Culture

Coming from the ultra-modern megalopolis of Shanghai, nobody would believe that a four-hour bus ride through eight-lane expressways, followed by a bumpy, mostly unpaved road would lead to the Chinese version of Hollywood. Hengdian, a city of around 200,000 people in the eastern part of Zhejiang Province is where, astonishingly, around 20 percent of all Chinese movies and TV series are filmed.

Kowloon Walled City – 300 interconnected high-rise buildings, built without contributions from architects or engineers, and home to nearly 40,000 people. This was the most densely-populated place on the planet until its demolition in 1993.

Text & Photos by Jon Ramlan Rice is life to the people of Asia; as Asians, we all know that. We also know that it...

The 7th lunar month sees incense and food left on sidewalks in Asia, but experts and Taoist believers cannot agree on why or how the practice came to be.

The diverse terrain of Mongolia has wrought a unique culture born of the steppe, desert and city— we delve into some practices that have been given UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status.

Driving through the streets of the commuter town of Rawang, 30 kilometres north of Malaysia’s capital city Kuala Lumpur, Azlina Jamaluddin is more than eager to challenge any criticism of polygamous marriage. A born-again Muslim and self-proclaimed “working woman”, the 48-year-old dentist ascribes her professional success and personal growth to polygamy. “I can work, I have more time for myself and I don’t need to take care of my children all the time, as the other wives share the childrearing responsibilities with me,” she shares.

We have a vocabulary and image of ghosts and ghostliness that stems from a European concept that has travelled around the world and adopted...

The bloody sport has been outlawed in Indonesia, but in Bali, matches go on in temples and villages