"I absolutely love traveling in the Pacific Islands -- from the vibrant culture to the enriching nature and everything in between. This video contains my 6 favorite things about traveling in the Pacific Islands, as well as some of my best travel tips if you are planning to come here!" - Drew Binksy, American Travel Blogger
15 Best Countries to Visit in Asia
The largest continent on Earth, Asia stretches all the way from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Its vast landmass encompasses everything from epic mountain ranges such as the Himalayas to the dry and desolate Arabian and Gobi deserts. Steamy jungle can also be found in Southeast Asia, as well as paradise islands and beautiful beaches. In addition to its colossal size, Asia is remarkably home to more than half of the world’s population. With so many different cultures and languages, the continent’s dazzling diversity defies definition. As each country has its own unique history and heritage, Asia’s many hidden treasures could take a lifetime to unravel.
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National Geographic Traveler: Japan by Nicholas BornoffProviding in-depth descriptions of major cultural, architectural and historical sites, this guide takes the reader on a tour of Japan and includes mapping of specially commissioned walks and drives, plus regional and city maps.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 805.2 .B67 2000
ISBN: 0792275632
Publication Date: 2000-10-01
A modern history of Japan : from Tokugawa times to the present by Andrew GordonIn this sweeping narrative, Andrew Gordon paints a richly nuanced and strikingly original portrait of the last two centuries of Japanese history. Gordon takes us from the days of the shogunate--the feudal overlordship of the Tokugawa family--through the modernizing revolution launched by midlevel samurai in the late nineteenth century, the adoption of Western hairstyles, clothing, and military organization, and the nation's first experiments with mass democracy after World War I. Gordon offers the finest synthesis to date of Japan's passage through militarism, World War II, the American occupation, and the subsequent economic rollercoaster. But the true originality and value of his approach lies in his close attention to the non-elite layers of society. Here we see the influence of outside ideas, products, and culture on home life, labor unions, political parties, gender relations, and popular entertainment. Gordon shows the struggles to define the meaning of Japan's modernization, from villages and urban neighborhoods, to factory floors and middle managers' offices, to the imperial court. Most important, he illuminates the interconnectedness of Japanese developments with world history, demonstrating how Japan's historical passage represents a variation of a process experienced by many nations. Japan forms one part of the interwoven fabric of modern history. As head of the prestigious Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University, Gordon is one of the foremost American authorities on Japanese society. In this striking book, he brings all his knowledge and deep personal experience to bear, providing the most comprehensive portrait to date of Japan and its place in the wider world.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 881.9 .G66 2003
ISBN: 0195110609
Publication Date: 2002-10-17
Japan, a modern history by James L. McClainJapan: A Modern History provides a comprehensive narrative that integrates the political, social, cultural, and economic history of modern Japan from the investiture of Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603 to the present.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 881.9 .M34 2002
ISBN: 9780393041569
Publication Date: 2001-11-01
A Concise History of Japan by Brett L. WalkerTo this day, Japan's modern ascendancy challenges many assumptions about world history, particularly theories regarding the rise of the west and why the modern world looks the way it does. In this engaging new history, Brett L. Walker tackles key themes regarding Japan's relationships with its minorities, state and economic development, and the uses of science and medicine. The book begins by tracing the country's early history through archaeological remains, before proceeding to explore life in the imperial court, the rise of the samurai, civil conflict, encounters with Europe, and the advent of modernity and empire. Integrating the pageantry of a unique nation's history with today's environmental concerns, Walker's vibrant and accessible new narrative then follows Japan's ascension from the ashes of World War II into the thriving nation of today. It is a history for our times, posing important questions regarding how we should situate a nation's history in an age of environmental and climatological uncertainties.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 835 .W333 2015
ISBN: 9780521178723
Publication Date: 2015-02-26
