they had Westen missionaries and Western traders while in the Phillipeans you saw the only American Hill stations and they were mainly missionaries.