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Built on the banks of Lake Dian and surrounded by limestone mountains, Kunming was an important ancient trade route between Tibet, China and Southeast Asia. The city, then called Yunnanfu, suffered at the hands of rebel leader Du Wenxiu, the Sultan of Dali, who attacked and besieged the city several times between 1858 and 1868, razing most of the city's Buddhist temples.<br/><br/> In the 1890s, an uprising against working conditions on the Kunming-Haiphong railway line saw 300,000 laborers executed after France shipped in weapons to suppress the revolt. The railway line, only completed in 1911, was built by the French so that they could tap Yunnan's mineral resources for their colonies in Indochina.<br/><br/> Today, Kunming is a city of over 6 million people, and is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan.
Thulhaadhoo (Tuladu) is a small island located at the extreme south-western rim of South Maalhosmadulu Atoll (Baa Atoll) to the north-west of Malé. It has long been renowned throughout the Maldives as an island of skilled lacquer-workers, and today this craft is enjoying a revival.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.
The Tusha Hiti is a well lined with stone carvings portraying numerous deities. It was formerly used as a royal bath. The figures depicted are the eight mother goddesses, the eight serpent gods and the eight Bhairavs. The outer perimeter of the tank is encircled by two carved naga, or snake deities, which are traditionally associated with tanks or wells and believed to ensure an uninterrupted water supply.<br/><br/> The Royal Palace supposedly dates back to the Licchavi period (5th-13th century), but, with the exception of a few inscriptions, there is little substantial evidence for this. In the earliest inscription, which hails from the year 643 CE and which was found at the Keshav Narayan Chowk, Licchavi King Narendra Deva announced the abolition of three types of taxes, presumably making him popular with his subjects. This indicates that there may at the time have been a palace at the site of Keshav Narayan Chowk, which is part of the present royal palace complex.<br/><br/> The royal palace as seen today in Durbar Square has its origins in the 14th century; however, the most active building period was the 17th century.
The Betel (Piper betle) is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family, which includes pepper and Kava. It is valued both as a mild stimulant and for its medicinal properties.<br/><br/> Chewing areca nut is an increasingly rare custom in the modern world. Yet once, not so long ago, areca nut – taken with the leaf of the betel tree and lime paste – was widely consumed throughout South and Southeast Asia by people of all social classes, and was considered an essential part of daily life.
The Betel (Piper betle) is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family, which includes pepper and Kava. It is valued both as a mild stimulant and for its medicinal properties.<br/><br/> Chewing areca nut is an increasingly rare custom in the modern world. Yet once, not so long ago, areca nut – taken with the leaf of the betel tree and lime paste – was widely consumed throughout South and Southeast Asia by people of all social classes, and was considered an essential part of daily life.
Jaipur is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, after whom the city was named. The city today has a population of 3.1 million. Jaipur is known as the Pink City of India.<br/><br/> The city is remarkable among pre-modern Indian cities for the width and regularity of its streets which are laid out into six sectors separated by broad streets 34 m (111 ft) wide. The urban quarters are further divided by networks of gridded streets. Five quarters wrap around the east, south, and west sides of a central palace quarter, with a sixth quarter immediately to the east. The Palace quarter encloses the sprawling Hawa Mahal palace complex, formal gardens, and a small lake. Nahargarh Fort, which was the residence of the King Sawai Jai Singh II, crowns the hill in the northwest corner of the old city. The observatory, Jantar Mantar, is a World Heritage Site.
The majority of Jaisalmer's inhabitants are Bhati Rajputs, who take their name from an ancestor named Bhatti, a renowned warrior when the tribe were still located in the Punjab. Shortly after this the clan was driven southwards, and found a refuge in the Indian desert, which was henceforth its home.<br/><br/> Deoraj, a prince of the Bhati clan, is believed to be the real founder of the Jaisalmer dynasty. In 1156 Rawal Jaisal, the sixth in succession from Deoraj, founded the fort and city of Jaisalmer, and made it his capital as he moved from his former capital at Lodhruva (situated about 15 km to the north-west of Jaisalmer).<br/><br/> The Maharajas of Jaisalmer trace their lineage back to Jaitsimha, a ruler of the Bhatti Rajput clan. The major opponents of the Bhati Rajputs were the powerful Rathor clans of Jodhpur and Bikaner. They used to fight battles for the possession of forts, waterholes or cattle. Jaisalmer was positioned strategically and was a halting point along a traditional trade route traversed by the camel caravans of Indian and Asian merchants. The route linked India to Central Asia, Egypt, Arabia, Persia, Africa and the West.
