East Asia Blog Round-Up : 7/10/2012

• A Man With Tea - Toranosuke shares his thoughts on the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands debate.
• Borrowed Culture - Fabrizio goes for a walk in the Beijing hutongs.
• Carl Gene - Carl lists 25 common Chinese abbreviations.
• ChineseQuest - The author updates his language learning goals for the next few months.
• Confused Laowai - Niel compiles a list of 9 essential digital tools for Chinese learners.
• Conquering Japan & Beyond - Justin talks about his Wakayama weekend adventure.
• Dale’s Korean Temple Adventures - Dale visits the picturesque Gyeseungsa Temple in Goseong.
• FluentFlix - Ben interviews Chinese learner Phil Beckwith.
• Hermit Hideaways - Gregory goes for a hike in Naejangsan National Park.
• How to Japan - Dan puts together a definitive guide to reading and learning real Japanese using manga.
• Korean Modern Literature in Translation - Charles reviews the short story anthology, Early Spring, Mid-Summer.
• Laowai Chinese - Albert lists the top 10 Chinese characters and words you need to know for shopping in China.
• Life Behind the Wall - The author talks about her recent bout of food poisoning and experiences at her local Chinese hospital.
  
• Life on Nanchang Lu - Fiona visits the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe.
• Lingualift - Greg explains the use of slippers in Japan.
• Living a Dream in China - Sara shares her first impressions of her autumn semester courses at Sun Yat-Sen University.
• Maggie Moo Does Korea - Maggie battles the crowds to see Psy live in Seoul.
• More Things Japanese - Benjamin joins in the fun at the 2012 Kitadaito Festival.
• Rurousha - The author writes about higanbana, a Japanese flower associated with loss and longing.
• Selly’s Little World - Selly celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival with some KTV and a lush Chinese banquet.
• Seoul Sub-Urban - The authors explore the area around Seoul’s Yeonsinnae Station.
• Sophie’s Japan Blog - Sophie interviews Renae Lucas-Hall, author of the romance novel Tokyo Hearts.
• Surviving in Japan - Ashley writes a short guide explaining where you can see and enjoy Japan’s autumn foliage.
• The View From Over Here - The author takes part in some of the Chuseok events held at Namsangol Hanok Village.
• Tofugu - Hashi takes a look at Japan’s unusual themed cafés.
• Webs of Significance - YTSL visits Meiji Shrine in Tokyo.
• YoWangdu - Lobsang writes about sand mandalas and their significance in Tibetan Buddhism.

Namsangol Traditional Korean Village in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

That’s all for this week’s edition of the Eye on East Asia Blog Round-Up. The next edition will be posted on Sunday 14th October 2012.

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East Asia Blog Round-Up : 4/3/2012

Here is this week’s Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up.

• Ajumma’s Journal - The author creates an itinerary for night owls celebrating the Great Full Moon, or Daeboreum (대보름), festival.
• An American in North Korea - Joseph gives some advice on what to pack for a trip to North Korea.
• Annyeong from Anyang - Lana writes about her recent trip to Cambodia.
• Appetite for China - Diana shares a delicious recipe for spicy Hunan beef with cumin.
• Carl Gene - Carl compiles a list of Chinese nouns ending with de (的).
• Chinaful - Courtney talks about her adventures in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia.
• Dale’s Korean Temple Adventures - Dale visits Hwaeomsa Temple (화엄사) in Yangsan.
• East Asian Student - Hugh explains the difference between passive and active vocabulary.
• Good & Bad Japan - The author explains why Japanese really isn’t as difficult as the Japanese insist it is.
• Hacking Chinese - Olle talks about the “10,000-hour rule” in language learning.
• I’ll Make it Myself - The author talks about Japanese street food and the 2012 Foodpia Land food fair.
• Josephine McDermott -  Josephine bemoans the lack of good value massage parlours in London.
• Life of a Foreign Hachikin - Indi lists her top five Japanese movies.
• Life on Nanchang Lu - Fiona learns about allotment farming in China.
• Lingomi - Steven calls on readers to rate his spoken Mandarin.
• Mark’s  China Blog - Mark reviews the late Nien Cheng’s memoir Life and Death in Shanghai.
• Mountain Phoenix Over Tibet - The author talks about Tibet’s mythical King Gesar of Ling.
• Mutantfrog Travelogue - Adam explains why he feels his Japanese sucks and always will.
• My Mid-Twenties in Mongolia - Liz shows you how to celebrate the New Year Mongolian style.
• Out to Lunch - Carolyn shares her recipe for Shanghainese salt-and-pepper chicken (椒鹽雞).
• Seeing Red in China - Tom reviews Liao Yiwu’s book about Christianity in Communist China, God is Red.
• Shenzhen Noted - Mary Ann shares her thoughts on the sorry state of Shenzhen’s print media.
• Shizuoka Gourmet - The author posts a simple recipe for Okinawan chilli oil (食べるラー油).
• Space for Grace - Grace wonders what the future holds for her and her career and family.
• Taiwan Duck - JJ Lym shows readers how to make Taiwanese oyster omelettes (蚵仔煎) at home.
• The Wild East - Trista reviews Nick Kembel’s bilingual book Taiwan From the Eyes of a Foreigner.
• To Shuo - Mark talks about an interesting character in his life, the Chinese Character Enthusiast.
• Tofugu - Hashi responds to Adam’s post and considers what it means to be fluent in Japanese.
• TsukuBlog - Avi talks about the legacy of ancient Japan’s frontier guards, the sakimori (防人).
• Writer. Traveller. Tea Drinker - Becky talks about a slight mishap at McDonalds.
• You’re Not From Around Here, Are You? - Steve writes about his visit to the Dai homeland of Xishuangbanna (西双版纳) in Yunnan Province.

