East Asia's Cradle

The things about the Asian world that do intersect with each other are already well known.  After all, art, music, cuisine, and literature are very important part of the whole culture experience in this part of the world.  So it is really not that surprising that Eastern philosophy and different religions contribute a vital role throughout this region.  The major philosophical and religious systems of note are as follows:  Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Confuciansism, Christianity, and Islam.  The most challenging (and complicated) aspect of the Asian experience is the relationship between sub regions and the civilizations of the West.

Nowhere has this longstanding difficult been more evident than in the sub region called "East Asia."  Generally speaking, East Asia consists of China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.  Within this region the dominant influence has always been that of China.  This can be discovered by merely considering the common characteristics of this part of the world, including the shared religions of Buddhism and Taoism.  In addition, there is a shared moral and social philosophy which came down from Confucius.  It is for this reason that China could rightly be described as "the Cradle of East Asia.  It is no secret to anyone that China has had a huge (and profound) influence on the languages, cultures, economics, and art of East Asia... and this for a very, very long time!

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, please feel free to check out my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.