В книге представлены 100 наиболее известных мифов и легенд народов мира: это древние мифы шумеров и аккадцев, египтян и индейцев, греков и римлян, представлены индийская, китайская и японская мифология, библейские сказания и легенды средневековой Европы, а также былины, предания и сказания древней Руси. Кроме краткого пересказа их содержания, который по своей стилистике приближен к оригиналам, прослеживается процесс возникновения и развития, история изучения мифов и сказаний; а также их отражение в литературе и искусстве.

Читатель вместе с автором совершит путешествие по всем семи частям света и четырем океанам Земли, побывает в сказочной новозеландской Стране Фьордов и на мысе Нордкап, у водопада Игуасу и в кратере Нгоронгоро, в тропическом раю Мальдивских островов и подводных чащах Большого Барьерного рифа… Особый раздел книги посвящен природным жемчужинам России и стран СНГ.

Эта книга знакомит читателя с малоизвестными старинными китайскими методами оздоровления организма и укрепления психики посредством воздействия на те или иные «волшебные» точки – биологически активные точки тела, используемые в китайской акупунктуре.

Данная книга познакомит читателя с необычным для европейца миром восточной кулинарии, — хотя любой из приводимых рецептов пригоден и для приготовления в российских условиях. Брошюра предназначена для любителей вкусно и недорого приготовить экзотическое блюдо

Свыше 400 различных типов самолетов из многих стран мира использовались Китаем в первой половине XX века. Книга о самолетах всех провинций страны, Более 350 фотографий, история, цветные профили, участие в боевых действиях.

For almost half a century, Ukrainian history did not exist in Ukraine as an independent field of scholarly research or as a subject of instruction. After the Second World War, the “history of the Ukrainian SSR” was established as a regional subunit of the “History of the USSR.” Outside Ukraine, its history was a subject of scholarly research and ideological interpretation in diaspora historiography and in a few small universitylevel institutions that generally found themselves on the margins of the academic world. After 1991, public demand for accounts of Ukrainian history arose in Ukraine and abroad: in both cases, the motives were purely pragmatic and instrumental. In Ukraine, the overriding concern was to legitimize the state in ideological and “scholarly” terms and provide for the civic education of the nation, which took the form of “creating Ukrainians.” Beyond the borders of the new state, interest in its history was inspired by efforts to understand and explain the current situation: thus, most Western research on Ukraine concentrates on studies in politics, international affairs, economics, and sociology, while historical works are generally either popular outlines or highly specialized investigations.

Two sharply contrasting views of China exist today. On the one hand a rising superpower predicted to have the largest economy in the world by mid century, on the other hand a brutal, anachronistic and authoritarian regime, a threat to geo-stability and to the economies of the industrial world. So which China is the real China? Randall Peerenboom addresses this question by exploring China's economy, political and legal system, and most controversially, its record on civil, political and personal rights in the context of the developing world. Avoiding polemic and relying on empirical evidence, he compares China's performance not with first world countries such as the US and UK but with other middle income countries and highlights the often hypocritical stance of an international community which demands standards from others that it does not match at home. He also critically evaluates the benefits of globalisation and democratisation and the normative values of the West set against Beijing's determination to retain its cultural and political integrity. This book seeks to bridge the gap in understanding about China and to create a firmer foundation for mutual trust, while recognising that there are inevitable risks in a shift in global power of this magnitude that will require hard headed pragmatism at times where interests collide.

Замечательный альбом, содержащий рисунки цветов, птиц и животных, выполненные в традиционной китайской технике художниками 17-18 вв. Китайская национальная живопись появилась в глубокой древности. Она отличается большим своеобразием и отлична по материалу, технике и художественным средствам от европейской живописи. Китайские картины пишутся тушью, минеральными и растительными красками. Одной из отличительных черт китайской живописи является то, что образы в ней создаются посредством линейного рисунка, в то время как в европейской живописи образы выражаются с помощью объёмов и форм, цветом и светотенью.

For many Westerners, something about China is so intense and exciting that it’s a social glue among those who’ve spent some time there. We met through a mutual acquaintance who knew we had backgrounds in China. Over lunch, we swapped stories (and laughs) about living and doing business in China — how challenging the market is, how strong a role government plays in business there, how overwhelming the country can feel, and how everything seems to take so much longer to get done. We both admitted that a solid howto guide could’ve saved us a good deal of time hard spent climbing the learning curve. And so Doing Business in China For Dummies was born.