The Making of Modern Japan by Marius B. JansenMagisterial in vision, sweeping in scope, this monumental work presents a seamless account of Japanese society during the modern era, from 1600 to the present. A distillation of more than 50 years' engagement with Japan and its history, it is the crowning work of our leading interpreter of the modern Japanese experience.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 871 .J35 2000
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 811 .S43 1989
ISBN: 0962190403
Publication Date: 1989-08-01
India : from midnight to the millennium by Shashi TharoorAs India celebrates half a century of independence from British rule, Shashi Tharoor, the prize-winning author of The Great Indian Novel, conducts a searching examination of his India -- a land of unparalleled diversity and extraordinary challenges, described by the British historian E. P. Thompson as "the most important country for the future of the world". In a series of interlinked themes -- "bread versus freedom", "centralization versus federalism", "pluralism versus fundamentalism", and "globalization versus self-sufficiency" -- Shashi Tharoor explains why India stands on the cusp of the most crucial debates of our time, and why the way India resolves these debates will decide whether the twenty-first century will give us a world safe for diversity. Always engaging, often impassioned, India, My India shows once again the insight and flair that have placed Shashi Tharoor in the front rank of India's writers.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 428.2 .T47 1997
ISBN: 9781559703840
Publication Date: 1997-08-15
The elephant, the tiger, and the cell phone : reflections on India, the emerging 21st-century power by Shashi TharoorAfter enduring years of hunger, deprivation, and devastating loss at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, ten-year-old Loung Ung became the "lucky child," the sibling chosen to accompany her eldest brother to America while her one surviving sister and two brothers remained behind. In this poignant and elegiac memoir, Loung recalls her assimilation into an unfamiliar new culture while struggling to overcome dogged memories of violence and the deep scars of war. In alternating chapters, she gives voice to Chou, the beloved older sister whose life in war-torn Cambodia so easily could have been hers. Highlighting the harsh realities of chance and circumstance in times of war as well as in times of peace, Lucky Child is ultimately a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and to the salvaging strength of family bonds.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 428.2 .T46 2007
ISBN: 9781559708616
Publication Date: 2007-09-19
The Pariah problem : caste, religion, and the social in modern India by Rupa ViswanathOnce known as "Pariahs," Dalits are primarily descendants of unfree agrarian laborers. They belong to India's most subordinated castes, face overwhelming poverty and discrimination, and provoke public anxiety. Drawing on a wealth of previously untapped sources, this book follows the conception and evolution of the "Pariah Problem" in public consciousness in the 1890s. It shows how high-caste landlords, state officials, and well-intentioned missionaries conceived of Dalit oppression, and effectively foreclosed the emergence of substantive solutions to the "Problem"--with consequences that continue to be felt today. Rupa Viswanath begins with a description of the everyday lives of Dalit laborers in the 1890s and highlights the systematic efforts made by the state and Indian elites to protect Indian slavery from public scrutiny. Protestant missionaries were the first non-Dalits to draw attention to their plight. The missionaries' vision of the Pariahs' suffering as being a result of Hindu religious prejudice, however, obscured the fact that the entire agrarian political-economic system depended on unfree Pariah labor. Both the Indian public and colonial officials came to share a view compatible with missionary explanations, which meant all subsequent welfare efforts directed at Dalits focused on religious and social transformation rather than on structural reform. Methodologically, theoretically, and empirically, this book breaks new ground to demonstrate how events in the early decades of state-sponsored welfare directed at Dalits laid the groundwork for the present day, where the postcolonial state and well-meaning social and religious reformers continue to downplay Dalits' landlessness, violent suppression, and political subordination.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 432 .P25 V57 2014
ISBN: 9780231163064
Publication Date: 2014-07-08
India : opposing viewpoints by Jamuna Carroll (Editor)Editor Jamuna Carroll has compiled a series of essays that debate issues and concepts related to India. Four chapters ask readers to evaluate India's global impact, what its most serious crises are, what its human rights status is, and what efforts would ensure India's future success. Essay sources include Nitya Jacob, G. Ananthapadmanabhan, K. Srinivas, Vinuta Gopal, and Rakesh Shukla.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 407 .I4456 2009
ISBN: 9780737743708
Publication Date: 2009-07-31
