Welcome back to day 3 of the AHC (click here for Part I & Part II)…the stirring conclusion to the 20th Asian History Carnival, and what better day for a grand finale? Today marks the 603rd anniversary of Zheng He’s first voyage and Gavin Menzies will no doubt be celebrating in St. Louis, MO. Why St. Louis? Well, everyone knows that Chinese people eat Chinese food using chopsticks. Most chopsticks are made of wood. Wood grows on trees. Now, it is a little known fact that St. Louis, MO has both Chinese restaurants AND trees. Ergo, Zheng He discovered the Mississippi River and St. Louis, MO. Q.E.D.
On to the links…
What’s an Asian History Carnival without the token Orientalism post? Ryan Morrison at Neojaponism rethinks Said with a little help from Junichiro Tanizaki in “Performance of East West Discourses in Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows.”
There’s a map of China making the rounds whose origins appear to be part of larger piece of “analysis” which those with bigger budgets and an interest in that sort of thing can purchase if so inclined. Frog in a Well however suggests that those who do might not be getting their money’s worth,