VIETNAM
The Mighty Mekong River
Around the Mekong River, 70 million people throughout Southeast Asia live and thrive – more than the population of France. Thais and Laotians who share the Mekong River have similar cultural traditions and have maintained close exchanges. Fishermen on the riverbanks even make a short stay at the opposite shore without a passport or visa. Whether from the Thai side or the Lao side, the fishermen all know each other, and greet each other warmly every day when a boat passes. Dragon boat racing, which originated in China, has also spread to the middle and lower reaches of the Mekong.
The Greater Mekong has been called Asia’s “fish basket” and “rice bowl”. It produces 4.5 million metric tonnes of fish every year, contributing about 80 percent of the protein consumed in the region’s households. The freshwater system is also critical for growing rice, which provides more than half of the daily caloric intake in countries across the region. From its source in the Tibetan Plateau to its end in Vietnam, the Mekong River is also a critical source of drinking water for the millions of people who live in its watershed. Four-fifths of the population of the Greater Mekong relies on forestry, agriculture or fishing for their livelihoods, all relating to the Mekong’s waters. In Laos, for example, more than two-thirds of the population is employed in the agricultural sector.
CHINA
The Bustling Life on the Yangtze River
Denne historien er fra AG 01/2020 - 140-utgaven av ASIAN Geographic.
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Denne historien er fra AG 01/2020 - 140-utgaven av ASIAN Geographic.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Revealed Doctor Yellow
Japan Railways' special lemony Shinkansen is a rare sight to behold
The Mighty Yellow
Over 5,000 kilometres long and flowing through nine provinces and autonomous regions, the Yellow River is China's second largest, after the Yangtze, while its basin is deemed the cradle of Chinese civilisation
Wildlife Big Yellow Beauty
The popular "amelanistic" form of the Burmese python is considered among the most beautiful snakes - if that's your sort of thing
All That Glitters Is Gold
From Turkey to China, the yellow metal plays a central role in cultural practices and is coveted as a symbol of affluence and status
Chengdu Hotel Spotlight TRIKA TSANG INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
For an authentic taste of Tibet in the heart of Chengdu, the most luxurious option is the majestic Trika Tsang International Hotel.
Conservation Yellow in Peril
While the demand for use in traditional Chinese medicine is putting seahorses under pressure, it is damaging non-selective fishing that is driving depletion
History Spiritual Rebirth
During the Spanish Golden Age, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan achieved the first European navigation to Asia via the Pacific, arriving in the Philippines in 1521 and claiming the islands for Spain. But by converting the first Filipinos to Catholicism, Magellan also instigated the Christianisation of the entire archipelago, a spiritual rebirth celebrated through the two most important festivals in the Philippines - Fiesta Señor and Sinulog.
Green Dreams
With its tea plantations and rice paddies, dense jungles and expansive forests, the region is well known as a green paradise. But many of the most impressive Asian landscapes have names you may never have heard of. Journey with us as we reveal just some of the incredible locations that make the rest of the world green with envy!
Life On The Edge
In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in the remote northern Russian Far East, indigenous ethnic groups like the Chukchi and the Yupik live in the most extreme conditions, hunting seals in their traditional kayaks as they have for millennia
The Karakoram Anomaly Decoded
For decades, scientists have believed that glaciers in the Karakoram Range are defying the trend of those across the globe-resisting glacial melt due to human-induced global warming. But as we trek up the Karakoram's second-longest glacier in July, as the United Nations announces the world's hottest ever month on record, does the melting ice beneath our feet suggest the so-called Karakoram Anomaly is slowing? Or is there a ray of hope it will continue to delay the inevitable?