India : emerging power by Stephen P. CohenFor years, Americans have seen India as a giant but inept state. That negative image is now obsolete. After a decade of drift and uncertainty, India is taking its expected place as one of the three major states of Asia. Its pluralist, secular democracy has allowed the rise of hitherto deprived castes and ethnic communities. Economic liberalization is gathering steam, with six percent annual growth and annual exports in excess of $30 billion. India also has a modest capacity to project military power. The country will soon have a two-carrier navy and it is developing a nuclear-armed missile capable of reaching all of Asia. This landmark book provides the first comprehensive assessment of India as a political and strategic power since India's nuclear tests, its 1999 war with Pakistan, and its breakthrough economic achievements. Stephen P. Cohen examines the domestic and international causes of India's "emergence," he discusses the way social structure and tradition shape Delhi's perceptions of the world, and he explores India's relations with neighboring Pakistan and China, as well as the United States. Cohen argues that American policy needs to be adjusted to cope with a rising India--and that a relationship well short of alliance, but far more intimate than in the past, is appropriate for both countries.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 480.853 .C634 2001
ISBN: 9780815700067
Publication Date: 2001-07-01
Does the elephant dance? : contemporary Indian foreign policy by David M. MaloneIndia today looms large globally, where it hardly loomed at all twenty years ago. It is likely to be a key global actor throughout the twenty-first century and could well emerge soon as one of the top five global powers.Does the Elephant Dance? seeks to survey the main features of Indian foreign policy. It identifies elements of Indian history relevant to the topic; examines the role therein of domestic politics and internal and external security challenges, and of domestic and international economic factors; andin successive chapters delves into the specifics of India's policy within its South Asian neighbourhood, and with respect to China, the USA, West Asia (the Middle East), East Asia, Europe and Russia, and multilateral diplomacy. It also touches on Indian ties to Africa and Latin America and theCaribbean. India's "soft power", the role of migration in its policy, and other cross-cutting issues are analyzed, as is the role and approach of several categories of foreign policy actors in India. Substantive conclusions close out the volume, and touch, inter alia, on the absence of an organizingframework for Indian foreign policy.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS480.853 .M3655 2011
ISBN: 9780199552023
Publication Date: 2011-05-08
Vietnam : journeys of body, mind, and spirit by Van Huy Nguyen (Editor); Laurel Kendall (Editor)Vietnam: Journeys of Body, Mind, and Spirit takes the reader on an informed and engaging journey into the social and ritual life of contemporary Vietnam. Created to accompany the first major collaboration between a Vietnamese museum and an American museum on an exhibition of Vietnamese culture, this book moves beyond the troubled wartime history of both nations to a deeper portrayal of how Vietnamese of different ages, ethnicities, occupations, and circumstances live at the start of the twenty-first century. The contributors?most of whom live and work in Vietnam, while others have spent many years in intimate association with Vietnamese life?offer a unique perspective on the country and its diverse cultural mosaic. The text is complemented by a rich collection of photographs and illustrations that capture the complexity and nuance of daily life. The journeys portrayed in this volume cut across virtually every domain of Vietnamese experience. Some take place on roads, railways, rivers, and footpaths, as family members come home for the New Year and traders carry goods precariously balanced on bicycles. Others are metaphorical: life is a journey marked by significant rituals, and the year is a journey mapped by a calendar with holidays as milestones along the way. Souls travel to the netherworld, while gods and ancestors return to the human world during celebrations in their honor. Although the Vietnam War dominated the consciousness of a generation of Americans, few understand the country and few can imagine what it is like today. Appearing more than a decade after Vietnam's entrance into the global market and more than a quarter century after the cessation of hostilities between the Vietnamese and U.S. governments, this book provides a new understanding of how Vietnamese live, work, and celebrate critical passages of life and time. Copublished with the American Museum of Natural History and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 556.42 .V54 2003
ISBN: 0520238729
Publication Date: 2003-05-02
