Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 166 i ASIAN Geographic

In September 1999, ASIAN Geographic, an exciting new magazine dedicated to Asia, hit newsstands. The stated aim was “to showcase the natural history and culture of Asia”, along with a strong conservation focus, and over the following quarter century, the magazine has put a valuable spotlight on the region’s environment, wildlife, peoples and customs. In a short time, ASIAN Geographic was already winning awards. Just two years after launch, the magazine won the Ark Trust International Award at the Genesis Awards for a hard-hitting feature exposing China’s bear bile farming practices. The magazine would go on to receive numerous awards over the following years. In this special Silver Anniversary Edition, we’re commemorating our milestone achievement with three main features that celebrate the magazine’s founding principles. In “Bear Witness Revisited” (page…

2002 ARK TRUST INTERNATIONAL AWARDS 1. Genesis Award AG (Bear Witness) No.7 Issue 2/2001 Text: Cortlan Bennett, Photos: Paul Hilton 2006 ASIA TRAVEL & TOURISM CREATIVE AWARDS 2. Travel Photograph Scenic | Winner AG No.33 Issue 6/2005 Photos: Lester V. Ledesma 2009 MPAS AWARDS 3. Best Cover/Feature Story AG No.58 Issue 8/2008 4. Best Visual/Photography AG No.61 Issue 11/2008 MPAS AWARDS 5. Visual Photography of the Year AG No.69 Issue 8/2009 6. Feature Story of 0the Year AG No.65 Issue 4/2009 7. Best Front Cover Design AG No.65 Issue 4/2009 8. Magazine of the Year | Bronze ASIAN Geographic 9. Travel Magazine of the Year ASIAN Geographic PASSPORT 10. Best New Magazine of the Year ASIAN Geographic JUNIOR ASIAN PUBLISHING AWARDS 11. Best Design & Layout | Excellence AG No.70…

Greece The “Father of Western Medicine”, the Greek physician Hippocrates believed that silver had strong antibacterial properties. The ancient Phoenicians, who were master seafarers, used to drink out of silver vessels that held water, wine or vinegar, so that it would remain pure when they were on their voyages. This is believed to have been common among the ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians as well. Korea Like the Greeks, Koreans believed that silver had antibacterial properties and that the metal would react with poison. It is believed that during the reign of Baekje (18 BCE to 660 CE), the royal family used pure silver chopsticks to test the food that was brought to them, to ensure that no poison was present. If the silver changed colour the moment a piece…

GUIZHOU, CHINA Young women from a Miao tribe perform a traditional group dance. The Miao are known for their handcrafted silver jewellery, particularly the large, elaborate silver headdresses worn during festivals and important occasions such as weddings and funerals. Cultural tradition dictates that families show off their wealth through their collection of silver jewellery, which functions as a dowry when daughters get married. A Miao saying goes: “A girl decorated with no silver or embroidery is not a girl.” DID YOU KNOW? In Miao culture, the youngest son is responsible for living with and caring for his aging parents, even after marriage. He receives a larger share of the family’s inheritance and his mother’s silver jewellery collection. CHIANG MAI, THAILAND A monk prays in the beautiful silver ubosot, or ordination…

“The cages, the smell, the noise – it’s just like something out of mediaeval England.”– Jill Robinson, founder of Animals Asia Foundation Just two years after the launch of ASIAN Geographic, in 2001, the magazine won the Ark Trust International Award at the Genesis Awards for “Bear Witness”, a gut-wrenching feature on China’s “bile bears” written by Cortlan Bennett, with images by award-winning conservation photojournalist Paul Hilton. More than two decades on, to mark our Silver Anniversary, we reproduce this heartbreaking story – and discover that despite significant progress, the bear bile trade continues. In the former Liangzhou nursery, where pandas were once presented as gifts to foreign heads of state, British-born Jill Robinson and her team are leading one of the biggest captive rescues since The Great Escape. Over…

As a part of the Perpetual Planet Initiative, the Rolex Awards for Enterprise continues to expand the initiative’s growing portfolio, supporting exceptional individuals with innovative projects in areas such as the environment, science and health, applied technology, cultural heritage, and exploration. Among the 2023 Laureates is Liu Shaochuang, a Chinese aerospace scientist with a passion to save one of Asia’s last large wild animals, the wild camel. Born into a farming family, Liu was educated at Wuhan University and played an important role in aerospace development at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he helped explore the world’s greatest rivers from space. He played a key role in developing China’s Lunar and Mars rovers. From 2010 to the present, he has been deeply engaged in wild camel research and conservation…

SINCE 1999 AG Issue no.1/1999 ASIAN Geographic is an award-winning magazine spotlighting the issues that matter across the vast continent of Asia. The magazine covers a mix of culture, current affairs, social issues and environmental issues to encourage a comprehensive understanding of the region. • Arts & Picturesque • Culture & Heritage • Research & Exploration • Education & Awareness • Wildlife & Nature • Social Causes 80% EDITORIAL 20% ADVERTISING AG PASSPORT is an annual special edition that offers readers a fresh perspective on travel in Asia. Through insightful, compelling travel stories, the magazine covers both the region’s most popular cities and its remotest corners. AG PASSPORT is also included as a travel section in each bi-monthly issue of our flagship title, ASIAN Geographic. Connect with us on social media!…

AROUND 3,000 BCE Known in Latin as argentum, originating from the Sanskrit word argunas meaning “shining”, silver is often an overlooked metal in comparison to gold, though it has properties that make it a unique and special element. Pure silver is the best conductor of heat and electricity, and also the best reflector of visible light, which is why it is commonly used in the production of mirrors. However, pure silver is too soft for making products such as jewellery and tableware. To combat this, silver is usually mixed with other metals to create an alloy. For example, the finest tableware is made from sterling silver, which is an alloy of 92.5 percent silver and 7.4 percent copper (or another metal). The first known silver mining was practised around 3,000…

Bear bile has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for three millennia – traditionally extracted from bears when they were killed. But even with the introduction of “more practical” methods – extraction from live bears – in the 1980s, Chinese scientists have long sought to find synthetic alternatives to bear bile. Efforts to create synthetic bear bile began as early as 1983, when the Chinese health ministry approved a research project led by the Shenyang College of Pharmacy (since renamed Shenyang Pharmaceutical University). Some initial progress was made, but the team lost its funding in 1995, the project reportedly taken over by another team from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The development of key technology for in vitro cultivation of bear bile began in 2008. A research project…