2. The main countries in East Asia are:
China
Japan
North Korea
South Korea
Taiwan
3. The Chinese are huge on literacy and education. They
are probably the strictest when it comes to education.
The Chinese invented several instruments, including
the zhengm, the qin, the sheng, and the xiao.
Traditional Chinese music includes eight categories:
silk, bamboo, wood, stone, metal, clay, gourd, and
hide.
After 1912, new music genres were introduced to
China. Modern China has pop music, hip hop, rap,
rock, and heavy metal.
Chinese opera is a popular form of drama and musical
theatre in China. It’s been around since the third
century.
In China, there are two major dialects, the biggest
being Mandarin, which is spoken in most of China.
Cantonese is the other dialect.
Many types of Chinese architectures include the use
of open courtyards surrounded by buildings
connected with one another. Feng Shui is also used in
China. Feng Shui is a system of aestheetics believed to
utilize the Laws of Heaven and Earth.
Musicians playing traditional
Chinese instruments.
4. China is one of the first places where Eastern
Martial Arts were born, so it is widely practiced
there.
Some common Chinese games are the Chinese
yo-yo, Pai Gow poker, and Mah Jong.
The most popular sports in China include
martial arts, ping pong, badminton, golf, and
basketball.
Maintaining good physical health is very
important in China. The Physical Health Law of
the People’s Republic of China was adopted in
1995, a program where the government aims to
build a sport and health-building service system
for the general public. Due to this, there are
620,000 gymnasiums all around China. Fitness
centers have been installed almost everywhere
in urban communities, including public parks
and schoolyards.
A Ping Pong table.
5. A modern pagoda-style building in
Japan.
Japan is an archipelago, composed of over 3,000 islands.
The largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and
Shikoku, accounting for 97% of Japan’s land area.
•Japan has many unique forms of art. They create
paintings of nature mostly. The Japanese also have
sculptures that settle on Buddhist images. Calligraphy, or
the art of beautiful writing, is also largely practiced in
Japan.
•Japan’s architecture style is also very unique. Some
Japanese buildings, called pagoda, are tiered towers with
multiple eaves.
•The traditional garments of Japan were the kimono.
Kimonos are worn by women, men, and children even
today on special occasions.
•Over the years, the Japanese have developed their own
unique style of cuisine. Their food has become popular in
the United States, Europe, and many other parts
throughout the world. Dishes such as sushi, tempura, and
teriyaki chicken are the more commonly known Japanese
foods. The healthy Japanese diet is believed to be
responsible for the longevity of the Japanese people.
6. In Japan, baseball is the most popular spectator sport.
Baseball was introduced to Japan during the 1870’s,
along with track and field, soccer, cricket, and ice
skating.
Sumo is considered to be Japan’s National Sport, even
though the country does not officially have one.
Sumo, a sport unique to Japan, has been associated
with a Shinto ritual, where the human is said to
wrestle with the kami.
Popular films, television programs, and music in Japan
all developed from older artistic and literary
traditions.
A sumo wrestling match.
7. Korean music is usually extended over a long
period of time without breaks, and usually
accelerates during the performance.
Korea’s folk music is called Pungmul, and it’s
related to the lives of the people.
Percussion instruments include the
kkwaenggwari (hand gong), the jing (hanging
gong), the buk (barrel drum), the bak (calpper),
and the pyeonjong (bell chimes), while wind
instruments include the piri (oboe) and the hun
(ocarina).
A hanbok is the traditional dress that has been
worn since ancient times. It consists of a shirt
and pants, and is worn during formal
ceremonies even now.
The gwanmo is the traditional Korean hat.
The wealthy often wear jewelry, while during
the winter, fur is common.
A view of Seoul, the capital of South
Korea.
