Background Reading on Asia | Asia Society Skip to main content

Unsupported Browser Detected.
It seems the web browser you're using doesn't support some of the features of this site. For the best experience, we recommend using a modern browser that supports the features of this website. We recommend Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge

  • Chinese Language Learning
    • Mandarin Jumpstart
    • National Chinese Language Conference
    • Teaching Resources Hub
    • Language Learning Supporters
  • Global Education
    • About Global Competence
    • Global Competency Resources
    • Teaching for Global Understanding
    • Thought Leadership
  • Discover Asia
    • Asia Society Kids Booklists
    • Cooking with STEAM
    • Global Learning
  • About
    • About
    • Results and Opportunities
    • News and Events
Search
Education
  • Chinese Language Learning
    • Mandarin Jumpstart
    • National Chinese Language Conference
    • Teaching Resources Hub
    • Language Learning Supporters
  • Global Education
    • About Global Competence
    • Global Competency Resources
    • Teaching for Global Understanding
    • Thought Leadership
  • Discover Asia
    • Asia Society Kids Booklists
    • Cooking with STEAM
    • Global Learning
  • About
    • About
    • Results and Opportunities
    • News and Events

  • About Global Competence
  • Global Competency Resources
  • Teaching for Global Understanding
    • Classroom Profiles and Case Studies
    • Background Reading on Asia
  • Thought Leadership

Background Reading on Asia

Read all about Asia and the world, with background reading that will give you context on culture, history, religions and philosophies, education systems, and more!

A mural of Kim Il Sung in the foreground (Anne Hilton)

North Korea: Looking Beyond the Stereotypes

We've compiled resources to help you cut through the stereotypes surrounding North Korea and more deeply examine the country, its people, and the complexities of its politics and nuclear program.
Tsinghua University, East Gate

China's Education System: The Oldest in the World

It may sound incredible, but China’s formal education system—the oldest in the world—was established nearly two millennia ago.
October 9 is the only national holiday dedicated to a writing system.

The World's Most Incredible Alphabet

Hint: It was invented to fit a language that previously used a borrowed writing system.
Folio from a Ashtasahashirika Prajnaparamita Manuscript

Visualize the World

Museum resources and educational resources that help students develop visual literacy and a better understanding of the world.
Tang Dynasty copy of 新婦地黃湯帖 by Wang Xianzhi (Taito Ward Calligraphy Museum). Image is in the public domain.

Revelations from the Brush

A case for practicing calligraphy from one learner's perspective.
A painting that has traces of the three teachings (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

The Three Teachings

How Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism complement one another. Read on to learn about the "fourth teaching."
A Tibetan mantra inscribed in rocks at Zanskar, India. Photographer unknown.

Math, Science, and Technology in India

A tour de force essay written by Dr. Roddham Narasimha.
Ralph Waldo Emerson. (Etching by Sam W. Rowse, 1878)
article

Indian Influences on Western Literature

Includes case studies on Ralph Waldo Emerson, T.S. Eliot, Herman Hesse, and The Beatles. A must-read!
Sarkhej Roza (Tomb & Mosque Of Ahmad Khattu Ganj Bakhsh) in India.

Islamic Belief Made Visual

On Islam and the use of geometric patterns.
Korean 'comfort women,' who were often teenagers. (KeithPR/flickr)

Japan's Sins of Omission

International dispute over history textbooks in East Asia.
Microfinance programs offer financial services to help start small businesses.

Microfinance: Seeds of Change

Microfinance enables people to escape a cycle of poverty by giving them loans to start a trade or business and savings accounts to accrue interest.
Early Chinese writing from the Shang Dynasty

Writing and Technology in China

How the development of writing, paper, the printing press, and internet continues to change China.

Pagination

  • Current page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Next page Next
  • Last page Last

Connect With Us

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021
t: 212-327-9260
education@asiasociety.org

Global Learning Updates


 
  • About Global Competence
  • Global Competency Resources
  • Teaching for Global Understanding
    • Classroom Profiles and Case Studies
    • Background Reading on Asia
  • Thought Leadership
About
  • Mission & History
  • Our People
  • Become a Member
  • Career Opportunities
  • Corporate Involvement
visit us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
global network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, D.C.
resources
  • Arts
  • Asia Society Magazine
  • ChinaFile
  • Current Affairs
  • Education
  • For Kids
  • Policy
  • Video
shop
  • AsiaStore
initiatives
  • Arts & Museum Summit
  • Asia 21 Young Leaders
  • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Society Museum: The Asia Arts & Museum Network
  • Asia Society Policy Institute
  • Asian Women Empowered
  • Center on U.S.-China Relations
  • Coal + Ice
  • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
  • Global Cities Education Network
  • Global Talent Initiatives
  • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
  • U.S.-China Dialogue
  • U.S.-China Museum Summit
Connect
Email Signup For the media
Asia Society logo
©2023 Asia Society | Privacy Statement | Accessibility | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap | Contact

Asia Society takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with any government.
The views expressed by Asia Society staff, fellows, experts, report authors, program speakers, board members, and other affiliates are solely their own. Learn more.

 

 

  • Visit Us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Global Network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, DC