The Big Picture: Major Influences - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 17

peoples and the Chinese, the Dutch managed to impov-
erish other islands as well.
In 1869, the British- and French-owned Suez Canal
was opened, ushering in the Age of Imperialism
(1870-1914). Reducing the sea journey to Asia by thou-
sands of miles had the effect of intensifying interactions
between Europe and Asia. With increased territorial
gains came friction. Rivalries, once confined to the Euro-
pean continent, spilled over into the colonies. T Territories
were exchanged between the British and the Dutch and
between the British and the French with no consultation
with the indigenous people.
Those colonized did not accept their inequitable sit-
uation without protest. Resistance movements were
countered by imperialist wars of oppression. In England
these were known as Queen Victoria' s Little Wars. In
British India, French Indochina, and Dutch Indonesia, at
least 70,000 died in battle before the turn of the nine-
teenth century . Suppression of resistance in Burma alone
(1823-1826) resulted in 15,000 lives lost.
World War I (1914-1918) was a cataclysmic event in
history . It spearheaded a new era for the colonial world.
The T Treaty of Versailles in 1919 spurred nationalistic
claims on the part of the colonies, and reassigned them to
the victorious Western powers. But things could not be
as they were; the so-called Belle Epoch was over.

T To preserve race and class distinctions, separa-
tion was imposed on both people and landscape.
Europeans built their own residential quarters, seg-
regated from the indigenous people by physical bar-
riers such as rail lines or waterways, or by military
cantonments. Locals could enter the foreign quar-
ters only with permission, and customarily did so
in a servant capacity . Many sources refer to signs
posted in China' s and India' s city parks stating,
“No Chinese (Indians) Allowed.”
Some cities were designed with a standardized
plan such as set down in Spain' s 1573 Laws of the
Indies. This called for a grid-style street layout, cen-
tered on a main plaza surrounded by government
buildings and a church. Similar but smaller plazas,
built as the grid expanded, were intended to ensure
the dissemination of order and godliness. This influ-
ence is particularly evident in the Philippines. Britain
and France also liked the grid system because it rep-
resented order and regularity . Additionally , straight
streets facilitated speedy access to trouble spots.
The colonial-style city differed widely from the
traditional city with its narrow , winding streets and
bustling crowds. The colonial city had one focal
point, but the traditional city had several, each
focused on a government, religious, or market
center. T To the occupiers, the planned colonial city
symbolized order within chaos.
As colonial power strengthened, city architec-
ture and all that it stood for became even more
imposing. Local people were relegated even further
into the socioeconomic background. In Singapore
and Kuala Lumpur, the British, in concert with
Chinese and Indian migrants, dominated practically
all activity . Indigenous Malays faded from the scene.
This was also true in the Dutch East Indies. T To
overcome such injustices, Malaysia had special poli-
cies favoring Malays for several years.

The Colonial City

Colonial cities were intended to serve the interests
of colonial powers. They were guarded outposts
that functioned as military , economic, and adminis-
trative centers. Architecture was grand, meant to
impress the masses with the power and glory of the
empire (Figure 1-15). Symbols of colonial rule were
expressed in the form of architectural styles, stat-
ues, and monumental buildings with Western
crests. T Tudor-style apartment buildings still exist in
the former British Quarter of Shanghai, and Dutch-
style churches can be found in Jakarta.
The colonial language was employed for nam-
ing places and streets and was the language of rule
for administrative and educational purposes. Street
signs such as Orchard Road and Rue Louis Pasteur
remain in many former English and French colonial
cities, and these languages continue to be spoken
by educated elites.

Imperialist Japan and the Rise
of Nationalism

After centuries of feudalistic rule under powerful military
leaders, or shoguns, the Emperor Meiji was restored to
the throne in 1868. Y oung reformers were determined to
bring Japan into the Industrial Era. The Industrial Revo-
lution had been initiated around 1750 in England and