Samarkand in modern-day Uzbekistan has long held a special place in the imagination of artists, poets, and historians. Romanticized in both the East and West, it inspires a sense of wonder – a place where, perhaps, anything is possible. Much of its mystique comes down to the man who put it on the map –…
Few places better embody the tragic legacy of China’s last dynasty, the Qing, than the “New” Summer Palace in northwestern Beijing. Completed in 1764, the New Summer Palace was built by the Emperor Qianlong (the last great Qing emperor) for his mother’s 60th birthday. Qianlong lavished attention on its design, endowing it with vast gardens,…
On the eastern edge of the Taklaman desert in Northern China sits the oasis town of Dunhuang. For centuries, travelers from around the world passed through this way station on the ancient Silk Road. These travelers brought with them not only trade goods and specie, but also their cultures and religions. Among the earliest travelers…
Learn the story behind Angkor Wat’s most famous sculpting, the Churning of the Ocean of Milk – a story of gods, demons, and the search for immortality.