History
This trade route, named for a prized commodity, connected China with the West for centuries, starting in the Han Dynasty.
What is the Silk Road?
The Hindu God of preservation, one of the Trimurti, and takes on various earthly incarnations, or avatars, to restore balance and order whenever the world is threatened by evil. Some prominent avatars include Krishna and Rama.
Who is Vishnu?
The surge of Hallyu or the "Korean Wave" in 2025 has led to talks of using K-Pop idols as public diplomats, a strategy called this type of power, which focuses on attraction rather than coercion.
What is Soft Power?
The tallest mountain range in the world, home to Mount Everest.
What is the Himalayan mountain range?
scaly anteaters about the size of a house cat, the only mammal with scales in the world, able to curl up in a ball for defense
What is the Pangolin?
This Indian empire was ruled by Ashoka the Great, who converted to and widely promoted Buddhism after the Battle of Kalinga
What is the Maurya Empire?
The Japanese Shinto Diety of the Sun, born from the first deities Izanagi and Izanami, and is revered as the divine ancestor of the Japanese imperial family
Who is Amaterasu?
Known for hit games like Genshin Impact, this country's domestic gaming market boomed in 2025, using its rich mythology and massive player base to project its soft power globally.
What is China?
the longest human made structure in the world, made of several walls made to protect nomadic groups from the Eurasian Europe.
What is the Great Wall of China?
a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle and a ringed tail.
What is the Red Panda?
In 1279, Kublai Khan conquered the Song dynasty to establish this dynasty, the first time China was ruled by a non-Han Chinese people.
What is the Yuan Dynasty?
The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the basis of Goku, based in ancient Chinese Mythology and introduced in the Journey to the West
Who is Sun WuKong?
A Bollywood actor, whose father was the late Irrfan Khan, was in the news in 2025 after posting a tearful video about his struggles with depression and what he called the industry's toxicity.
Who is Babil Khan?
a white marble mausoleum in Agra, India, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1648 as a tomb for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
What is the Taj Mahal?
The Pygmy Hippopotamus that saw world wide fame, residing at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Si Racha, Chonburi, Thailand.
who is Moo Deng?
This Japanese military title, meaning "great general who subdues the barbarians," was held by the country's de facto military rulers from the 12th to the 19th centuries.
What is Shogun?
Creature in Sri Lankan folklore said to emit bloodcurdling human-sounding shrieks in jungles at night. It is believed that the cry of this bird is an omen that portends death.
What is the Devil Bird or Ulama?
Despite diplomatic tensions, South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung and his counterpart from this country committed to closer ties in their final summit in 2025, a nation also known for the popular anime Demon Slayer.
What is Japan?
A vast, arid region in northern China and southern Mongolia. It's known for its dunes and mountains.
What is the Gobi Desert?
arboreal monkey with an unusually large nose, a reddish-brown skin color and a long tail. It is endemic to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo.
What is the Proboscis Monkey?
The 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia was a key event in the history of this "movement" of newly independent states during the Cold War.
What is the Non-Aligned Movement?
supernatural beings from Korean Mythology, often described as mischievous goblins, that can be either helpful or harmful, embodying karmic justice
What is a Dokkaebi?
K-Pop fandoms in this country, particularly young women, have been credited with amplifying political dissent, most notably using lightsticks and singing Girls' Generation's "Into the New World" during protests against President Yoon's administration.
What is South Korea?
Along with Liechtenstein in Europe, this Central Asian nation is one of only two countries in the world to be double-landlocked, meaning all its bordering neighbors are themselves landlocked.
What is Uzbekistan?
Also known as the Bearcat, is native to South and Southeast Asia. is well known for smelling like burnt popcorn, and is the only Old World mammal with a prehensile tail.
What is the Binturong