An Atlas of the Tibetan Plateau


Book Description

The Atlas shows for the first time the contemporary geography of the entire Tibetan Plateau, an area where major powers (China, India and Pakistan) meet in the highest landscape on earth, originally occupied by the unique, ancient Buddhist civilisation of Tibet.




A Historical Atlas of Tibet


Book Description

This pioneering work documents cultural and religious sites across the Tibetan Plateau and its bordering regions from the Paleolithic Era to today. Western fascination with Tibet has soared in recent decades, yet this historic and globally celebrated region has barely been mapped. With this groundbreaking atlas, Karl E. Ryavec sweeps aside the image of Tibet as Shangri-La, offering a comprehensive vision of the region as it really is. The product of twelve years of research and eight more of mapmaking, the results are absolutely stunning. A Historical Atlas of Tibet ranges through the five main periods in Tibetan history, offering introductory maps of each followed by details of western, central, and eastern regions. It beautifully visualizes the history of Tibetan Buddhism, tracing its spread throughout Asia, with thousands of temples mapped, both within Tibet and across North China and Mongolia, all the way to Beijing. There are maps of major polities and their territorial administrations, as well as of the kingdoms of Guge and Purang in western Tibet, and of Derge and Nangchen in Kham. There are town plans of Lhasa and maps that focus on history and language, on population, natural resources, and contemporary politics. Extraordinarily comprehensive and absolutely gorgeous, this volume makes a major contribution in the realms of cartography, Asian studies, and Buddhist studies.




Mapping the Tibetan World


Book Description

This extraordinary budget travel guide to the Tibetan world comes with over 280 tried and tested maps covering the entire region. Get there and get around: Hundreds of pages of travel information. Plus gateway cities: New Delhi, Calcutta, Chengdu, Kunming, Kathmandu and Pokhara. Keep to your budget: Hotel tariffs, tour and trekking costs, permit and visa charges. Pack everything in: Cultural, historical and religious explanations, festival dates, sights & more...




A Historical Atlas of Tibet


Book Description

"The product of twelve years of research and eight more of mapmaking, A Historical Atlas of Tibet documents cultural and religious sites across the Tibetan Plateau and its bordering regions from the Paleolithic and Neolithic times all the way up to today. It ranges through the five main periods in Tibetan history, offering introductory maps of each followed by details of western, central, and eastern regions. It visualizes the history of Tibetan Buddhism, tracing its spread throughout Asia, with thousands of temples mapped, both within Tibet and across North China and Mongolia, all the way to Beijing. There are maps of major polities and their territorial administrations, as well as of the kingdoms of Guge and Purang in western Tibet, and of Derge and Nangchen in Kham. There are town plans of Lhasa and maps that focus on history and language, on population, natural resources, and contemporary politics."--Excerpted from jacket blurb.




Land of Pure Vision


Book Description

Wars have played a momentous role in shaping the course of human history. The ever-present specter of conflict has made it an enduring topic of interest in popular culture, and many movies, from Hollywood blockbusters to independent films, have sought to show the complexities and horrors of war on-screen. In The Philosophy of War Films, David LaRocca compiles a series of essays by prominent scholars that examine the impact of representing war in film and the influence that cinematic images of battle have on human consciousness, belief, and action. The contributors explore a variety of topics, including the aesthetics of war as portrayed on-screen, the effect war has on personal identity, and the ethical problems presented by war. Drawing upon analyses of iconic and critically acclaimed war films such as Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Thin Red Line (1998), Rescue Dawn (2006), Restrepo (2010), and Zero Dark Thirty (2012), this volume's examination of the genre creates new ways of thinking about the philosophy of war. A fascinating look at the manner in which combat and its aftermath are depicted cinematically, The Philosophy of War Films is a timely and engaging read for any philosopher, filmmaker, reader, or viewer who desires a deeper understanding of war and its representation in popular culture.