That’s all for this week. The next blog round-up will be posted on Sunday 11th March 2012.

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East Asia Blog Round-Up : 5/2/2012

Here is this week’s Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up :

• A Man With Tea - Toranosuke talks about the difficulties of engaging in Japanese culture in the US.
• Ajumma’s Journal - The author talks about the role of the peony, or moran (모란), in Korean culture.
• An American in North Korea - Joseph posts some stunning photos taken at the Arirang Mass Games (아리랑 축제).
• Beyond Kimchee - Holly shares her recipe for deep-fried winter vegetables.
• Blonde Adventures - The author visits one of Korea’s five grand palaces, Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁) in Seoul.
• ChinaB - Hannah explains why she thinks Guangzhou holds the key to China’s future.
• Dale’s Korean Temple Adventures - Dale visits Mireukasa Temple (미륵사) in Busan.
• East Asia Student - Hugh talks about the first year of his Chinese Studies degree at Churchill College, Cambridge.
• Fili’s World – Fili explores the Nanputuo Temple (南普陀寺) in Xiamen.
• Gyeongju Blog - Sherwin visits the Yeongcheon Memorial and National Cemetery (국립영천호국원 ).
• Haikugirl’s Japan - Ali reviews Lian Hearn’s novel Blossoms and Shadows.
• Haus in Korea - Meghan goes shark diving in Busan.
• Japan: Life & Religion - Doug sings praise for Japan’s convenience stores.
• Just Another Day in Japan - Joe talks about his life post-JET.
• Kunisaki - Alex mingles with the demons at the shujou-onie festival (修正鬼会) at JoubutsuTemple (成仏寺).
• Laowai Chinese - Albert shares his first impressions of the new Chinese Grammar Wiki site.
• Life & Times in China - Julie celebrates her first Lunar New Year in China.
• Life on Nanchang Lu - Fiona talks about her 3-day train journey to Harbin (哈尔滨).
• Lingomi - Steven interviews Dave, the author of the Chinese Hacks blog.
• Mountain Phoenix Over Tibet - The author talks about the difficulties of transliterating Tibetan place names.
• My Beijing Survival Diary - The author hosts a dumpling party.
• My Kafkaesque Life - The author goes on a sightseeing tour of Chiayi (嘉義) in southern Taiwan.
• Naruhodo - Steffen delves into the world of traditional Japanese mathematics (和算).
• Roboseyo – Rob shares his thoughts on Girls Generation’s (소녀시대) recent performance on the David Letterman Show.
• Shards of China - Nicholas talks about the rise of male prostitution in China.
• Shenzhen Noted - Mary Ann explores Macau’s historic city centre.
• Taiwan Duck - The author shares her recipe for Taiwanese-style braised chicken (紅燒油雞).
• The Korea Guide - WonTaek lists some typically Korean habits and behaviours.
• The View From Over Here - The author has fun in the snow at the Daegwallyeong Snow Festival (대관령 눈꽃 축제).
• Tigers & Magpies - Eddie wanders among the tombs of the Daereungwon (대릉원) tomb complex in Gyeongju.
• TsukuBlog - Avi talks about one of Ibaraki’s (茨城) unique festivals, hatsu uma (初午).
• Writer. Traveller. Tea Drinker – Becky escapes the madness of China’s New Year celebrations to spend the holidays in Hong Kong.
• Xinjiang : Far West China - Josh shares some beautiful photos of Xinjiang in the winter.

That’s all for this week. There will not be a blog round-up for the next two weeks as my mother will be visiting me, so the next Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up will be posted on Sunday 26th February 2012.

