Ancient Knowledge in a Modern World

16/08/2024 07:00

Islam as an instrument of soft power

Hard power is still a significant factor in the international relations of some Middle Eastern states, but soft power is also becoming increasingly important in the 21st century. The latter includes diplomacy, cultural and religious events, educational exchanges and scholarships, and humanitarian aid.

15/08/2024 07:00

The success story of Confucius Institutes

In recent decades, economic and cultural relations between China and the world have grown at an extremely rapid pace. One important factor in achieving this has been a deeper understanding of and openness to Chinese language and culture. To encourage this, the Chinese government has established Confucius Institutes, which specialise in teaching Chinese language and culture.

31/05/2024 13:42

Eurasia and the geography of connectivity

The rise of Eurasia is spectacular in terms of world trade. While the United States is the most important trading partner for 52 countries, China is now the number one trading partner for 124 countries.

02/05/2024 09:00

Different regions have different customs during Ramadan

Ramadan affects more than 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide and is considered a month of fasting and spirituality. It is believed to be the month in which the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

27/03/2024 10:52

The idea of Turkic unity

The idea of uniting the Turkic-speaking peoples has long been a preoccupation of nationalist thinkers in the states concerned. In the 21st century, this is perhaps even more important, as in a globalised world, Turkic unity is the way to assert their interests in a region surrounded by Russia, the European Union, Iran and China.

19/02/2024 22:51

Eternal treasures – China’s world heritage

A total of 57 properties in China have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. We present some of the most spectacular sites in the country.

24/01/2024 12:34

A taste of early Chinese astronomy

Observing the night sky was not simply an aesthetic pastime for ancient cultures but a strong need to interpret the will of higher powers.

05/01/2024 20:09

Xuanzang, the traveller of the Silk Road

On the ancient Silk Road, not only goods but also ideas, religions and scientific knowledge flowed. Buddhism was also brought to China by Indian and Central Asian missionaries, while in time Chinese monks also made pilgrimages to the ancient source of religion.

22/12/2023 07:00

Discovering the Silk Road

Aurél Stein was born on 26 November 1862 in Budapest, the third child of elderly parents. His birthplace was near the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, which was then under construction.

29/10/2023 05:00

Terracotta Warriors museum sees record-high annual visitors

The Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, which houses the world-renowned iconic Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, welcomed its 10 millionth visitor in 2023 on Monday, hitting a record high, local authorities said, according to Xinhua.

16/10/2023 10:38

Zhang Qian - founder of the Silk Road

The unified Chinese Empire, which was born in the 3rd century BC, came under serious threat soon after its establishment. The Asian Huns (Xiongnus), who had harassed the former northern principalities for a century and then pushed north in the Chinese campaigns of 210 BC, were replaced in 209 BC by a new leader, Modu (Maodun), who soon established the first East Asian Steppe Empire.

03/10/2023 10:21

The story of a Sumerian palace in Iraq

The remains of a Sumerian palace have been discovered by archaeologists in the ancient city of Girsu, Iraq, in the Dhi Qar governorate. The remains date back 4,500 years, meaning that they can be traced back to the third millennium BC.

25/08/2023 06:00

Ancient roots of Christianity in India

It is now almost a truism that the centres of gravity of Christianity have moved outside Europe: but many people, based on population figures, list Latin American countries first as these centres of gravity.

01/08/2023 06:00

How Kazakhstan evaluates its own past

After 1991, as a "newly independent state", Kazakhstan also had to face the question of how to evaluate its own past, how much to keep of its Soviet legacy, and what underlined from the times before that. Instead of a radical break, the Kazakh leadership is gradually turning more and more towards the national past without trying to erase the memories of the Russian and Soviet periods.

21/06/2023 07:55

The dragon, the tiger and the phoenix

The most common perception of feng shui among Europeans is that it is nothing more than the Chinese art of space arrangement. This is true, but behind the method lies the entire Chinese philosophy and world view, the harmonisation of the opposing forces of yin and yang and the knowledge of the eight Chinese trigrams.

16/05/2023 06:00

Make culture, not war

We need to move away from the usual monopoly to a cultural form of economy. Only the latter can be sustainable because it is based on culture in its original sense. For Cicero, “cultura animi” meant the activity of growing or elevating the Life Principle.