Vietnam : [a quick guide to customs & etiquette] by Geoffrey MurrayCulture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships. Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include * customs, values, and traditions * historical, religious, and political background * life at home * leisure, social, and cultural life * eating and drinking * do's, don'ts, and taboos * business practices * communication, spoken and unspoken "Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times Travel "... the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." Global Travel "...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." Observer "...as useful as they are entertaining." Easyjet Magazine "...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New York Times
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 556.42 .M87 2006
ISBN: 1857333330
Publication Date: 2006-09-05
The Balinese by Louise S. Spindler (Editor); George D. Spindler (Editor); J. Stephen LansingThis study of the complex Balinese culture examines Balinese concepts of personhood and society; the integration of art into every aspect of Balinese life; the effects of the Guen Revolution on Balinese agriculture; the ecological role of their water temples in an age-old system of inigrate rice terraces; and the ethnohistory of Bali, including both colonial and Balinese views. The book is organized around four different periods of fieldwork and includes an appendix of available films and videos on the Balinese.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 647 .B2 L24 1995
ISBN: 9780155002401
Publication Date: 1994-11-15
Korea - Culture Smart! by James HoareCulture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships. Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include * customs, values, and traditions * historical, religious, and political background * life at home * leisure, social, and cultural life * eating and drinking * do's, don'ts, and taboos * business practices * communication, spoken and unspoken "Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times Travel "... the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." Global Travel "...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." Observer "...as useful as they are entertaining." Easyjet Magazine "...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New York Times
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 904 .H628 2005
ISBN: 9781857333657
Publication Date: 2006-09-05
Korean Dream by Hyun Jin Preston MoonKorean Dream: A Vision for a Unified Korea is a powerful call to action for Koreans and supporters everywhere to achieve a new nation, rooted in a common past. In this Centennial Edition, which debuted on several bestseller lists including the Wall Street Journal, LA Times, and Publishers Weekly, Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon presents an innovative way forward for the Korean Peninsula that at its heart is Korean led. Ultimately, Korean reunification is the only long-term solution to security, economic, and social problems created through a 70-year division of the Peninsula. Dr. Moon goes a step further, offering a groundbreaking approach to peace rooted in the founding principles of Hongik Ingan, cultural practices, and engagement from civil society organizations to empower Koreans to become global advocates for peace. Korean Dream calls upon Koreans, Korean diaspora, and people everywhere to take charge and work to achieve a reunified Korean peninsula. Korean Dream Empowers the Korean People to Rediscover Their Historic Identity. Dr. Moon's vision empowers the Korean people to rediscover their 5,000-year-old historic identity and take it upon themselves to lead the way toward a peaceful reunification of the peninsula. A Nation Built on Shared History and Heritage. For reunification to happen, modern South Korea must recognize and embrace its shared history, heritage and culture. South Korea's surging economy and decades of separation caused many to lose sight of its past and common connection with Koreans in the North. A Korean-led Future with Universal Principles and Values. Korea must represent the goals of its people in the form of a popular, representative form of government. A reunified Korea must give the Korean people the same freedoms and human rights that the American people and others around the world have today. Live for the Greater Benefit of All Humanity. Hongik Ingan defines the hope, potential, and strength of the Korean people. Korean Dream is devoted to the welfare of mankind in working toward reunification, drawing support from participants regarding human rights, universal spiritual principles and natural law toward a civic society. The Role of Civil Society and NGOs. Civic associations are the heart of a thriving democracy; a medium through which citizens contribute to and build the life of the national community. The Korean people must engage with one another and civic associations to address issues in local areas beyond the scope of government. Reunification is Only the First Step. Beyond Korean reunification, the Korean people would be in a position to become global advocates on the basis of high moral principles. These principles of the Korean Dream will become a global call for realizing a world that lives as One Family under God.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 917.444 .M69 2020
ISBN: 9781642799804
Publication Date: 2020-03-31
