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Eastern
Asia
is a
cultural
and
geographic
region
of
Asia. |
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Eastern
Asia
is
what
used
to
be
known
in
the
West
as
The
Orient,
a
mysterious
land
inhabited
by a
race
of
inscrutable
tea-sipping
Orientals.
Behind
the
caricature,
though,
is a
uniting
factor
in
the
form
of
Chinese
influence:
China,
as
by
far
the
largest
and,
historically,
the
most
technologically
and
societally
advanced
culture
in
the
region,
has
given
its
writing
system
(Chinese
characters),
religion
(Mahayana
Buddhism)
and
philosophy
(Confucianism)
to
all
the
countries
in
East
Asia.
However,
underneath
these
superficial
similarities
lie
a
vast
range
of
differences.
The
geography
alone
covers
the
gamut,
from
the
arid
steppes
of
Mongolia
to
the
vast
deserts
of
northwestern
China,
the
lush
rice
paddies
of
south
central
China
and
the
beaches
of
the
subtropical
islands
of
Okinawa.
The
upheaval
of
the
past
centuries
has
also
led
the
countries
of
the
region
along
strikingly
different
paths,
with
the
hyper-modern
skyscrapers
and
consumerist
culture
of
Japan
having
little
if
anything
in
common
with
the
Stalinist
austerity
of
North
Korea. |
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Eastern
Asia
is
the
yin
and
yang
of
architectural,
religious
and
cultural
icon
-
the
Great
Wall
of
China,
the
Army
of
Terracotta
Soldiers
near
Xi
An
and
Tibetan
Buddhism
- to
name
just
a
few.
While
steeped
in a
rich
history,
Japan,
Korea
and
China
also
lead
the
world
with
automobile
and
electronic
development
and
ingenuity.
Natural
scenery
as
sparse
as
the
Gobi
desert
in
Mongolia
or
as
lush
and
volatile
as
the
mountains
in
Japan
draw
thousands
of
tourists
to
this
region
every
year. |
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*
AsiaValley.com
are
not
responsible
for
the
content
of
any
linked
site. |
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