Palestine (Arabic: فلسطين‎ Filasṭīn, Falasṭīn, Filisṭīn; Greek: Παλαιστίνη, Palaistinē; Latin: Palaestina; Hebrew: פלשתינה Palestina) is a n ame given to the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. The region is also known as the Land of Israel (Hebrew: ארץ־ישראל Eretz-Yisra'el), the Holy Land and the Southern Levant.<br/><br/> In 1832 Palestine was conquered by Muhammad Ali's Egypt, but in 1840 Britain intervened and returned control of the Levant to the Ottomans in return for further capitulations. The end of the 19th century saw the beginning of Zionist immigration and the Revival of the Hebrew language. The movement was publicly supported by Great Britain during World War I with the Balfour Declaration of 1917. The British captured Jerusalem a month later, and were formally awarded a mandate in 1922.<br/><br/> In 1947, following World War II and the Holocaust, the British Government announced their desire to terminate the Mandate, and the United Nations General Assembly voted to partition the territory into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jewish leadership accepted the proposal but the Arab Higher Committee rejected it; a civil war began immediately, and the State of Israel was declared in 1948.<br/><br/> The 1948 Palestinian exodus, known in Arabic as the Nakba (Arabic: النكبة‎, an-Nakbah, 'The Catastrophe') occurred when approximately 711,000 to 725,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War during which Israel captured and incorporated a further 26% of Palestinian territory.<br/><br/> In the course of the Six Day War in June 1967, Israel captured the remainder of historic Palestine and began a continuing policy of Israeli settlement and annexation.
The Nanfeng Ancient Kilns, situated in Shiwan, a subdistrict of Foshan, date from the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Ceramics are reputed to have been produced in the Shiwan area for more than 5000 years.<br/><br/> Foshan dates back to the 7th century CE and has been famous for its ceramics, porcelain and pottery industry since the Song Dynasty (960 - 1276 CE). It is also famous for its martial arts. It contains numerous Wing Chun schools where many come to train and spar.
The Nanfeng Ancient Kilns, situated in Shiwan, a subdistrict of Foshan, date from the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Ceramics are reputed to have been produced in the Shiwan area for more than 5000 years.<br/><br/> Foshan dates back to the 7th century CE and has been famous for its ceramics, porcelain and pottery industry since the Song Dynasty (960 - 1276 CE). It is also famous for its martial arts. It contains numerous Wing Chun schools where many come to train and spar.
Korean dragon jars, also known as cloud-dragon jars are a type of ceremonial porcelain vessel that became popular among the ruling classes of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). They are decorated with large dragons against a background of stylized clouds, painted with underglaze pigments.<br/><br/> In addition to being a generally auspicious symbol, the dragon represented the authority and beneficence of the ruler. In 1754, King Yòngjo decreed that iron pigments were to be used exclusively in ceramic ware, except for jars having a dragon design. Because of the scarcity of the traditional cobalt blue pigment, which was imported from Muslim Turkestan, and was also known as 'Mohammedan blue', an underglaze brown iron oxide pigment was also used between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries.
Ifugao is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Covering a total land area of 262,820 hectares, the province of Ifugao is located in a mountainous region characterized by rugged terrain, river valleys, and massive forests. Its capital is Lagawe and borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela to the east, and Nueva Vizcaya to the south.<br/><br/> The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras and Banaue Rice Terraces are the main tourist attractions in the province. These 2000-year-old terraces were carved into the mountains, without the aid of machinery, to provide level steps where the native Ifugao people can plant rice. In 1995, they were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<br/><br/> Ifugao culture revolves around rice, which is considered a prestige crop. There is an elaborate and complex array of rice culture feasts inextricably linked with taboos and intricate agricultural rites, from rice cultivation to rice consumption. Harvest season calls for grandiose thanksgiving feasts, while the concluding harvest rites 'tungo' or 'tungul' (the day of rest) entail a strict taboo of any agricultural work. Partaking of rice wine (bayah), rice cakes, and moma (a mixture of several herbs, powdered snail shell and betel nut/ arecoline: and acts as a chewing gum to the Ifugaos) is an indelible practice during the festivities and ritual activities.
