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turmoil in Tibet

Posted on March 15, 2008 @ 7:13 pm by massimo | Filed under: another green world, china, news, wordpress

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tibet riots aynaku illustration travel

In 1959 China annexed theocratic and remote Tibet.
The Dalai Lama,winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, fled to India amid the 1959 rebellion and he is routinely vilified by the Chinese Government.
In recent decades, China has methodically begun exploiting the region’s timber and mineral wealth; Beijing continues to rule the small Himalayan state with a heavy hand, enforcing strict controls on religious institutions.
Since March 14, 2008 protests led by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule in Tibet are turning violent, with shops and vehicles torched and gunshots echoing through the streets of the ancient capital, Lhasa.

Illustration Friday’s topic is: heavy

the admiral’s hat

Posted on November 2, 2007 @ 10:53 pm by massimo | Filed under: blog, china, people, ukiyo-e, wordpress

zheng he china aynaku illustration travel

This is Zheng He the great Ming navigator wearing his favourite straw hat….
Between 1405 and 1433, the Ming government sponsored a series of seven naval expeditions and Zheng He was placed as the admiral in control of the huge fleet.
Zheng He’s first voyage consisted of a fleet of 317 ships holding almost 28,000 armed troops. Many of these ships were by far the largest marine craft the world had ever seen. On the first three voyages, Zheng He visited southeast Asia, India, and Sri Lanka. The fourth expedition went to the Persian Gulf and Arabia, and later expeditions ventured down the east African coast, as far as what is now Kenya.
Recently a map has come to light that may support the thesis that the Chinese admiral discovered America before Colombus…

Illustration Friday’s topic is: hat

the god of happiness

Posted on October 19, 2007 @ 5:30 pm by massimo | Filed under: blog, china, japan, mythology, ukiyo-e, wordpress

hotei tao aynaku travel illustration

Hotei - one of the seven gods of happiness, is also the happy god of abundance and good health. Hotei is also seen carrying a large bag over his shoulder that is said to contain gifts and fortunes for those who believe in his virtues.
He is distinguished by his body of generous proportions and round stomach exposed beneath loose robes.
As a wandering jovial monk, a spiritual activist who travels about transforming the sadness in the hearts of people, Hotei is a genuine symbol of of spiritual growt…

Illustration Friday’s topic is: grow

discovery

Posted on July 15, 2007 @ 10:35 am by massimo | Filed under: blog, china, travel, wordpress

Modern Beijing possesses a certain grandeur from its colourful past. There are a many places in the city were a visit is a must, and among them Liulichang Street, in the central Xuanwu District.
Liulichang Street was carefully restored to its original shape from the Ming …

monkey

Posted on January 21, 2007 @ 12:11 pm by massimo | Filed under: animals, blog, books, china, mythology, ukiyo-e, wordpress

“Monkey King (or Sunwukong) was born from a stone. He wanted to be like the immortals and be free from death. He was extremely smart and capable, and learned all the magic tricks from a master Taoist. …

phoenix

Posted on December 31, 2006 @ 11:21 am by massimo | Filed under: animals, blog, china, mythology, wordpress

 
“There is also another sacred bird called the phoenix which I did not myself see except in painting, for in truth he comes to them very rarely, at intervals, as the people of …

help

Posted on December 16, 2006 @ 12:15 pm by massimo | Filed under: blog, china, travel, wordpress

 

In November 1994 I landed in Beijing’ International Airport, coming from Helsinki. As soon as I kept on asking those basic information I needed to get the city centre, I realized that the language would be the problem for me while in …