Korea's place in the sun : a modern history by Bruce CumingsAn account of Korea's travails and triumphs in the modern period, this history of the country's turbulent peaks and troughs seeks to throw light on Korea's place in East Asian history in the 20th century.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 917 .C86 1997
ISBN: 0393316815
Publication Date: 1998-02-01
Southeast Asia : a concise history by Mary Somers HeidhuesSoutheast Asia is an important global crossroads. A melting pot of cultures, religions and peoples, it has seen the rise and fall of many mighty empires. This book guides the reader through the history of the region, from the earliest prehistoric peoples to the late 20th-century.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 525 .H43 2000
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 660 .C47 1980
ISBN: 0810914751
Publication Date: 1981-02-01
China - Culture Smart! by Kathy FlowerCulture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships. Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include: * customs, values, and traditions * historical, religious, and political background * life at home * leisure, social, and cultural life * eating and drinking * do's, don'ts, and taboos * business practices * communication, spoken and unspoken "Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times Travel "... the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." Global Travel "...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." Observer "...as useful as they are entertaining." Easyjet Magazine "...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New York Times
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 779.43 .F56 2006
ISBN: 1857333047
Publication Date: 2006-09-05
Dreaming in Chinese : Mandarin lessons in life, love, and language by Deborah FallowsDeborah Fallows has spent much of her life learning languages and traveling around the world. But nothing prepared her for the surprises of learning Mandarin, China's most common language, or the intensity of living in Shanghai and Beijing. Over time, she realized that her struggles and triumphs in studying the language of her adopted home provided small clues to deciphering the behavior and habits of its people,and its culture's conundrums. As her skill with Mandarin increased, bits of the language--a word, a phrase, an oddity of grammar--became windows into understanding romance, humor, protocol, relationships, and the overflowing humanity of modern China. Fallows learned, for example, that the abrupt, blunt way of speaking that Chinese people sometimes use isn't rudeness, but is, in fact, a way to acknowledge and honor the closeness between two friends. She learned that English speakers' trouble with hearing or saying tones--the variations in inflection that can change a word's meaning--is matched by Chinese speakers' inability not to hear tones, or to even take a guess at understanding what might have been meant when foreigners misuse them. In sharing what she discovered about Mandarin, and how those discoveries helped her understand a culture that had at first seemed impenetrable, Deborah Fallows's Dreaming in Chinese opens up China to Westerners more completely, perhaps, than it has ever been before.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 779.43 .F36 2010
ISBN: 0802779131
Publication Date: 2010-08-31
China : opposing viewpoints by Noah BerlatskyPresents articles discussing recent issues regarding China, including the status of human rights, its economic challenges, and the power of its military.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 779.4 .C44 2010
ISBN: 9780737747652
Publication Date: 2010-04-09
China today, China tomorrow : domestic politics, economy, and society by Joseph FewsmithMindy T. Barnes is introduced in the 1st book of this fantasy/sci-fi series where nothing is exactly as it appears to be and secrets are everywhere. Mindy is an independent young girl who wakes up at 12 years of age to a leadership role she never expected and to gifts way beyond her imagination. The life she knew unravels as she moves towards fulfilling her destiny. She develops a difficult yet very important relationship with Zack, travels to the planet Tessina in a test tube vial, and ends up on a collision course with the challenges of managing the lives of thousands. Mindy's greatest challenge, though, is a man who claims to have created her and a number of other races - among them the Native and the Earth Tessinians. Plot twists and turns, and memorable characters add to the richness of this fast-paced read for both adults and younger readers. "What a story! What an ending!" ~ Lola S. Book includes: Topics of Discussion for Reading Groups and Teachers, and other important story reference materials Books in the Secret Life of Mindy T. Barnes series By Lila Moon LilaMoon@email.com Book 1 - Life Unraveled Book 2 - The Rebellion Book 3 - Escape (end of 2013) Book 4 - Birthing Pains (2014) Book 5 - Life, Love and War (2014) Book 6 - The Dying Times (2014) ...LIKE 'Mindy T. Barnes' on Facebook and get the New Tessinian font downloaded to your computer (The font includes Mindy's handwriting and 44 symbols.)
