Asia journal articles

Central Asia

• Ball, Warwick 1998, 'Following the mythical road', Geographical Magazine, vol. 70, no. 3, Mar, pp. 18-23.
  The Silk Road across Central Asia is one of the most romantic and evocative images known to geography, with echoes in poetry and writing. There was no such thing as a 'Silk Road'; there were no fixed routes but simply broad channels of communication. This is a geography lesson in how myth can become enshrined as fact. Includes photographs, map. [Abstract from austguide]
• Beddoes, Zanny Minton 1998, 'A survey of Central Asia: a Caspian gamble', Economist, vol. 346, no. 8054, 7 Feb, pp. Supp 3-18.
  The articles in this survey discuss the rich oil and gas reserves of the Caspian region, examine the geopolitical importance of these reserves and the political issues surrounding the location of pipelines, and whether the region's nations have the leaders to enable them to become stable petro-republics. [Abstract from austguide]
• Cullen, Robert 1999, 'The rise and fall of the Caspian Sea', National Geographic Magazine, vol. 195, no. 5, May, pp. 2-35.
  An examination of the history and different cultures and societies that live on the shores of the Caspian Sea, particularly looking at how the region has now become a kind of ingénue in world politics as foreign governments and oil companies try to develop the area's rich oil supplies, which are now controlled by five nations. Includes photographs, maps. [Abstract from austguide]
• Edwards, Mike 2002, 'Central Asia unveiled', National Geographic Magazine, vol. 201, no. 2, Feb, pp. 108-25.
  Brief profiles of the ethnic make-up, political and social conditions of the seven 'Stans' - Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan - which comprise Central Asia. [Abstract from austguide]
• Monteath, Colin 1997, 'Conquered!', Geographical Magazine, vol. 69, no. 1, Jan, pp. 34-7.
  Mount Chongtar, on the China-Pakistan border and with three points to its summit at 7,350 metres, is possibly the highest unclimbed peak in Central Asia. The author was a member of a team who attempted an ascent in 1994, and this is an extract from his account of the expedition, which failed to reach the true summit. Includes photographs, map. [Abstract from austguide]
• Owen, Lewis 1996, 'Earth shattering news', Geographical Magazine, vol. 68, no. 11, Nov, pp. 12-4.
  The Gobi Desert is frequently overlooked by geologists, but it is tectonically active, with large earthquakes occurring there. The article looks at the effects of the latest, in 1957, and at recent studies of the area that have revealed two major faults systems; these could help to elucidate the tectonic history of Central Asia. Includes photographs, diagram. [Abstract from austguide]

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China

• Hessler, Peter 2003, 'Chasing the Wall', National Geographic Magazine, vol. 203, no. 1, Jan, pp. 2-33.
  Over the centuries different Chinese dynasties built not one wall but a vast network of walls designed to keep foreigners out. Here the author relates his experiences following various sections of these walls and discusses the history of China's walls, as well as their symbolic, social and political importance. Includes photographs, map. [Abstract from austguide]
• McCarthy, Terry 1998, 'The pulse of China', Time Australia, no. 26, 29 Jun, pp. 33-7.
  The river Yangtze flows through the heart of China for thousands of kilometres and here the author describes a voyage down the Yangtze from Yibin to Shanghai, during which he talks to people about their fortunes, using the river as an allegory for the profound changes sweeping through China. Includes photographs, maps. [Abstract from austguide]
• Schmidt, Jeremy 1997, 'China's big dam brings a flood of fears', Geo, vol. 19, no. 2, Mar-Apr, pp. 30-40.
  China's Three Gorges Dam, which is being built on the Yangtze River, will mean the displacement of over one million people and as construction on the dam increases more and more people, both inside and outside of China, are expressing concerns about the human and environmental impact the project will have. Includes photographs, map. [Abstract from austguide]
• Webster, Donovan 2002, 'Alashan: China's unknown Gobi', National Geographic Magazine, vol. 201, no. 1, Jan, pp. 48-75.
  The Alashan Plateau, situated in the Gobi Desert, is one of the remotest and sparsely inhabited places on Earth. Here the author describes the harsh environment of the plateau, which is dominated by massive sand dunes, discusses the ever- increasing desertification of the area and aspects of human habitation, both historical and contemporary, in the region. [Abstract from austguide]

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India

• Bond, Michael 2003, 'The peace maker: interview with Ashutosh Varshney', New Scientist, vol. 177, no. 2382, 15 Feb, pp. 42-5.
  Varshney, a political scientist, has devised a whole new methodology for the study of ethnic conflict, such as that between Hindus and Muslims in his native India. Here he discusses his research findings; that social organisations, such as trade unions, tend to strengthen ethnically diverse communities, lessening the likelihood of violent conflict. Includes photographs. [Abstract from austguide]
• Ward, Geoffrey 2002, 'Hotspots: India's Western Ghats', National Geographic Magazine, vol. 201, no. 1, Jan, pp. 90-109.
  The Western Ghats mountain range extends down the western side of India. A region rich in diverse ecosystems and biodiversity, the article looks at how the region's natural environments have been altered by population pressures and India's drive towards modernisation and efforts to protect this biodiversity via a series of parks and reserves. [Abstract from austguide]