East Asian Archaeology & Cultural Heritage News : 21/01/2012

China :

• AFP – China Offers Sri Lanka Help to Find Silk Route Wrecks
• Anhui News - Hefei to Build a Street for Cultural Heritage
• China Daily - 200 Square Metres of Frescoes Restored in Mogao Grottoes
• China Daily - Ancient Royal Ritual to be Reenacted
• China Daily - Chinese Paint the Town Red
• China Daily - Living in the Shadows
• China Daily - Relics from Yinxu Ruins on Display in Sichuan
• China Daily - Six-talent City of Confucius
• China.Org.Cn - The Ancient Bell Museum
• People’s Daily - Relics Shed Light on Human History
• Xinhua - Drunken Dragon Festival Exhibition Kicks Off in Macao
• Xinhua - Xixi Wetland Park in Hangzhou Earns AAAAA Status

Japan :

• Asahi Shimbun - Hiragana Letters on Earthenware Bring Back Memories of Heian Culture
• Daily Yomiuri - Japan’s Blue Pearl
• Mainichi Daily News - Oldest Hiragana Version of ‘Iroha’ Poem Found on Ancient Earthenware in Mie

Mongolia :

• BBC News – Life in Mongolia
• People’s Daily - Mongolian President Calls for Wider Use of Traditional Script
• UB Post - Creating Art with Woodblock

South Korea :

• Korea Herald - Professor Casts New Light on Seoul Fortress Wall
• Korea IT Times - More Temples to Welcome Foreign Visitors Year-round
• Korea Times - Art and History of ‘Hangwa’
• Korea Times - Ways to Enjoy Seollal with Family
• The Hankyoreh - Cultural Rites Provide Key to Understanding Ourselves
• The Hankyoreh - Leave Ancestral Rites Where They Belong – in the Past
• Yonhap News Agency - Government Pushes for Joint Exhibition of Joseon Annals with North Korea

Taiwan :

• Taiwan Today - Film Documents Atayal’s Yearning for Home

Tibet :

• Radio Free Asia - Tibetan Culture Remains Strong

Follow Me on Twitter!

UPDATE : Readers are welcome to follow my Twitter account, @EyeonEastAsia, where you will receive (almost) daily updates on East Asian cuisine, languages, cultural heritage and archaeology.

Readers are welcome to follow my Twitter account, @EAsiaHeritage, where you will receive (almost) daily updates on East Asian cultural heritage and archaeology news.

The main focus is on China, Japan and South Korea archaeology and heritage but you will also find news on Mongolian, Tibetan and Taiwanese cultural heritage as well as the occasional link to useful educational resources, such as this one.

East Asia Blog Round-Up : 27/10/2010

Here is this week’s mid-week edition of the Eye on East Asia Blog Round-Up :

• Asia Shock - The author reviews Taniguchi Senkichi’s 1947 film Snow Trail (銀嶺の果て).
• China Hope Live - Joel talks about the ways in which your choice of apartment can affect your relationships with Chinese locals.
• Confused Laowai – The Confused Laowai shares his thoughts on the language learning website L-Lingo.
• Danwei - An interview with Chris Taylor, author of Harvest Season, a novel set in south-western China.
• Japan : Life and Religion - Doug gives some pointers on Japanese business etiquette.
• Just Hungry - Maki shares her recipe for tororo soba (とろろ蕎麦), or soba noodles with grated nagaimo.
• Korean Modern Literature in Translation - Recommended books and short stories for those interested in Korean contemporary literature.
• Life on the Tibetan Plateau – The author talks about a recent visit to the earthquake-stricken Yushu Prefecture (玉树) in Qinghai Province.
• New Worlds to Conquer - Anuan’s family say sayonara to their life in Japan as they embark on their next adventure.
• The Japanese Food Report - Harris posts recipes for two delicious miso dressings.
• The Lobster Dance - The author does battle with the Godzilla of Japanese cockroaches.
• The View from Over Here - The author goes hiking on Yongmunsan (용문산).
• Tsukublog - Avi accidentally finds himself on the women-only compartment of the Tsukuba Express.

That’s all for this edition of the East Asia Blog Round-Up. The next edition will be posted on Sunday 31st October 2010.

Archaeology in the News : 22/2/2010

Ancient Armour Fragments Unearthed (Asahi Shimbun)

Twenty seven fragments of iron armour have been unearthed at the site of an eighth-century palace near modern day Mukō (向日) in Kyōto Prefecture. The fragments are believed to be made from iron cast between the sixth and eighth centuries and may have been part of the suits of armour passed down from king to king as imperial heirlooms.

Over 3,000 New Cultural Relic Sites Found (People’s Daily)

A general cultural relics survey conducted in Tibet in late 2009 has revealed over 3,ooo cultural relic sites. These include rock paintings on Tashi Island on the banks of Namtso Lake and three stone sarcophagus tombs in Pome County.

Archaeological Discovery Adds Up to 2,000Years onto Chinese Brick-making History (People’s Daily)

Bricks unearthed at a Yangshao Culture site in Shaanxi Province would seem to suggest that Chinese brick-making may be up to 2,000 years older than previously thought. The bricks are believed to be between 5,000 and 7,000 years old and were excavated at the Lantian New Street site, which was discovered during road works in 2009.