Asian culture, A to Z.
Anime, manga, drama, gastronomy, traditions, personalities. Browse the encyclopedia of Japanese, Chinese and Korean culture.
Squid Game
South Korean survival series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, released on Netflix in 2021. Hundreds of debt-ridden people compete in deadly children's games for a prize of 45.6 billion won. It became the most-watched series in Netflix history, redefining global popular culture and propelling Korean entertainment onto the international stage.
Beijing
Capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the oldest cities in the world, with over 3,000 years of history and more than 21 million inhabitants. The country's political and cultural center, Beijing houses the Forbidden City (world's largest imperial palace), the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Great Wall nearby. The city is a crossroads between millennia-old imperial China and dazzling modernity, illustrated by the Chaoyang business district and the 2008 Olympic venues.
Jackie Chan
Hong Kong actor, director, producer, stuntman, and martial arts master, born Chan Kong-sang in 1954 in Hong Kong. Famous for his unique comedic style blending spectacular stunts performed without doubles, martial arts, and physical humor inspired by Buster Keaton. With over 150 films including the Police Story trilogy, Drunken Master, and the Rush Hour and Shanghai Knights franchises, he is one of the greatest action cinema stars worldwide and a cultural ambassador for Hong Kong.
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year)
The largest traditional Chinese festival, celebrating the start of the lunar calendar and marking the arrival of Chinese New Year. Celebrated over a 15-day period culminating in the Lantern Festival, it is marked by family reunions, red envelopes (hongbao) containing money, fireworks, lion and dragon dances, and traditional feasts. The Spring Festival generates the largest annual human migration in the world (chunyun), with hundreds of millions of Chinese traveling home to reunite with family.
Dim Sum
Cantonese culinary tradition consisting of a variety of small dishes served in bamboo steamer baskets, traditionally enjoyed with tea during yum cha ('drinking tea'). Classics include ha gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai, char siu bao (barbecue pork buns), and cheung fun (rice noodle rolls). Originating from Guangdong province and Hong Kong, dim sum has become a symbol of Cantonese conviviality and has spread worldwide.
Mo Dao Zu Shi (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation)
Chinese web novel written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, published between 2015 and 2016 on the JJWXC platform. The story follows Wei Wuxian, a demonic cultivator who was killed and resurrected thirteen years later, who must solve a series of mysteries with the help of Lan Wangji. A foundational work of the danmei genre (male romance) in China, it has spawned a complete media ecosystem including the donghua (Chinese anime), the live-action drama The Untamed (2019), an audio drama, and a manhua, becoming a worldwide cultural phenomenon.
The Untamed (Chen Qing Ling)
Chinese drama of 50 episodes adapted from Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's danmei novel Mo Dao Zu Shi, aired in 2019 on Tencent Video. Wei Wuxian, an unorthodox cultivator resurrected after thirteen years, reunites with his former companion Lan Wangji to solve a series of supernatural mysteries. A global cultural phenomenon that popularized the xianxia genre with international audiences.
Spirited Away
Animated film directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli in 2001. Chihiro, a 10-year-old girl, becomes trapped in a spirit world and must work in a magical bathhouse to save her parents who have been turned into pigs. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the Golden Bear at Berlin, it is the highest-grossing Japanese film in history with over $395 million at the worldwide box office.
Tokyo
Capital of Japan and largest metropolitan area in the world with over 14 million inhabitants (37 million in the greater metropolitan area). Nerve center of Japanese pop culture (anime, manga, video games), cutting-edge technology, and gastronomy (over 200 Michelin-starred restaurants). Tokyo is a unique blend of tradition and hypermodernity, from the ancient temples of Asakusa to the futuristic skyscrapers of Shinjuku, the electronics district of Akihabara, and the fashion mecca of Harajuku.
Hanami
Ancient Japanese tradition of viewing cherry blossoms (sakura) in spring, generally from late March to early May depending on the region. Families, friends, and colleagues gather under blooming trees for picnics, sake drinking, and celebrating the fleeting beauty of nature, a philosophical concept called mono no aware. Hanami has been deeply rooted in Japanese culture for over a thousand years and attracts millions of visitors to Japan each year.
Ramen
Japanese noodle soup consisting of wheat noodles served in a rich and complex broth, topped with chashu (braised pork), marinated egg, nori, and green onions. Originally from China and adopted by Japan in the early 20th century, ramen has become one of the most iconic dishes in Japanese cuisine with countless regional variations. The four main broth types are tonkotsu (pork bone), shoyu (soy sauce), miso, and shio (salt).
Studio Ghibli
Japanese animation studio founded in 1985 by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, alongside producer Toshio Suzuki. Based in Koganei (Tokyo), the studio is celebrated for its poetic, ecological and visually stunning animated films that have shaped world cinema history. Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003, the first non-English language film to receive the honor.
Hayao Miyazaki
Director, animator, screenwriter, and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, born in 1941 in Tokyo. Regarded as the greatest animation filmmaker of all time, he is the creator of masterpieces such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Howl's Moving Castle. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Spirited Away and an Honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement in 2014, he continues to create despite several announced retirements.
One Piece
Pirate manga created by Eiichiro Oda, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 1997. Monkey D. Luffy and his crew sail the seas in search of the legendary treasure One Piece left by the Pirate King Gol D. Roger. With over 520 million copies sold, it is the best-selling manga of all time and one of the most popular works of fiction in the world.
Naruto
Iconic anime and manga series by Masashi Kishimoto, adapted by studio Pierrot and aired from 2002 to 2017 for a total of 720 episodes (Naruto + Naruto Shippuden). Naruto Uzumaki, an ostracized young ninja carrying the Nine-Tailed Fox demon within him, dreams of becoming Hokage, the leader of his village. One of the most influential and best-selling works in the shonen genre.