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS779.26 .C473535 2010
ISBN: 9780742567078
Publication Date: 2010-08-16
China Road by Rob GiffordRoute 312 is the Chinese Route 66. It flows three thousand miles from east to west, passing through the factory towns of the coastal areas, through the rural heart of China, then up into the Gobi Desert, where it merges with the Old Silk Road. The highway witnesses every part of the social and economic revolution that is turning China upside down. In this utterly surprising and deeply personal book, acclaimed National Public Radio reporter Rob Gifford, a fluent Mandarin speaker, takes the dramatic journey along Route 312 from its start in the boomtown of Shanghai to its end on the border with Kazakhstan. Gifford reveals the rich mosaic of modern Chinese life in all its contradictions, as he poses the crucial questions that all of us are asking about China: Will it really be the next global superpower? Is it as solid and as powerful as it looks from the outside? And who are the ordinary Chinese people, to whom the twenty-first century is supposed to belong? Gifford is not alone on his journey. The largest migration in human history is taking place along highways such as Route 312, as tens of millions of people leave their homes in search of work. He sees signs of the booming urban economy everywhere, but he also uncovers many of the country’s frailties, and some of the deep-seated problems that could derail China’s rise. The whole compelling adventure is told through the cast of colorful characters Gifford meets: garrulous talk-show hosts and ambitious yuppies, impoverished peasants and tragic prostitutes, cell-phone salesmen, AIDS patients, and Tibetan monks. He rides with members of a Shanghai jeep club, hitchhikes across the Gobi desert, and sings karaoke with migrant workers at truck stops along the way. As he recounts his travels along Route 312, Rob Gifford gives a face to what has historically, for Westerners, been a faceless country and breathes life into a nation that is so often reduced to economic statistics. Finally, he sounds a warning that all is not well in the Chinese heartlands, that serious problems lie ahead, and that the future of the West has become inextricably linked with the fate of 1.3 billion Chinese people. “Informative, delightful, and powerfully moving . . . Rob Gifford’s acute powers of observation, his sense of humor and adventure, and his determination to explore the wrenching dilemmas of China’s explosive development open readers’ eyes and reward their minds.” –Robert A. Kapp, president, U.S.-China Business Council, 1994-2004
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS712 .G53 2007
ISBN: 9781400064670
Publication Date: 2007-05-29
The Chan's great continent : China in western minds by Jonathan D. SpenceChina has transfixed the West since the earliest contacts between these civilizations. Now Jonathan Spence, our foremost historian of Chinese politics and culture, tells us, in his elegant new book, how the West has understood China over seven centuries. Ranging from Marco Polo's own depiction of China and the mighty Kublai in the 1270s to the China sightings of three twentieth-century writers of acknowledged genius -- Kafka, Borges, and Calvino -- Spence explores Western thought on China through a remarkable array of expression. Peopling Spence's account are Iberian adventurers, Jesuit missionaries, Enlightenment synthesizers, spinners of the dreamy cult of Chinoiserie, American observers such as Bret Harte and Mark Twain, and diplomats from Lord Macartney to Henry Kissinger. Their visions, alternately coarse and subtle, generous and vicious, outline the West's image as readily as they do China's. China has commanded the attention of the West for seven centuries, and here Spence once again compels our attention with his new history of China's presence in Western minds.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 706 .S62 1998
ISBN: 9780393027471
Publication Date: 1998-09-01
China : opposing views by David M. HaugenFirst introduced 35 years ago, the Opposing Viewpoints series has developed and set the standard for current-issue studies. With more than 90 volumes covering nearly every controversial contemporary topic, Opposing Viewpoints is the leading source for libraries and classrooms in need of current-issue materials. Each title explores a specific issue by placing expert opinions in a unique pro/con format. The viewpoints are selected from a wide range of highly respected and often hard-to-find sources and publications.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 706 .C48855 2006
ISBN: 0737733896
Publication Date: 2006-03-24
