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China: Dried ducks hanging in a garden, New Territories, Hong Kong (1987).<br/><br/> Originally a sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages, Hong Kong has become one of the world's most significant financial centres and commercial ports. It is the world's tenth-largest exporter and ninth-largest importer.<br/><br/> Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the Qing Empire ceded Hong Kong Island at the end of the First Opium War in 1842.
Northeastern Thai and Lao food is generally of the simple, spicy, peasant variety enjoyed by the inhabitants of this relatively poor region. The most famous dishes include <i>somtam</i>– papaya salad with fish sauce, garlic, chilli peppers, peanuts and <i>puu na</i> field crab added to taste. This is often eaten with <i>kai yang</i>– grilled chicken, the best of which is said to come from Sisaket, close to the Lao frontier.<br/><br/> Perhaps the most classic of Isaan dishes is <i>larb</i>– spiced minced meat generally served with salad and a side plate of raw vegetables. Unlike Bangkok and the South, <i>khao niaw</i>, or 'sticky rice' – a glutinous variant served in small woven bamboo baskets and eaten with the hand – is the main accompaniment to every meal.
Northeastern Thai and Lao food is generally of the simple, spicy, peasant variety enjoyed by the inhabitants of this relatively poor region. The most famous dishes include <i>somtam</i>– papaya salad with fish sauce, garlic, chilli peppers, peanuts and <i>puu na</i> field crab added to taste. This is often eaten with <i>kai yang</i>– grilled chicken, the best of which is said to come from Sisaket, close to the Lao frontier.<br/><br/> Perhaps the most classic of Isaan dishes is <i>larb</i>– spiced minced meat generally served with salad and a side plate of raw vegetables. Unlike Bangkok and the South, <i>khao niaw</i>, or 'sticky rice' – a glutinous variant served in small woven bamboo baskets and eaten with the hand – is the main accompaniment to every meal.
The <i>Anwar-i Suhayli</i> or 'The Lights of Canopus', commonly known as the <i>Fables of Bidpai</i> in the West, is a Persian version of the ancient Indian collection of animal fables, the <i>Panchatantra</i>. It tells a tale of a Persian physician, Burzuyah, and his mission to India, where he stumbles upon a book of stories collected from the animals who reside there.<br/><br/> In a similar vein to the <i>Arabian Nights</i>, the fables in the manuscript are inter-woven as the characters of one story recount the next, leading up to three or four degrees of narrative embedding. Many usually have morals or offer philosophical glimpses into human behaviour, emphasising loyalty and teamwork.
The <i>Anwar-i Suhayli</i> or 'The Lights of Canopus', commonly known as the <i>Fables of Bidpai</i> in the West, is a Persian version of the ancient Indian collection of animal fables, the <i>Panchatantra</i>. It tells a tale of a Persian physician, Burzuyah, and his mission to India, where he stumbles upon a book of stories collected from the animals who reside there.<br/><br/> In a similar vein to the <i>Arabian Nights</i>, the fables in the manuscript are inter-woven as the characters of one story recount the next, leading up to three or four degrees of narrative embedding. Many usually have morals or offer philosophical glimpses into human behaviour, emphasising loyalty and teamwork.
Sittanavasal (Tamil name: சித்தன்னவாசல்) is a small hamlet in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, India.<br/><br/> The Sittanavasal Cave, also known as Arivar Kovil, is a Jain monastery of the 7th century, small in size, excavated in a bluff on the western slope of the hill in its centre. It is noted for its paintings which have been painted in fresco-secco technique with many mineral colours. The painting themes depict a beautiful lotus pond and flowers, people collecting lotuses from the pond, two dancing figures, lilies, fish, geese, buffaloes and elephants.
