Exquisite Handicraft: Lombok Pots
The island of Lombok is a well known centre for traditional crafts. A village usually specialises in the production of one kind of craft, whether it’s basket-making, weaving or pottery.
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Monday, December 8, 2025
Asia
Along the Spice Trail
The Egyptians mummified their dead with cumin, the Chinese burnt cloves to commune with the spirit world, and some medieval Europeans believed nutmeg was the only cure for the Plague…
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Ancient Secrets: The Forbidden City
Lying in the centre of Beijing, the Forbidden City has a rich and mysterious history, and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, visited by about ten million people a year.
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Army of Ghosts: Terracotta Warriors
Around the village of Xi’an, folktales had been told for centuries about scary ghosts that lived underground in this area. So imagine the fright of two farmers in 1974, as they went about their daily chore of digging a well to supply water to their local crops, they come face to face with a menacing Chinese warrior.
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Shrines and Temples of Kamakura
With no less than 65 Buddhist temples and 19 Shinto shrines, set in a dramatic natural amphitheater amongst woods on three sides and the sea taking centre stage, Kamakura, a populous resort town and historic center, makes for a great day trip from nearby Tokyo…
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