Five fold happiness : the Chinese concepts of luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness and wealth by Vivien SungSurround yourself with lucky objects, the Chinese believe, and good fortune will come to you. In word and image, this exquisite volume-a delight to hold in the hand-explores the bounteous meanings of the five-fold symbols of happiness: luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness, and wealth. Drenched in color and lavishly illustrated from ancient and modern sources,Five-Fold Happiness interweaves both Chinese and English text. Peaches, the number eight, the imperial color of gold, a cat with one paw beckoning, or the dragon dance-here are some of the familiar images now revealed in their rich significance. Whether readers choose to embrace these symbols in their everyday lives or simply enjoy them on these glorious pages,Five-Fold Happiness is altogether auspicious.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 721 .S926 2002
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 721 .T46 1986
ISBN: 0671620282
Publication Date: 1987-01-01
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of China by B. G. HookThe Cambridge Encyclopedia of China provides an absorbing and authoritative account of China and all things Chinese - geography, politics, customs, food and drink, the arts, and a rich and colourful history, from ancient times through to the momentous events of the past decade. Brian Hook and his team of expert contributors have thoroughly revised and updated the Encyclopedia to take full account of the most recent developments in China, from the economic reforms and increased freedoms of the early 1980s to the crisis of 1989 and its aftermath. The book is thus a uniquely broad-ranging account of China for everyone with an interest in the area, which will appeal both as a highly attractive illustrated reference book and as an invaluable source of practical information on a developing superpower.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 705 .C35 1982
ISBN: 0521230993
Publication Date: 1982-09-02
Half the world: the history and culture of China and Japan. by Arnold J. ToynbeeAs the world shrinks and all nations become involved with one another, Western ignorance of the great and ancient civilizations of China and Japan seems as benighted as the medieval astronomers' ignorance of the solar system. Aware of the relative unfamiliarity of the subject, the thirteen scholars who contributed to this book assumed nothing but the reader's desire to know, while resisting the temptation to oversimplify. By way of prologue there is a chapter on the Chinese script, which has served to give Chinese civilization its 3,000-year continuity and which unites it to Japan. The second chapter covers the political and social history of China to the end of the Manchu era, followed by separate discussions of foreign relations, religion, philosophy, science, and literature. The section ends by showing how Chinese civilization was carried to Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, and Japan -- followed by a parallel treatment of Japanese history and culture as far as the Meiji Restoration. The final chapters trace the impact of the West on China and Japan, and examine the roles of both countries in the modern world. Integral to the book, and of outstanding importance in their own right, are the illustrations, which draw upon documents, paintings, and works of art in museums all over the world to form a unique collection. East Asia, past and present, comes to life with an unprecedented vividness and authenticity.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DS 721 .T67 1973
ISBN: 0030107164
Publication Date: 1973-01-01
New Zealand by Nancy Keller; Peter Turner; Jeff WilliamsThis edition features a colour flora and fauna section. In addition it provides extensive cultural information, and it includes a guide to outdoor activities including national parks and ski areas.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DU 405.5 .T951 1998
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DU 23.5 .B56 1985
ISBN: 9780870445491
Publication Date: 1985-08-01
The History of New Zealand by Tom BrookingWith its closest neighbor some 1,200 miles away, New Zealand is one of the most geographically isolated countries in the world. Its remoteness led to its relatively late settlement. Brooking traces New Zealand from its earliest Maori settlers to issues in 2003, covering intertribal relations, the effects of European contact, the challenges of globalization, and more. The volume includes a timeline of historical events, biographical entries of notable people in the history of New Zealand, a glossary of Maori terms, and a bibliographic essay. With its closest neighbor some 1,200 miles away, New Zealand is one of the most geographically isolated countries in the world. Its remoteness led to its relatively late settlement. Brooking traces New Zealand from its earliest Maori settlers to issues in 2003, covering intertribal relations, the effects of European contact, the challenges of globalization, and more. The volume includes a timeline of historical events, biographical entries of notable people in the history of New Zealand, a glossary of Maori terms, and a bibliographic essay. This concise, engagingly written volume is ideal for students and general interest readers seeking information on New Zealand's history.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DU 420 .B745 2004