Emperor Gia Long ordered the construction of Hue Citadel in 1805. The vast complex is built according to the notions of fengshui or Chinese geomancy, but following the military principles of the noted 18th century French military architect Sebastien de Vauban. The result is an unusual and elegant hybrid, a Chinese-style Imperial City carefully aligned with surrounding hills, islands and waterways, but defended by massive brick walls between 6-12 metres high and 2.5 metres thick, punctuated by towers, ramparts, a massive earth glacis, and 24 Vauban-inspired bastions.<br/><br/>The entire complex was further protected by wide moats, crossed by gracefully arched stone bridges leading to ten gates, the chief of which is Cua Ngo Mon, the south-east facing ‘Meridian Gate’. To compound the exotic hybrid effect, guard posts designed as Chinese-style miradors, complete with sweeping eaves crowned by imperial dragons, surmounted each gate. Finally, directly in front of the Ngo Mon Gate, a massive brick fort 18 metres high was constructed both as an additional barrier against malign spirits, and as a defensive redoubt.<br/><br/>The area within the Citadel - in all, 520 hectares (1300 acres) - comprises three concentric enclosures, the Civic, Imperial and Forbidden Purple Cities. Access is by way of ten fortified gates, each of which is reached by a low, arched stone bridge across the moat. In imperial times a cannon would sound at 5am and 9pm to mark the opening and closing of the gates.<br/><br/>Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty between 1802 and 1945. The tombs of several emperors lie in and around the city and along the Perfume River. Hue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Duck-Rabbit optical illusion first published in Fliegende Blatter (Munich), October 23, 1892, p. 147. The same drawing, or a similar version, has subsequently been attributed to Joseph Jastrow (1899) and quite erroneously to Ludwig Wittgenstein (2002). The Fliegende Blatte version, by an anonymous artist, appears to be the oldest and first published version.
Jastrow's Duck-Rabbit drawing is based on an illustration published in Harper's Weekly (November 19, 1892, p. 1114). The Harper's Weekly drawing was based on a similar drawing published in Fliegende Blatter, Munich (October 23, 1892, p. 147).
Chaozhou is believed to have been founded more than 1700 years ago. The town reached its zenith during the Ming era and was well known as a place of great culture as well as an important commercial and trading centre.<br/><br/> Teochew dialect, by which the Chaozhou culture is conveyed, is one of the most conservative Chinese dialects because it preserves many contrasts from ancient Chinese that have been lost in some of the other modern dialects of Chinese.
In Laos, the Awk Phansaa (Awk Watsa, full moon) Festival celebrates the end of the three-month rains retreat. Monks are allowed to leave the monasteries to travel and are presented with robes, alms bowls and other requisites of the renunciative life.<br/><br/> On the eve of Awk Phansaa many people fashion small banana-leaf boats carrying candles, incense and other offerings, and float them in rivers, a custom known as Lai Hua Fai, similar to Loy Krathong in Thailand.<br/><br/> A second festival held in association with Awk Phansaa is Bun Nam (water festival). Boat races (suang heua) are commonly held in towns located on rivers, such as Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Savannakhet.
In Laos, the Awk Phansaa (Awk Watsa, full moon) Festival celebrates the end of the three-month rains retreat. Monks are allowed to leave the monasteries to travel and are presented with robes, alms bowls and other requisites of the renunciative life.<br/><br/> On the eve of Awk Phansaa many people fashion small banana-leaf boats carrying candles, incense and other offerings, and float them in rivers, a custom known as Lai Hua Fai, similar to Loy Krathong in Thailand.<br/><br/> A second festival held in association with Awk Phansaa is Bun Nam (water festival). Boat races (suang heua) are commonly held in towns located on rivers, such as Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Savannakhet.
In Laos, the Awk Phansaa (Awk Watsa, full moon) Festival celebrates the end of the three-month rains retreat. Monks are allowed to leave the monasteries to travel and are presented with robes, alms bowls and other requisites of the renunciative life.<br/><br/> On the eve of Awk Phansaa many people fashion small banana-leaf boats carrying candles, incense and other offerings, and float them in rivers, a custom known as Lai Hua Fai, similar to Loy Krathong in Thailand.<br/><br/> A second festival held in association with Awk Phansaa is Bun Nam (water festival). Boat races (suang heua) are commonly held in towns located on rivers, such as Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Savannakhet.