Buffalo curd (in Sinhala <i>meekiri</i>, in Hindi <i>dahi</i>) is a traditional type of yogurt prepared from buffalo milk. It is popular throughout south Asian countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, etc. Buffalo milk is traditionally better than cow milk due to its higher fat content making a thicker yogurt mass. Mostly clay pots are used as packaging material for Buffalo curd. The naming <i>curd</i> is traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent to refer to yogurt, while another word, <i>paneer</i>, is used to denote curd in the British English word sense.
Buffalo curd (in Sinhala <i>meekiri</i>, in Hindi <i>dahi</i>) is a traditional type of yogurt prepared from buffalo milk. It is popular throughout south Asian countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, etc. Buffalo milk is traditionally better than cow milk due to its higher fat content making a thicker yogurt mass. Mostly clay pots are used as packaging material for Buffalo curd. The naming <i>curd</i> is traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent to refer to yogurt, while another word, <i>paneer</i>, is used to denote curd in the British English word sense.
Kompong Chhnang (Port of Pottery) is an important river port on the Tonle Sap River, 60km (38 miles) north of Udong.<br/><br/> The economy of the area is dominated by rice production and many locals live on floating fishing villages during the high-water monsoon season.<br/><br/> Archaeological remains found in Kompong Chhnang province have been linked to the (pre-Khmer) Dvaravati kingdom, dating from the 6th to the 13th century CE.
Kompong Chhnang (Port of Pottery) is an important river port on the Tonle Sap River, 60km (38 miles) north of Udong.<br/><br/> The economy of the area is dominated by rice production and many locals live on floating fishing villages during the high-water monsoon season.<br/><br/> Archaeological remains found in Kompong Chhnang province have been linked to the (pre-Khmer) Dvaravati kingdom, dating from the 6th to the 13th century CE.
Kompong Chhnang (Port of Pottery) is an important river port on the Tonle Sap River, 60km (38 miles) north of Udong.<br/><br/> The economy of the area is dominated by rice production and many locals live on floating fishing villages during the high-water monsoon season.<br/><br/> Archaeological remains found in Kompong Chhnang province have been linked to the (pre-Khmer) Dvaravati kingdom, dating from the 6th to the 13th century CE.
Kompong Chhnang (Port of Pottery) is an important river port on the Tonle Sap River, 60km (38 miles) north of Udong.<br/><br/> The economy of the area is dominated by rice production and many locals live on floating fishing villages during the high-water monsoon season.<br/><br/> Archaeological remains found in Kompong Chhnang province have been linked to the (pre-Khmer) Dvaravati kingdom, dating from the 6th to the 13th century CE.
Kompong Chhnang (Port of Pottery) is an important river port on the Tonle Sap River, 60km (38 miles) north of Udong.<br/><br/> The economy of the area is dominated by rice production and many locals live on floating fishing villages during the high-water monsoon season.<br/><br/> Archaeological remains found in Kompong Chhnang province have been linked to the (pre-Khmer) Dvaravati kingdom, dating from the 6th to the 13th century CE.
Kompong Chhnang (Port of Pottery) is an important river port on the Tonle Sap River, 60km (38 miles) north of Udong.<br/><br/> The economy of the area is dominated by rice production and many locals live on floating fishing villages during the high-water monsoon season.<br/><br/> Archaeological remains found in Kompong Chhnang province have been linked to the (pre-Khmer) Dvaravati kingdom, dating from the 6th to the 13th century CE.
Kompong Chhnang (Port of Pottery) is an important river port on the Tonle Sap River, 60km (38 miles) north of Udong.<br/><br/> The economy of the area is dominated by rice production and many locals live on floating fishing villages during the high-water monsoon season.<br/><br/> Archaeological remains found in Kompong Chhnang province have been linked to the (pre-Khmer) Dvaravati kingdom, dating from the 6th to the 13th century CE.