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Japan

• Daviss, Bennett 2003, 'Fold here first', New Scientist, vol. 177, no. 2378, 18 Jan, pp. 36-9.
  The ancient Japanese art of origami has complex under-structures which are now being elucidated by mathematicians and computer scientists, who are using the advanced knowledge of folding developed by these studies in determining how to pack an airbag or understand the ideas of protein folding. Includes references, photograph, diagram. [Abstract from austguide]
• Park, Ruth 2002, 'High spirits', Bulletin, vol. 120, no. 6333, 16 Jul, pp. 75-7.
  An account of a journey to the peak of a mountain to pay homage to the fire god, Fudo Myo-o, in the Japanese Goma Fire Festival, detailing the sacred ritual, from the Yamabushi preparation of pyre messages, to the fire-walking of the masters, events very difficult for a tourist to comprehend. [Abstract from austguide]

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Marco Polo

• Edwards, Mike 2001, 'The adventures of Marco Polo, part 1', National Geographic Magazine, vol. 199, no. 5, May, pp. 2-31.
  This article, the first in a series of three recounting Marco Polo's 24 year odyssey, covers the first three years of Polo's travels, from setting out from Venice in 1271 until he reached the city of Kashgar, on the border of China, after travelling through Persia and Afghanistan. [Abstract from austguide]
• Edwards, Mike 2001, 'In China: Marco Polo, part II', National Geographic Magazine, vol. 199, no. 6, Jun, pp. 20-45.
  This article, part two of a three part series, looks at the 17 years Marco Polo spent in China between 1274 and 1291, many of them as a trusted emissary of Kublai Khan which enabled him to travel the country quite extensively. [Abstract from austguide]
• Edwards, Mike 2001, 'Journey home: Marco Polo, part III', National Geographic Magazine, vol. 200, no. 1, Jul, pp.26-47.
  This, the third in a series of articles discussing Marco Polo's travels and the people and cultures he come into contact with, looks at his four-year journey homewards between 1291 and 1295, when he travelled around the coast of South-East Asia and western India. [Abstract from austguide]

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Mongolia

• 'Country profile: Mongolia', New Internationalist, 2000, no. 321, Mar, p. 36.
  A brief essay outlining the political history of Mongolia from earliest times until the present is accompanied by indices describing social and economic conditions, such as the status of women, literacy rates and income distribution. [Abstract from austguide]
• Finer, Jonathan 2002, 'Khan do spirit', Far Eastern Economic Review, vol. 165, no. 32, 15 Aug, p. 52.
  Each year Mongolia holds the Nadaam festival, a celebration of Genghis Khan and the three traditional sports that define the Mongol warrior: wrestling, archery and horseback riding. Despite its relatively remote location, the festival has become a considerable attraction for tourists. [Abstract from austguide]
• Holland, Lorien 2000, 'In Xanadu', Far Eastern Economic Review, vol. 163, no. 40, 5 Oct, pp. 96-7.
  Xanadu, the capital of the Mongolian empire ruled by Kublai Khan in the 12th and 13th centuries, and reportedly visited by Marco Polo, known to the Chinese as Yuan Shangdu, is now a complete, almost forgotten ruin in the wilds of Inner Mongolia. [Abstract from austguide]
• Millard, Candice 1999, 'In the mountains of Mongolia, hunting with eagles', National Geographic Magazine, vol. 196, no. 3, Sep, pp. 90-103.
  Unlike other parts of Central Asia, where hunting with eagles has either died out or simply become a tourist attraction, ethnic Kazakhs in Mongolia's far western province of Bayan-Olgiy keep the thousand-year tradition of falconry alive, using female golden eagles. [Abstract from austguide]
• 'Steppe dancing', Economist, 2000, vol. 354, no. 8154, 22 Jan, pp. 86-88.
  Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia, has a curiously European air, with its Opera House and, across the road, its stock exchange. There is a paranoia about Chinese influence in the country, but Mongolian nationalism has produced an artistic and cultural revival based on the country's rich heritage of song and dance. [Abstract from austguide]
• Winchester, Simon 2000, 'Black Dragon River: on the edge of empires', National Geographic Magazine, vol. 197, no. 2, Feb, pp. 2-33.
  The Chinese call it the Black Dragon River, the Russians, the Amur, because this river, the eighth longest in the world, divides the two vastly differing empires between Inner Mongolia and the north Pacific. The article describes the conditions of life on each side of the river, with the Russian impoverished and corrupt, the Chinese rich and assertive. [Abstract from austguide]

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Nepal

• Goodwin, Stephen 2003, 'Trekking into trouble', Geographical Magazine, vol. 75, no. 2, Feb.
  In addition to the Maoist uprising, which has now been going on for seven years and has claimed the lives of about 8,000 people, Nepal has also recently experienced a bloody palace massacre and a deteriorating economy; it is now undergoing a constitutional impasse. Includes photographs. [Abstract from austguide]

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Pakistan

• 'Pakistan: a state of insecurity. Ancient and modern', Understanding Global Issues, 2002, no. 105, p. 1.
  Pakistan has been home to many great civilisations. It has ancient cultural traditions, but has existed as an independent sovereign state only since 1947.
• 'Pakistan: a state of insecurity. Cultural complexity', Understanding Global Issues, 2002, no. 105, pp. 4-5.
  While more than 20 languages are spoken in Pakistan, the main linguistic groups are Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Saraiki, Baloch and Urdu.

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Tibet

• Harris, Paul 2002, 'Travels on a higher plain', Geographical Magazine, vol. 74, no. 2, feb, pp. 38-45.
  Ladakh is a rocky desert region high on the Tibetan plateau, nestled between the Karakoram and Himalaya mountains, in the northernmost tip of India, through which the old Silk Road passed. On two separate occasions the author has travelled through the area, and here details aspects of the region's beauty and the traditional lifestyle of villagers. [Abstract from austguide]

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