Java

And they sent me to, basically, they asked if I wanted to help update this Indonesia guidebook.

But I think because it was my first job with them, they weren't going to send me to like Bali and Java and stuff.

It was a bit too high state.

So they sent me a bit more off the tourist trail.

In this podcast, we interview fiction and nonfiction authors working in and around and about the Asia-Pacific region.

In March 1942, Japanese troops landed on Java's north coast and were welcomed by many of the Indonesians they had come to conquer.

is an indication of just how much second world war undermined the foundations of european empire setting up a post-war order that still governs asia today hans van der veen's new book blood dawn world war ii in the making of modern asia starts in the 19th century as european empire spread across asia only for japan's invasion of china in 1937 followed by its rapid advance south in 1941 to undermine the rationale for Western influence and control in China, Indonesia, and India.

And then, even after Japan's defeat, the West was forced to retreat from the regions.

So you have China that is actively fighting Japan on the battlefield.

You have Indonesia that is an occupied country where things are therefore more complicated.

And one of the things that I was beginning to think about this book was I was reading some Dutch histories about the Second World War in 1942 when the Japanese landed on the Java coast.

They were welcomed.

I think if you love hiking, for example, you can probably go to Gunung Merapi, for example.

There's lots of mountains in the Java area.

For example, if you like the city, but then you also prefer to be in the nature, Bandung is one of the best options because it's quite close to Jakarta.

You only take the train and probably spend two hours by train.

Those representations of Southeast Asia are inaccurate.

Tantric Buddhism was widespread throughout Southeast Asia for centuries, down to Sri Lanka, through the peninsula, down into the insular areas to Java, Borobudur, and so on.

There's a very extensive influence of tantric Buddhism there.

Historical events led to the transformation of those cultures to Theravadan cultures.

And part of that change involved suppressing the history, actually working to erase the tantric presence from those cultures.

That together was just the difficulty of maintaining texts in those climates.

People moved from India, carrying tantric teachings through the peninsula down into Sumatra, Java, and people there came back.

So one of the great teachers of Tibetan Buddhism is Atisha.

There again, another footnote.

We know that the governor of the company who, quote, if he did not actually establish the power of Holland and Java, certainly contributed most to strengthen it, quote, end quote, was called Cohen.

Furthermore, a glance at the portraits of the governors of the Dutch colonies would make it appear that this Cohen is not the only Jew among them.

Another footnote.