Kompong Chhnang (Port of Pottery) is an important river port on the Tonle Sap River, 60km (38 miles) north of Udong.<br/><br/> The economy of the area is dominated by rice production and many locals live on floating fishing villages during the high-water monsoon season.<br/><br/> Archaeological remains found in Kompong Chhnang province have been linked to the (pre-Khmer) Dvaravati kingdom, dating from the 6th to the 13th century CE.
Ifugao is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Covering a total land area of 262,820 hectares, the province of Ifugao is located in a mountainous region characterized by rugged terrain, river valleys, and massive forests. Its capital is Lagawe and borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela to the east, and Nueva Vizcaya to the south.<br/><br/> The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras and Banaue Rice Terraces are the main tourist attractions in the province. These 2000-year-old terraces were carved into the mountains, without the aid of machinery, to provide level steps where the native Ifugao people can plant rice. In 1995, they were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<br/><br/> Ifugao culture revolves around rice, which is considered a prestige crop. There is an elaborate and complex array of rice culture feasts inextricably linked with taboos and intricate agricultural rites, from rice cultivation to rice consumption. Harvest season calls for grandiose thanksgiving feasts, while the concluding harvest rites 'tungo' or 'tungul' (the day of rest) entail a strict taboo of any agricultural work. Partaking of rice wine (bayah), rice cakes, and moma (a mixture of several herbs, powdered snail shell and betel nut/ arecoline: and acts as a chewing gum to the Ifugaos) is an indelible practice during the festivities and ritual activities.
Hand-colored image painted on a thin sheet of mica from a manuscript entitled: ‘Seventy-Two Specimens of Caste in India’ (Madura, southern India: 1837). The full manuscript consists of 72 full-color hand-painted images of men and women of the various castes and religious and ethnic groups found in Madura, Tamil Nadu, at that time. The manuscript shows Indian dress and jewelry adornment in the Madura region as they appeared before the onset of Western influences on South Asian dress and style. Each illustrated portrait is captioned in English and in Tamil, and the title page of the work includes English, Tamil, and Telugu.
Kompong Chhnang (Port of Pottery) is an important river port on the Tonle Sap River, 60km (38 miles) north of Udong.<br/><br/> The economy of the area is dominated by rice production and many locals live on floating fishing villages during the high-water monsoon season.<br/><br/> Archaeological remains found in Kompong Chhnang province have been linked to the (pre-Khmer) Dvaravati kingdom, dating from the 6th to the 13th century CE.
The Great Leap Forward (simplified Chinese: 大跃进; traditional Chinese: 大躍進; pinyin: Dà yuè jìn) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) was an economic and social campaign of the Communist Party of China (CPC), reflected in planning decisions from 1958 to 1961, which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern communist society through the process of rapid industrialization, and collectivization. Mao Zedong led the campaign based on the Theory of Productive Forces, and intensified it after being informed of the impending disaster from grain shortages.<br/><br/> Chief changes in the lives of rural Chinese included the introduction of a mandatory process of agricultural collectivization, which was introduced incrementally. Private farming was prohibited, and those engaged in it were labeled as counter revolutionaries and persecuted. Restrictions on rural people were enforced through public struggle sessions, and social pressure.<br/><br/> The Great Leap ended in catastrophe, resulting in tens of millions of excess deaths. Estimates of the death toll range from 18 million to at least 45 million.<br/><br/> In subsequent conferences in 1960 and 1962, the negative effects of the Great Leap Forward were studied by the CPC, and Mao was criticized in the party conferences. Moderate Party members like Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping rose to power, and Mao was marginalized within the party, leading him to initiate the Cultural Revolution in 1966.
Sri Lankan Tamils or Ceylon Tamils, are a section of Tamil people native to the South Asia island state of Sri Lanka. According to anthropological evidence, Sri Lankan Tamils have lived on the island around the 2nd century BCE. Most modern Sri Lankan Tamils claim descent from residents of Jaffna Kingdom, a former kingdom in the north of the island and Vannimai chieftaincies from the east. They constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern Province, and are in the minority throughout the rest of the country. Sri Lankan Tamils are culturally and linguistically distinct from the other two Tamil-speaking minorities in Sri Lanka, the Indian Tamils and the Moors. The Sri Lankan Tamils are mostly Hindus with a significant Christian population.
