Asian Culture

Asian Culture

Located in the Eastern and Western hemispheres of the earth, Asia is the worlds’ most extensive and the most populated continent. It covers an area of 44,579,000 square kilometers, which represents 30% of the earth’s land area. As of June 2019, its population was 4.5 billion, which represents 60% of the worlds’ population. Being the home of various old civilizations, it has produced a majority of the global religious systems practiced today, as well as some codes on ethics and morality.

The continent is divided into six regions; Central Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia, North Asia, East Asia, and South Asia. Each of the areas has its religion, cultures, and languages. Trade is the primary factor that influenced the spread and diversity of Asian cultures. People from different regions were able to connect as a result of their various sea routes and road networks present in the area. The Asian cinema, commonly known as the Eastern cinema, is diverse; this is as a result of the many cultures and languages present in the region.

Asian Culture

Culture is the peoples’ way of life, their moral and ethical beliefs, religion, and social norms. Asian cultures originate from different places. The West Asia (Middle East) cultural roots emanate from the early inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Persian, Arab, and then later Islam. India and South Asian cultures both originate from the Indus Valley Civilisation. The Yellow River Civilization also developed East Asian Culture. The presence of more varied ethnic groups in Southeast Asia is, however, more recent. Their commercial trade interaction between South Asia made them adopt Indian and China cultures, including their religion (Buddhism, Hinduism, Daoism, and Confucianism).

Due to their unfavorable climatic conditions and soil, Northern Asia, unfortunately, could not hold large settlements. The region is characterized by sparsely populated pastoral and nomadic communities that are widely spread. Their religion comprises of more diverse systems; for instance, Mongolian Buddhism which was developed from Tibetan Buddhism. Due to this, the cultures of the people living in the region are becoming more similar to those of East Asia. Similarly, Central Asia has adopted cultures from West and East Asia hence making it unconventional. Since the different cultural domains are linked, it makes it even much easier for them to diversify and amalgamate with other cultures.

Architecture. Asia has several grand and iconic historical buildings and constructions; palaces, castles, and religious structures. However, most of them have been demolished or dismantled with time, for instance, the Ziggurats of Mesopotamia, royal cities of Persia and part of the Great Wall of China.

Chinese architecture spreads throughout Asia, with its structural concept remaining unchanged, decorative styles only added. Their emphasis on bilateral symmetry and articulation, which represents balance, is the one feature that makes their buildings stand out from the rest. Buildings constructed as per this feature are found all over China, from farmhouses to even palace complexes. The architectural styles of Korea, Vietnam, and Japan have been greatly influenced by those of China. Indian architecture is varied, and with time, they have made significant changes to it by either absorbing or destroying the old architecture. This has resulted in their architecture evolving with time while maintaining a positive continuity. The Indonesian architecture embraces cultural diversity, geographical and historical influences. It constitutes of their native architecture Hindu Buddhist temples, colonial (developed by Portuguese in the 19th century), and modern architecture. Japans’ architecture is unique since it mirrors a deep “understanding of the natural world as a source of spiritual insight and an instructive mirror of human emotion.” They use natural materials in construction, with keen attention to features and their environment. Grand temples and wooden castles as old as 2000 years old still stand up to today; Temple Complex (6th century), Himeji Castle (14th Century), Hikone Castle (17th century), and Osaka Castle. Chinese, Indian, and Europeans have significantly influenced the Malay architecture. Until recently, wood was used as the primary construction material. However, many stone constructions were discovered, dated back to the times of Srivijaya and the ancient isthmian Malay kingdoms.

Art. The Middle Eastern dance comprises of several styles which have spread to the Western part and are known as belly dancing – bhangra dance, which is typically done as a celebration of the harvest. The dance is typical in Punjab (India) and Pakistan. Dance is part of the Southeast Asian culture, with styles varying from one region or island to the other. The Philippines, on the other hand, have their dancing styles; Carinosa and Tinikling. Filipino martial arts trainers incorporated fighting movements in their dance during the Spanish settlement in the Philippines. They did this to keep their dance alive, even though the people banned it.

Martial arts is widely practiced by many Asian cultures; its roots dated back to the Xia Dynasty in ancient China, which was over four hundred years ago. Others, such as karate and Judo (Korea), taekwondo from Korea, and Kung fu (Chinese martial arts), were developed in East Asia. Other styles, such as muay Thai (Thailand), Vovinam (Vietnam), Arnis (Philippines), originated from Southeast Asia. Also, some of the most popular styles of wrestling were developed inTurkey and Mongolia. Asian martial arts is evolving with changes in times, with people coming up with newer techniques every day. Many of the styles have become international sports, with their popularity growing worldwide. Karate alone is practiced by over 50 million people from all over the world.

Languages. With its unlimited language diversification, Asia is known as the home to countless main spoken languages. It has nearly all languages, except the Bantu. Over 600 native languages are spoken in Indonesia, 100 in the Philippines, and 850 in India. In Korea, however, only one language is spoken. Some of the main languages found in the continent include Afro-Asiatic (Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew), Chinese (Hakka, Hokkien), and Circassian (Karbadian).

Major Landscapes in Asia

One of the most impressive mountain ranges in Asia is the Hindu Kush. It is located along the border to Pakistan and has deep dark valleys, with snow glaciers and snow peaks. It has 38 peaks, all higher than 7000m like Tirich Mir and Mt. Noshaq. Asia is also home to the longest natural beach in the world (120km). It does not have a specific name, but its most essential parts are Laboni, Himchari, and Inani. The Dochula Pass is also one of the most impressive landscapes. Another panoramic view is the Gangkar Punsun (Bhutan’s highest mountain) and the Himalayas.

A walk through the Druk Wangyal Chortens, which was built as a commemoration of the soldiers fallen during the 2003 military operation is another popular view. Moreover, the Emai Shan, which is one of the four Buddhist Mountains in China is frequented by Sichuan travelers, locals, and tourists. In good weather, you get a clear view of the mountain.

Asian Cinema

Films produced in Asia by the people and the film industry make up the Asian Cinema. Also known as the Eastern Cinema, it is made up of Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan cinemas, including the animes from Japan and Hong Kong action films. South Asian cinema, on the other hand, comprises of; Indian (Bollywood, Bengali and Punjabi cinema), Bangladesh cinema (Bengali cinema), among others. The cinemas of Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and other countries in the Southeast represent Southeast Asian cinema. Central Asian cinema is made up of the Iranian cinema.

Filming started in Asia way back in the 1890s, when there was the production of short films; Japanese film Biko. Over time, the film industry has grown and progressed. Big film industry people such as Micheal Ovitz, Lew Wasserman, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen portray the success the Israeli and Jewish cinema is experiencing. Some prominent movies of this century include; Broken Wings, Walk on Water, Yossi & Jagger (Eytan Fox), among many others.

Conclusion

The Asian culture is diversified, a result of its incredibly high population. The different languages present, literature, religions, unique architecture, beautiful sceneries and landscapes all play part in the different ways of life of the people, their social and ethical norms present in all parts of the continent.

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