ASIAN Geographic

Inspiration allows one to transcend normal situations to accomplish the extraordinary. Think Mahatma Gandhi for example: He is a great icon of humanity today, but at the beginning, as an ordinary person, he had the vision of not only rising above his

It is a sunny June morning in the village of Pasir Gajah on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. There, on a porch by the community hall, turtle researcher and conservationist Dr Chen Pelf Nyok sits cross-legged on a woven mat. Around her are a dig

“The Kama Sutra is not a book about sexual positions.” That this statement is potentially baffling underscores just how widely established the myth is, i.e., the ancient Hindu treatise is simply titillating, lasciviously illustrated erotica. The view

This ancient Chinese military treatise dates from the 5th century BC. Attributed to the Chinese general Sun Tzu (545 BC–470 BC), each of the 13 chapters in the work are dedicated to a distinct aspect of warfare and how it applies to military strategy

The leader of the multinational business conglomerate is ranked second in the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” by Fortune (2017). He is also well known for his significant contributions to education and social welfare causes. In 2018, Ma received an hon

The man often called the “most powerful and influential person in the world” has led an anti-corruption campaign to enforce party discipline, advocated Internet censorship and championed a more assertive foreign policy since assuming office in Novemb

Dubbed “flying fish”, Schooling took home Singapore’s first Olympic gold medal in the 100m Butterfly at the 2016 Rio Olympics, beating the swimming legend Michael Phelps and other luminaries. He recently graduated from the University of Texas, Austin

Liu was among the crew of three aboard the space mission Shenzhou 9 – China’s first manned space docking with the Chinese space station Tiangong 1 on 16 June 2012. The first Chinese woman in space, Liu performed experiments in space medicine during t

Known for his acrobatic fighting stunts, comic timing and use of improvised weapons, the world-famous Chan has acted in over 150 films since the 1960s. In addition to the movies, Chan is also a well-known philanthropist, lending his support to variou

Over nearly 40 years, a farmer from a marginalised tribal community in Assam state in northeastern India single-handedly planted and tended trees on a sandbar on Brahmaputra river, turning it into a forest comprising several thousand trees and many a

Singaporean Aaron Gan has made major breakthroughs since he began his journey as a full-time watercolourist six years ago. The 39-year-old Gold winner of the 2015 UOB Painting of the Year Award and Art Ambassador for Faber-Castell, Singapore, Gan exp

S. Sudjojono (1913–1986) was one of the most prominent figures of modern Indonesian art. Born in Kisaran, Sumatra, the Indonesian artist produced a broad spectrum of art pieces, ranging from paintings, sketches and still life to reliefs and ceramic w

Lim Cheng Hoe (1912–1979) was one of the finest watercolourists in Singapore, recognised as one of the country’s pioneer artists, alongside Cheong Soo Pieng (1917–1983) and Chen Chong Swee (1910–1985). Born in Amoy, Lim moved to Singapore in 1919, in

A stroll through the district of Bardhaman in West Bengal is a walk through time. The place has been around since before 5,000BC and boasts architectural influences from all epochs of its long history. Consider the Kalinga architecture of the renowne

Once dismissed as a worthless backwater by the Spanish conquistadors, Makati has grown into the financial and economic artery of the Philippines. The city is one of 16 that make up Metro Manila, with a rich legacy of national pride and cultural herit