Ifugao is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Covering a total land area of 262,820 hectares, the province of Ifugao is located in a mountainous region characterized by rugged terrain, river valleys, and massive forests. Its capital is Lagawe and borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela to the east, and Nueva Vizcaya to the south.<br/><br/> The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras and Banaue Rice Terraces are the main tourist attractions in the province. These 2000-year-old terraces were carved into the mountains, without the aid of machinery, to provide level steps where the native Ifugao people can plant rice. In 1995, they were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<br/><br/> Ifugao culture revolves around rice, which is considered a prestige crop. There is an elaborate and complex array of rice culture feasts inextricably linked with taboos and intricate agricultural rites, from rice cultivation to rice consumption. Harvest season calls for grandiose thanksgiving feasts, while the concluding harvest rites 'tungo' or 'tungul' (the day of rest) entail a strict taboo of any agricultural work. Partaking of rice wine (bayah), rice cakes, and moma (a mixture of several herbs, powdered snail shell and betel nut/ arecoline: and acts as a chewing gum to the Ifugaos) is an indelible practice during the festivities and ritual activities.
Ifugao is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Covering a total land area of 262,820 hectares, the province of Ifugao is located in a mountainous region characterized by rugged terrain, river valleys, and massive forests. Its capital is Lagawe and borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela to the east, and Nueva Vizcaya to the south.<br/><br/> The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras and Banaue Rice Terraces are the main tourist attractions in the province. These 2000-year-old terraces were carved into the mountains, without the aid of machinery, to provide level steps where the native Ifugao people can plant rice. In 1995, they were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<br/><br/> Ifugao culture revolves around rice, which is considered a prestige crop. There is an elaborate and complex array of rice culture feasts inextricably linked with taboos and intricate agricultural rites, from rice cultivation to rice consumption. Harvest season calls for grandiose thanksgiving feasts, while the concluding harvest rites 'tungo' or 'tungul' (the day of rest) entail a strict taboo of any agricultural work. Partaking of rice wine (bayah), rice cakes, and moma (a mixture of several herbs, powdered snail shell and betel nut/ arecoline: and acts as a chewing gum to the Ifugaos) is an indelible practice during the festivities and ritual activities.
Kompong Chhnang (Port of Pottery) is an important river port on the Tonle Sap River, 60km (38 miles) north of Udong.<br/><br/> The economy of the area is dominated by rice production and many locals live on floating fishing villages during the high-water monsoon season.<br/><br/> Archaeological remains found in Kompong Chhnang province have been linked to the (pre-Khmer) Dvaravati kingdom, dating from the 6th to the 13th century CE.
Hand-colored image painted on a thin sheet of mica from a manuscript entitled: ‘Seventy-Two Specimens of Caste in India’ (Madura, southern India: 1837). The full manuscript consists of 72 full-color hand-painted images of men and women of the various castes and religious and ethnic groups found in Madura, Tamil Nadu, at that time. The manuscript shows Indian dress and jewelry adornment in the Madura region as they appeared before the onset of Western influences on South Asian dress and style. Each illustrated portrait is captioned in English and in Tamil, and the title page of the work includes English, Tamil, and Telugu.
Chiang Mai is often called Thailand’s ‘Rose of the North’, and is the country’s second city and a popular tourist destination due primarily to its mountainous scenery, colourful ethnic hilltribes and their handicrafts.<br/><br/> Founded in 1296 by King Mengrai as the capital of his Lanna kingdom, Chiang Mai was later overrun by Burmese invaders in 1767. The city was then left abandoned between 1776 and 1791.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1774 by an agreement with local prince Chao Kavila, after the Siamese King Taksin helped drive out the Burmese. Chiang Mai then slowly grew in cultural, trading and economic importance.
Chiang Mai is often called Thailand’s ‘Rose of the North’, and is the country’s second city and a popular tourist destination due primarily to its mountainous scenery, colourful ethnic hilltribes and their handicrafts.<br/><br/> Founded in 1296 by King Mengrai as the capital of his Lanna kingdom, Chiang Mai was later overrun by Burmese invaders in 1767. The city was then left abandoned between 1776 and 1791.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1774 by an agreement with local prince Chao Kavila, after the Siamese King Taksin helped drive out the Burmese. Chiang Mai then slowly grew in cultural, trading and economic importance.