Theme | Stories

Theme Genghis Khan is Chairman of the Horde

Tribal scholar Jack Weatherford recasts the warrior chief as a kinder, more refined emperor of kings.
Theme Hiroshi Kashiwagi’s American Dream Through Japanese Eyes

Kashiwagi explains Japan’s post WWII fascination with all things American.
Theme From Chan to Zen in 15 Centuries

It is a supreme irony that Zen has become cultural shorthand for an easy-to-grasp aesthetic, when actual Zen Buddhism is renowned for its opacity and elusiveness.
Theme Bi Sheng, Not His Type

Movable type’s impact on the evolution of literacy and publishing has been profound. An abridged history of movable type.
Theme Apple’s Turnover

It’s “forbidden,” yet it’s the most widely cultivated fruit of all. Follow the history of the apple from it’s birthplace in the “Heavenly Mountains” of China.