Asian History and Culture

Home to over 60% of the world's population and centuries of human history, there's a whole lot to learn about Asia. Get started with profiles of key events and historical figures, along with articles about cultural and scientific contributions.

  • MacaoPeterStuckingsLonelyPlanet.jpg
    How Did Portugal Get Macau?
  • The 1910-12 bubonic plague pandemic killed some 15 million people in China and elsewhere.
    How the Black Death Started in Asia
  • Edward VII receiving Maharajahs and Dignitaries Prior to his Coronation
    Comparative Colonization in Asia
  • Japanese troops land on the Liaodong Peninsula during the Russo-Japanese War. May 5, 1904
    Which Asian Nations Were Never Colonized by Europe?
  • Asia's Worst Dictators
  • A battle between the Mongol nomads and the settled people of China, as depicted in artwork.
    The Great Rivalry Between Nomads and Settled People in Asia
  • Heavy siege defence crossbow (Wallarmbrust) of Andreas Baumkirchner (d. 1471), c. 1460-70
    The Invention of the Crossbow
  • Chinese Golden Paper Money for the Gods, Heaven-used money
    The Invention of Paper Money
  • Ink drawing of an ancient seismoscope.
    The Invention of the Seismoscope
  • Adolf Hitler walking past a line of soldiers, black and white photograph.
    What Does the Word 'Aryan' Actually Mean?
  • ChinesecannonJuyongguanPassTAOImages.jpg
    The Invention of Gunpowder: A History
  • Great wall of China with watchtower and lanterns ,Beijing
    What Is Extraterritoriality?
  • An Asian woman carries her baby on her back
    Female Infanticide in Asia
  • Burning ghats of varanasi with ancient temples
    Indian Castes and Feudal Japanese Classes
  • A vintage wooden wheelbarrow
    The Invention of the Wheelbarrow
  • Chinese Soldiers Marching with Weapons
    Culture, War, and Major Events in Asian History
  • This is the first known piece of art showing a saddle with stirrups, c. 100 CE.
    The Invention of the Saddle Stirrup
  • 1917 Japanese Diplomatic Mission
    What You Should Know About Unequal Treaties
  • A Russian officer negotiates with a group of Turcoman (Turkmen) elders
    What Was the Great Game?
  • A labrador running
    11 Domestic Animals that Originated in Asia
  • George C. Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower Conversing
    What Was the Domino Theory?
  • Chinese woman with bound feet on a chaise lounge, late Qing Era.
    Women's Roles After the Revolutions in China and Iran
  • Great Britain, Germany, Russia, France, and Japan carve the Chinese pie into spheres of influence while a Manchu official looks on helplessly
    What Is a Sphere of Influence?
  • Woman holds up dress in a mirror
    The Invention of the Mirror
  • IndonesiaDeforestPalmUletIfansastiGetty2010.jpg
    Deforestation in Asia
  • Kim Jong-un
    Biography of Kim Jong-un: North Korean Dictator
  • Portrait of Kai-Shek Chiang
    Chiang Kai-shek: The Generalissimo
  • Emilio Aguinaldo
    Biography of Emilio Aguinaldo, Filipino Independence Leader
  • Antonio Luna
    Biography of Antonio Luna, Hero of the Philippine-American War
  • Mausoleum of Mahmud of Ghazni against blue sky.
    Biography of Mahmud of Ghazni, First Sultan in History
  • Tamerlane statue
    Biography of Tamerlane, 14th Century Conqueror of Asia
  • Kim Il-Sung
    Biography of Kim Il-Sung, Founding President of North Korea
  • Apolinario Mabini (left) and Andres Bonifacio on a 10 Piso 2008 Banknote
    Biography of Apolinario Mabini, Philippines' First Prime Minister
  • Painting of Akbar the Great
    Biography of Akbar the Great, Emperor of Mughal India
  • Indonesia Independence
    Biography of Sukarno, Indonesia's First President
  • statue of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
    Biography of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, 16th Century Unifier of Japan
  • Ashoka Pillar
    Biography of Ashoka the Great, India's Mauryan Emperor
  • Emperor Babur
    Biography of Babur, Founder of the Mughal Empire
  • Philippine President Corazon Aquino at White House
    Biography of Corazon Aquino, First Female President of the Philippines
  • Sun Yat-sen
    Biography of Sun Yat-sen, Chinese Revolutionary Leader
  • Emperor Aurangzeb of India's Mughal Dynasty
    Biography of Aurangzeb, Emperor of Mughal India
  • Chandragupta Maurya
    Biography of Chandragupta Maurya, Founder of the Mauryan Empire
  • Zheng He monument
    Biography of Zheng He, Chinese Admiral
  • A painting of Kublai Khan
    Biography of Kublai Khan, Ruler of Mongolia and Yuan China
  • Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty -- Ming dynasty tombs, Beijing
    Biography of Zhu Di, China's Yongle Emperor
  • British soldiers discover Tipu Sultan's body
    Biography of Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore
  • Modern statue of Qin Shi Huang
    Biography of Qin Shi Huang, First Emperor of China
  • Statue of Jose Rizal in the Philippines
    Biography of José Rizal, National Hero of the Philippines
  • Andrés Bonifacio
    Biography of Andrés Bonifacio, Filipino Revolutionary Leader
  • Illustration of Empress Jingu leading the invasion of Korea holding sword
    A Long History of Japanese Women Warriors
  • Shogun shrine
    The Shoguns: Japan's Military Leaders
  • Emilio Jacinto portrait
    Profile of Emilio Jacinto of the Philippines
  • Early Chinese script on a Shang oracle bone
    Emperors of Shang Dynasty China
  • English Quarter, Hong Kong, 1899
    Why Did China Lease Hong Kong to Britain?
  • Qianlong
    Qing Dynasty, China's Last Imperial Family
  • The Storming of Delhi
    The Indian Revolt of 1857
  • The former Emperor Pu-Yi with his entourage
    Puyi, China's Last Emperor
  • Mao Zedong
    The Great Leap Forward
  • An illustration of Sinbad the Sailor
    Was Sinbad the Sailor Real?
  • Ruins from Great Tangshan Earthquake
    The Great Tangshan Earthquake of 1976
  • Terracotta Army
    Facts About the Burial of Qin Shi Huangdi
    • More In: History & Culture
    View more