October 12, 2024

Richard Markel

Breathe New Air

Centuries of History Reside in Asian Things

Introduction

In the United States, we’re accustomed to thinking of Asian things as something new and different. But in reality, there’s a lot of history and culture hidden in these common items—even if you don’t realize it. Take chopsticks, for example: They’ve been used for over 2,000 years! Or take paper money: It was first used by the Chinese around 800 CE but didn’t become popular outside Asia until recently. You might be surprised by some of these other things with ancient roots:

Japan

The Japanese people have a strong sense of community and family. This is due to their Shinto religion, which encourages them to respect nature and seek harmony with it. In addition to this religious influence on Japanese culture, the country has been influenced by its unique geography as well. Japan is an island nation surrounded by water on all sides except for one small area where it connects mainland Asia with Korea and China (the Tsushima Strait). This isolation led to an independent development of culture over thousands of years of history; however, it also means that many people cannot travel easily within Japan or abroad due to its geographical location in relation to other countries around the world.

The food eaten by most Japanese people tends towards being healthy rather than indulgent like some other cuisines such as Italian or French cuisine may offer up–this makes sense given how much walking they do every day! But don’t worry: there are still plenty of tasty treats available too! You’ll find plenty delicious meals made from soybeans (like miso soup), seaweed salads called nori maki rolls stuffed full with other ingredients like rice balls wrapped around salmon roe called ikura nigiri sushi pieces topped off with slices of avocado…

China

China is the oldest continuous civilization in the world, and it has a rich history of art, architecture and science that dates back thousands of years. In fact, many of the things we consider to be Chinese (such as chopsticks) actually originated in other parts of Asia but were adopted by China over time.

China’s long history means that many items made there are extremely durable: they can withstand wear-and-tear without falling apart or needing replacement parts like moving parts do on Western products. They’re also beautiful–many pieces include intricate decorative patterns carved into them by hand! And finally: these objects tend to be functional as well; they’ll last longer than something made cheaply out of plastic or wood because they don’t break down easily under stress from everyday use (like eating).

South Asia

South Asia is home to a number of ancient civilizations, each with its own rich history. The Indus Valley Civilization flourished in modern-day Pakistan and northwest India from 2600 BC to 1900 BC. It was one of the world’s earliest urban civilizations, developing trade routes that connected people across a wide area.

The Mauryan Empire (322-185 BC) was an ancient Indian empire that stretched across much of South Asia during its heyday under Emperor Ashoka the Great (304-232 BC). The Gupta Empire (320-550 AD) followed soon after; it lasted for about 200 years before falling apart into smaller states following an invasion by Huns from Central Asia.

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is a region that includes the countries of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The cultures of this area are rich in history and tradition.

Everyday objects from these countries can be used as teaching tools for your students to learn about their rich cultural heritage

There is a lot of history in the things we use everyday.

The history of things is important.

It’s not just an interesting fact that you can put in your trivia game and impress your friends with, but also something that can help you understand the present and plan for your future. As you know, history repeats itself again and again. The same patterns emerge over time because people tend to do similar things based on their circumstances at any given moment in time; this means that if we are able to see what happened in the past, we might be able to predict how things may play out today or tomorrow!

Conclusion

We hope this article has helped you understand the history behind some of the things we use every day. From chopsticks and tea sets to kimonos and calligraphy, there is a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to Asian Things.