ISBN: 0313323569
Publication Date: 2004-06-30
Nomads of the wind : a natural history of Polynesia by Peter CrawfordAccompanying a BBC2 series, this book tells the story of the Polynesians, a tenacious, voyaging people who sailed across the Pacific Ocean and discovered the paradise islands of the South Seas. Using the power of the wind and navigating by the stars, they crossed thousands of miles of open ocean in search of new lands such as Tahiti, Samao and New Zealand.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DU 510 .C738 1993
ISBN: 9780563367079
Publication Date: 1994-10-01
Island at the End of the World by Steven Roger FischerOn a long stretch of green coast in the South Pacific, hundreds of enormous, impassive stone heads stand guard against the ravages of time, war, and disease that have attempted over the centuries to conquer Easter Island. Steven Roger Fischer offers the first English-language history of Easter Island in Island at the End of the World, a fascinating chronicle of adversity, triumph, and the enduring monumentality of the island's stone guards. A small canoe with Polynesians brought the first humans to Easter Island in 700 CE, and when boat travel in the South Pacific drastically decreased around 1500, the Easter Islanders were forced to adapt in order to survive their isolation. Adaptation, Fischer asserts, was a continuous thread in the life of Easter Island: the first European visitors, who viewed the awe-inspiring monolithic busts in 1722, set off hundreds of years of violent warfare, trade, and disease--from the smallpox, wars, and Great Death that decimated the island to the late nineteenth-century Catholic missionaries who tried to "save" it to a despotic Frenchman who declared sole claim of the island and was soon killed by the remaining 111 islanders. The rituals, leaders, and religions of the Easter Islanders evolved with all of these events, and Fischer is just as attentive to the island's cultural developments as he is to its foreign invasions. Bringing his history into the modern era, Fischer examines the colonization and annexation of Easter Island by Chile, including the Rapanui people's push for civil rights in 1964 and 1965, by which they gained full citizenship and freedom of movement on the island. As travel to and interest in the island rapidly expand, Island at the End of the World is an essential history of this mysterious site.
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection F 3169 .F475 2006
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DU 819 .F58 H65 1992
ISBN: 9780030316920
Publication Date: 1992-01-01
A nation rising : Hawaiian movements for life, land, and sovereignty by Noelani Goodyear-Kaopua (Editor); Ikaika Hussey (Editor); Erin Kahunawaika'ala Wright (Editor)A Nation Rising chronicles the political struggles and grassroots initiatives collectively known as the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. Scholars, community organizers, journalists, and filmmakers contribute essays that explore Native Hawaiian resistance and resurgence from the 1970s to the early 2010s. Photographs and vignettes about particular activists further bring Hawaiian social movements to life. The stories and analyses of efforts to protect land and natural resources, resist community dispossession, and advance claims for sovereignty and self-determination reveal the diverse objectives and strategies, as well as the inevitable tensions, of the broad-tent sovereignty movement. The collection explores the Hawaiian political ethic of ea, which both includes and exceeds dominant notions of state-based sovereignty. A Nation Rising raises issues that resonate far beyond the Hawaiian archipelago, issues such as Indigenous cultural revitalization, environmental justice, and demilitarization. Contributors. Noa Emmett Aluli, Ibrahim G. Aoudé, Kekuni Blaisdell, Joan Conrow, Noelani Goodyear-Ka'opua, Edward W. Greevy, Ulla Hasager, Pauahi Ho'okano, Micky Huihui, Ikaika Hussey, Manu Ka'iama, Le'a Malia Kanehe, J. Kehaulani Kauanui, Anne Keala Kelly, Jacqueline Lasky, Davianna Pomaika'i McGregor, Nalani Minton, Kalamaoka'aina Niheu, Katrina-Ann R. Kapa'anaokalaokeola Nakoa Oliveira, Jonathan Kamakawiwo'ole Osorio, Leon No'eau Peralto, Kekailoa Perry, Puhipau, Noenoe K. Silva, D. Kapua'ala Sproat, Ty P. Kawika Tengan, Mehana Blaich Vaughan, Kuhio Vogeler, Erin Kahunawaika'ala Wright
Call Number: Belleville General Book Collection DU 624.65 .N358 2014