In ancient China, fragrances were not just for an extra spritz of glamour; royal temples burned incense as a sacred offering in religious rituals, lovers gifted each other aromatic embroidered …
Few places in the world are as environmentally harsh as China’s Gobi Desert, and yet, long before humans developed rudimentary weapons, invented the wheel, or mastered agriculture, they were surviving …
I don’t know if it is the intended effect, but they look like a permanently surprised cartoon character with arched, bushy eyebrows. It is supposed to last only a few …
Extracted from The Light of Asia: A History of Western Fascination with the East by Christopher Harding, published by Allen Lane, January 2024 *** “Honoured emperors and kings, dukes and …