April 8 -- East Asia

East Asia

how is east asia’s climate divided

by the Yangtze river: humid south vs. drier, colder north

what are some key effects of climate change in east asia

rising temps, water shortages, air pollution, super typhoons

what is the Asian Brown Cloud

a massive layer of air pollution covering parts of east asia, tied to industrial activity

why is the Three Gorges Dam significant

controls flooding, generates power, but displaced millions and caused environmental disruption

what is the one-child policy’s effect in china

gender impalance, aging population, labor shortages; now replaced with a three-child policy

what are the current population trends in japan and korea

aging populations and extremely low birth rates (TFR: Japan 1.45, Korea 0.72)

what is urban primacy in south korea

seoul contains ~40% of the population and is the cultural/econonmic hub

what are china’s “floating populatios”

migrants from rural areas moving to cities without officiak residency (hukou), causing unequal access to services

what is japan’s “superconurbation?”

a massive urban-indutrial region (tokyo-nagoya-osaka) on honshu island

how has urbanization impacted agriculture in japan

urban areas compete with agricultyral land in the same lowlands; japan relies on imports

what are china’s agricultural regions

rice in the south, grains in the cooler north; exports high-value crops

what is ideographic writing

writing with characters representing ideas (e.g. chinese characters), allowing literacy across dialects

what are some major belief systems in east asia

confucianism, taoism, mahayana buddhism, shinto (japan), and marxist atheism (china/north korea)

what is feng shui

geomancy-based design practice from taoism, aligning buildings with spiritual/topographical energy

what is the “korean wave” (hallyu)

the global spread of koean pop culture — k-pop, dramas, cosmetics

what happehed during the tohoku earthquake

9.0 quake and massive tsunami killed ~21,000, damaged fukushima nuclear plant

what is the status of taiwan

claims independence, but china considers it as a breakaway province; U.S. has strategic ambiguity

what are the senkaku/diaoyu islands

disputed islands controlled by japan, claimed by china and taiwan; likely rish in oil/gas

what divides the koreas

the DMZ at the 38th parallel; N. Korea remains authoritatian, while S. Kora is a democracy and economic powerhouse

who are the “asiam tigers”

taiwan, S. Korea, hong kong, and singapoer — rapid industrial growth, export-led

what triggered japan’s economic collapse in the 1990s

real estate bubble burst, long banking crisis, “lost decades”

what is china’s “new silk road”

a global infrastructure and trade initiative (Belt and Road) expanding china’s influence

what’s a chaebol

large, family-run industrial conglomerates in S.Korea (e.g. samsung, hyundai)

what are “cancer villages”

areas in china with high cancer rates linked to severe pollution

what are major gender issues in east asia

gender wage gap, glass ceiling, limited political and corporate roles for women

what is the Burakumin group in japan

a historically outcast group from “polluting” occupation, still facing discrimination