Wan Yi (1150-1210): A Tragic Female Entrepreneur in Song China | Visualizing Traditional China

Wan Yi was the perfect example that a woman with strong, independent mindset had the right and resources to become successful in the Song Dynasty.

The Qing Ming Scroll

"Up the River During Qingming" is a masterpiece of genre painting, with many replications done over the centuries. This version, completed in 1736, the first year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, was the collaborative effort of five Qing court artists—Chen Mei, Sun Hu, Jin Kun, Dai Hong, and Cheng Zhidao. Known as the "Qing court version," the hand scroll is richly detailed and faithful to the styles and contents of previous versions. Notable features are bright coloring, mature brushwork, ruled-line architectural representation, and the fine and exact rendering of the figures. Although it departs from the old Song dynasty prototype, it is still an invaluable source of study for Ming and Qing society and customs.

The Three Hares Motif

Every visitor to the oasis town of Dunhuang in northwestern China encounters a puzzling image of three hares (or three rabbits) that appear to be chasing each other in a never-ending circle.

The Mystery Of The Three Hares

Three Devon-based researchers have found the motif in 17 churches in the county and are looking for more.

They've also visited sites in the Middle and Far East and the sign seems to crop up along a line, possibly an early trade route from east to west.

“Ossies,” former East Germans, compare socialist youth with life under capitalism

For some brief but shining years, the GDR was achieving more and more of the aims of socialism. The powers-that-be today are afraid of this. They don’t want people to know that there was an actual world in which fear of joblessness was gone, poverty was eliminated, women had equality, racism was illegal, and no child went hungry.

The Secret Lives Of The Stasi

Chilling photos uncovered by a German artist reveal the Stasi's methods to monitor and terrorize their citizens.

Do East Germans Regret the Fall of the Berlin Wall?

It has been 29 years since the Berlin Wall came down. The division between West Germany and Soviet-occupied East Germany came to an end on Nov. 9, 1989, after more than 20 years of separation. This event was viewed by the West as a victory for freedom and democracy.

Intriguingly, however, many East Germans don’t view this event as entirely positive. A Leipzig University study published in November shows that an astonishing 40 percent of East Germans think a dictator would be acceptable in certain circumstances.

China could restrict its export of rare-earth metals as a trade-war tactic. Here’s what they are and why they’re so crucial.

Why are rare earth metals important and why we should care about the US/China trade war.