Книга посвящена мало изученной в мировой историографии проблеме - как ориентировался в пространстве человек в архаических культурах, какое значение в этой ориентации имели особенности строения его тела, устройство Земли и движение небесных светил, в первую очередь Солнца и Луны, как устанавливались астрономические ориентиры стран света, какую роль играла ориентация по странам света в сакральной и профанной жизни общества (ориентация городов, храмов, дворцов, жилищ, погребений, культовых действий, географических карт и т. д.). Исследование проведено на материале практически всех архаических культур Евразии - от Китая до Рима и от древних кельтов до монголов - с использованием всех видов источников: лингвистических, литературных, археологических, иконографических, этнографических и др. Антропологический взгляд на природу пространственной ориентации человека позволяет выявить универсальные категории в постижении пространства и вплотную подойти к пониманию наиболее общих архетипов сознания homo sapiens.

The 3rd edition of this comprehensive resource, now published by Gale, provides entries on the physical geography of every country in the world plus other selected locations. Each entry features a relief map depicting the geography of the location plus detailed text that describes its features, climate and vegetation. Entries are formatted with standardized rubrics to facilitate comparison. Statistics of particular use to students, such as tallest mountain and world size ranking, are highlighted in each entry. In addition, Geo-Data features a special rankings section, outlining statistics such as the ten longest rivers on each continent, largest deserts in the world and others. Includes a comprehensive index.

Геополітична екзотика розглядає екзотичність західних уявлень про Тибет, статус цієї землі по відношенню до Китаю.

Despite the tendency of history to repeat itself, some eras are truly unique, the Chinese Cultural Revolution being a case in point. This was not a revolution, nor was it a civil war; it probably came closer to a free-forall. There were different sides, but the membership constantly changed, new ruling class against old ruling class, have-nots against haves, young against elders, uneducated against educated, countryside against city— just some of the dividing lines. This was exacerbated by ideology, but power was an even stronger drive. Some of the slogans of the time probably defi ne it just as well, such as “turning the world upside down to create a new world,” and it did look as if the monkey god had been let loose. Yet, even then, someone was pulling the strings and this someone was an aging Mao Zedong, unwilling to tolerate any rival and even to trust old comrades. For the greater part of the decade 1966–1976, the Cultural Revolution wreaked havoc in the world’s largest society, undermining the party, government, and army, weakening the economy, society, and culture, and affecting China’s 800 million people and harming or destroying an eighth of the population. The strongest hope among most of the survivors was never to live through such a period again and to make it truly unique. Given the confusion that reigned at the time and the uncertainty about many events that still prevails today, it is essential to have a book like this Historical Dictionary of the Chinese Cultural Revolution to help clear up some of the points. This book does not claim to be the last word, which is defi nitely in its favor, but it brings us another step closer to understanding what still remains an extremely convoluted and confusing era. This it does, fi rst, through a chronology tracing the events showing at least what happened and when. The introduction then endeavours to fl esh out the chronology by putting events and people in their places and showing how these events and people relate to one another. The countless details are extensively elucidated in entries on signifi cant persons, places and institutions, the more momentous events, the political and ideological movements, and much more. Since this did take place in China, the glossary is a useful tool for those researching it in Chinese. For those who want to know more, the bibliography is an excellent starting point.

The Himalaya are world-renowned for their exquisite mountain scenery, ancient traditions, and diverse ethnic groups that tenaciously inhabit this harsh yet sublime landscape. Home to the world's highest peaks, including Mount Everest, and some of its deepest gorges, the region is a trove of biological and cultural diversity. Providing a panoramic overview of contemporary land and life in the Earth's highest mountains, the Illustrated Atlas of the Himalaya is the first full-color, comprehensive atlas of the geography, economics, politics, and culture of this spectacular area. Drawing from the authors' twenty-five years of scholarship and field experience in the region, the volume contains a stunning and unique collection of maps utilizing state-of-the-art cartography, exquisite photography, and engagingly-written text to give accurate coverage of the Himalaya. The volume covers the entire 2,700-kilometer length of the mountain range, from the Indus Valley in northern Pakistan and India, across Nepal and Bhutan, to the hidden realms of northeast India. The Illustrated Atlas of the Himalaya not only offers detailed explanations of geological formations, climate, vegetation, and natural resources but also explores the human dimension of the region's culture and economy. The authors devote special attention to discovery and travel, including exploration, mountaineering, and trekking. Packed with over 300 easy-to-read, custom designed full color maps and photographs and detailed text and map indexes, the Illustrated Atlas of the Himalaya is a superb collector's volume and an essential reference to this vast and complex mountain region.