An Atlas of the Himalayas by a 19th Century Tibetan Lama


Book Description

Diana Lange has solved the mysteries of six panoramic maps of 19th c. Tibet and the Himalayas, known as the British Library's Wise Collection. The result is both a spectacular illustrated ethnographic atlas and a unique compendium of knowledge concerning the mid-19th century Tibetan world, as well as a remarkable account of an academic journey of discovery.This large format book is lavishly illustrated in colour and includes four separate large foldout maps.




Atlas of Religion in China: Social and Geographical Contexts


Book Description

The speed and the scale with which traditional religions in China have been revived and new spiritual movements have emerged in recent decades make it difficult for scholars to stay up-to-date on the religious transformations within Chinese society. This unique atlas presents a bird’s-eye view of the religious landscape in China today. In more than 150 full-color maps and six different case studies, it maps the officially registered venues of China’s major religions - Buddhism, Christianity (Protestant and Catholic), Daoism, and Islam - at the national, provincial, and county levels. The atlas also outlines the contours of Confucianism, folk religion, and the Mao cult. Further, it describes the main organizations, beliefs, and rituals of China’s main religions, as well as the social and demographic characteristics of their respective believers. Putting multiple religions side by side in their contexts, this atlas deploys the latest qualitative, quantitative and spatial data acquired from censuses, surveys, and fieldwork to offer a definitive overview of religion in contemporary China. An essential resource for all scholars and students of religion and society in China.




Soil Atlas of Asia


Book Description

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and FAO's Global Soil Partnership collaborated with experts from across Asia and other regions to produce the first-ever Soil Atlas of Asia. The aim of the Atlas is to raise awareness about the significance of soil to life in Asia among a wide range of audiences, including the general public, decision makers, politicians, teachers, and scientists from other disciplines. The Atlas comprises a series of annotated maps that demonstrate the diversity of soil characteristics across Asia in an easy-to-understand manner. It also explains how soils are formed, the key factors that shape soil characteristics, and why these vary across the continent. Moreover, the Atlas emphasizes the role of soils in shaping our daily lives and highlights the growing pressures on soils resulting from urban expansion, inappropriate land management, pollution, increased demand for food, and climate change. The Atlas encourages people to understand how their actions can help protect and restore soils while reducing degradation processes.




The Great Wenchuan Earthquake of 2008: A Photographic Atlas of Surface Rupture and Related Disaster


Book Description

The magnitude Ms 8.0 (Mw 7.9) Wenchuan earthquake occurred on 12 May 2008 in the Longmen Shan region of China—the topographical boundary between the Tibetan Plateau and the Sichuan Basin—resulting in extensive damage throughout central and western China. To understand the seismic faulting mechanism and surface deformation features associated with the Wenchuan earthquake, including rupture length, geometric characteristics, and slip distribution of co-seismic surface rupture, our survey group traveled to the epicentral area 2 days after the earthquake and undertook 10 days of fieldwork, during which time we collected fundamental data related to rupture structures and the spatial distribution of offset along faults. Based on the results of this preliminary fieldwork, we carried out additional detailed fieldwork along the co-seismic surface rupture over the following year. This photographic atlas shows the main deformation characteristics of co-seismic surface rupture and the nature of the earthquake disaster and subsequent relief operations, based on photographs taken during our field investigations. This atlas is intended not only for geologists, seismologists, and engineers as a means of furthering their understanding of the seismic mechanisms and surface rupture deformation characteristics of large intracontinental earthquakes, but also for advanced undergraduates and graduate students as a textbook. We are grateful to the many organizations and individuals who helped to make this book possible. Thanks are also due to Professor Dong Jia and Dr. Xiaojun Wu of the Nanjing University for their assistance in the field.




The Lhasa Atlas


Book Description

Lhasa, the ancient capital of Tibet, is the most impressive of the few surviving traditional towns. This guide presents its unique architecture and building culture, topography, environment, historical development and townscape, as well as introducing future plans and issues concerning the safeguarding of Lhasa in the face of urban development.