The Tacuinum (sometimes Taccuinum) Sanitatis is a medieval handbook on health and wellbeing, based on the Taqwim al‑sihha تقويم الصحة ('Maintenance of Health'), an eleventh-century Arab medical treatise by Ibn Butlan of Baghdad.<br/><br/> Ibn Butlân was a Christian physician born in Baghdad and who died in 1068. He sets forth the six elements necessary to maintain daily health: food and drink, air and the environment, activity and rest, sleep and wakefulness, secretions and excretions of humours, changes or states of mind (happiness, anger, shame, etc). According to Ibn Butlân, illnesses are the result of changes in the balance of some of these elements, therefore he recommended a life in harmony with nature in order to maintain or recover one’s health.<br/><br/> Ibn Butlân also teaches us to enjoy each season of the year, the consequences of each type of climate, wind and snow. He points out the importance of spiritual wellbeing and mentions, for example, the benefits of listening to music, dancing or having a pleasant conversation.<br/><br/> Aimed at a cultured lay audience, the text exists in several variant Latin versions, the manuscripts of which are characteristically profusely illustrated. The short paragraphs of the treatise were freely translated into Latin in mid-thirteenth-century Palermo or Naples, continuing an Italo-Norman tradition as one of the prime sites for peaceable inter-cultural contact between the Islamic and European worlds.<br/><br/> Four handsomely illustrated complete late fourteenth-century manuscripts of the Taccuinum, all produced in Lombardy, survive, in Vienna, Paris, Liège and Rome, as well as scattered illustrations from others, as well as fifteenth-century codices.
From a collection of beautifully painted Chinese ornothological studies, mid-19th century, by an anonymous painter.<br/><br/> The Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata), or just Mandarin, is a medium-sized perching duck. There are now less than 1,000 pairs left in the wild in China.
'Mandarin Ducks' by Japanese woodblock artist Hiroshige Utagawa, accompanied by a poem which reads:<br/><br/> <i>'Out in a morning wind,<br/> Have seen a pair of mandarin ducks parting.<br/> Even the best loving couple makes a quarrel'.</i><br/><br/> Hiroshige was a member of the Utagawa school, which was founded by Utagawa Toyoharu, whose primary innovation was his adaptation of linear perspective to Japanese subject matter. His pupil, Toyokuni I, took over after Toyoharu's death and raised the group to become the most famous and powerful woodblock print school for the remainder of the 19th century, so much so that today more than half of all surviving ukiyo-e prints are from it. In addition to Hiroshige, Kunisada, Kuniyoshi and Yoshitoshi were Utagawa students.
Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are extracted. Opium is the source of many opiates, including morphine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine.<br/><br/> The Latin botanical name means the 'sleep-bringing poppy', referring to the sedative properties of some of these opiates.
Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are extracted. Opium is the source of many opiates, including morphine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine.<br/><br/> The Latin botanical name means the 'sleep-bringing poppy', referring to the sedative properties of some of these opiates.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The Similan Islands lie approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In 1982, this 128 square kilometre area was declared a marine national park, and in recent years the group of nine small islands (Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine) has become one of the leading attractions for visitors to southern Thailand.<br/><br/> The islands are renowned among divers for their rich coral reefs, clear waters and pristine beaches. The best diving months are between December and May when the weather is fine and underwater visibility at its best.<br/><br/> The Similans offer over 200 species of hard coral, many more soft corals, hundreds of colourful fish species, and tens of thousands of other marine organisms which make their homes on the reefs.
The duck is a symbol of benevolence, fertility and grace. The painting is used as a wish for the girl to possess these qualities once she reaches adulthood.<br/><br/> Dong Ho painting (Vietnamese: Tranh Đông Hồ or Tranh làng Hồ), full name Dong Ho folk woodcut painting (Tranh khắc gỗ dân gian Đông Hồ) is a genre of Vietnamese woodcut paintings originating from Dong Ho village (làng Đông Hồ) in Bac Ninh Province, Vietnam.<br/><br/> Using the traditional điệp paper and colours derived from nature, craftsmen print Dong Ho pictures of different themes from good luck wishes, historical figures to everyday activities and folk allegories. In the past, Dong Ho painting was an essential element of the Tết holiday in Vietnam.