ASIAN Geographic

ASIAN Geographic is the bi-monthly magazine that scours the region to bring readers the most compelling stories and images from the world's largest and most diverse continent. Readers enjoy a unique melting pot of breathtaking photography and in-depth features covering culture, nature, sustainability issues and exploration into the history of this diverse region. A regular 'Exploration' segment follows brave field editors as they travel deep into Asia's unexplored regions to take readers on a journey.

Humanity’s Long History of tattoos • AGAINST THE BACKDROP of imperial wars and the colonialism of the 1700s, explorer, navigator, and cartographer Captain James Cook made a name for himself voyaging through the Pacific Ocean to Australia.

Tattoos in Ancient Egypt

The Painted Ones • THE PHILIPPINES has always been a kaleidoscope of awe-inspiring colours and cultures, but when the origins of the country’s artistic inclinations are traced back to its roots, the saliency of its lengthy history of the venerated art of tribal tattoos cannot be underestimated.

The Tattooed Fire Mummies • KNOWN BY A host of different names – the Kabayan Mummies, the Ibaloi Mummies or the Benguet Mummies – the Fire Mummies of the Philippines, resting beneath the mountain slopes of Kabayan, are some of the most fascinating mummified remains in the world. Kabayan is one of the municipalities of the province of Benguet in the Cordillera Region of northern Luzon and was home to the Ibaloi, a dominant ethno-linguistic group. Like many tribes in the Cordillera region, the Ibaloi were prolific practitioners of tattooing.

Photographing an Ibaloi Mummy

The Spider Women • INTRICATE FACE TATTOOING may be a painful thought to some, but to these indigenous “spider women” of Myanmar’s Chin state, they are an important symbol of beauty and bravery.

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?

The Last of the Spider Women

Thailand’s Sacred Tattoos • IN THE EARLY HOURS of the morning, the tranquillity of the dawn is broken by the almost inhuman growls of a man charging through the crowded courtyard of Wat Bang Phra, a Buddhist temple about 50 kilometres west of Bangkok, famed for its mystical tattoos.

The Underbelly of Japanese Art • EVERY DAY, hordes of smartly dressed men and women crowd the streets and subways of Japan, moving with hypnotising synchrony.

From the Ashes of a Dying Art • MENTION THE WORDS “tattoo” and “Borneo” in the same sentence and chances are that body art enthusiasts will think of the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

INDIA

EGYPT

MYANMAR

NEW ZEALAND

CHINA

TAIWAN

CAMBODIA

VIETNAM

JAPAN

THAILAND

PHILIPPINES

MALAYSIA

MARQUESAS ISLANDS

SAMOA

Javanese Spiritual Life • THE OVERLAPPING and interdependent concepts of Kejawen (meaning “leaning towards Javaneseness”) and Kebatinan (which is derived from the Arabic batin and means knowledge or practice of the “hidden” and “inner self”) embody spiritual and philosophical teachings and discourses, particularly in the provinces of Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java.

Games of Asia

The Cham Silk-Weavers of Bangkok • IN BANGKOK’S leafy riverside neighbourhood of Baan Krua, there is a small community of silk weavers belonging to the Cham ethnic group.

Tools and Raw Materials for the Making of Silk in Asia

CONQUER THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN MALAYSIA • Wings, Fish, Star

Laureates’ Projects Guiding Us Towards a Sustainable Future • Rolex has announced the five pioneers who have earned the title of Laureate of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise for their bold, visionary projects that have the potential to help reinvent the future.

Asian Geographic

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