Koreans have been producing—and drinking—alcohol for centuries. Along with song and dance, alcohol has always been an essential part of the Korean joie de vivre. Koreans drink a lot, but they don’t drink just to get drunk. Of course, Koreans enjoy alcohol as a means to make merry and build cohesion between family, friends and coworkers. But alcohol’s place in Korean culture goes far beyond that. Alcohol has historically also been a medicine and a means to preserve perishable ingredients. It even has a place in the sacred rites of Korea’s Confucian society, including the all-important ancestral remembrance rites. Because of the important role alcohol has played in their society, Koreans have developed sophisticated brewing techniques to produce a wide range of alcoholic tipples.
Korea is a remarkable case study in religious coexistence. Even though only about half the country identifies as religious, the half that does displays a remarkable diversity of both indigenous and imported faiths, including Buddhism and Christianity (of both the Catholic and Protestant varieties). Korean religious pluralism is no recent phenomenon. Koreans have respected religious diversity since ancient times. Indeed, if there is one overriding religious tendency in the Korean population, it is a preference for syncretism, of finding essential and common truths amidst diverse and often competing doctrines. Current Korean leaders have continued making efforts to further inter-faith understanding. This book surveys the rich religious and spiritual tapestry that is contemporary Korea. We begin with the earliest of Korean faiths—the shamanism that prehistoric Koreans brought with them as they migrated to the peninsula from Central Asia—and continue on to today's most prominent faiths: Buddhism, Christianity, andConfucianism. Korea has given birth to a large number of indigenous faiths, and we will take a look at some of these, too.
The Joseon dynasty ruled Korea for over half a millennium, bequeathing to Korea a considerable cultural heritage. This book will examine three of the better-known areas of Joseon cultural heritage: royal palaces, royal tombs, and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. Standing in the heart of Seoul, the five royal palaces are more than just buildings; they are architectural expressions of Joseon society and its ruling philosophy. The royal tombs—forty final resting places of Joseon kings and queens—are unique in their completeness. Finally, the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty are unequalled in their richness as a source of historical and cultural information about Korean history. Each of these treasures, deeply imbued with Joseon's Confucian culture, reveals unique aspects about the kingdom and its legacy.
The most well-known Korean ceramics are the celadon of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) and the white porcelain of the ensuing Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). [...] The celadons of Goryeo, their grace and color tinged with feminine beauty, symbolized an aristocratic Buddhist culture, while the white porcelains from the Joseon period are thought to typify the bureaucratic and scholarly Confucian society and were essentially masculine in tone, vigorous and orderly. [...] Korea's traditional ceramic wares serve as a barometer for understanding Korean culture in that they most accurately reflect Korean aesthetics and the Korean worldview.
Real Places. Real Life. Real Seoul. A Local Guide to the Hottest City in Asia What’s the best way to tour around a foreign city? Unless you want to pilgrim through the obvious landmarks and take typical vacation shots at tourist restaurants, the best and the safest way would be to get help from a reliable local friend, especially if you plan to explore a newly emerging city in constant change like Seoul. But what if you don’t have a reliable friend in Seoul? A Curated Guide: SEOUL, put together by a local editor and expat authors, will gladly be your friend. There’s more to Seoul than palaces, bibimbap, K-pop, and soju Authors Robert Koehler, former editor-in-chief of SEOUL magazine, and Hahna Yoon, former editor of Time Out Seoul, have long been introducing Seoul’s kaleidoscopic aspects to readers around the globe. Their insights in identifying the hidden gems of the city as well as their social, cultural, historical, and artistic knowledge have already been verified by the readers of their magazines, and Robert Koehler’s last book, Seoul Selection Guides: SEOUL, even topped Amazon’s Seoul tour guides category. Through this book, the two authors sought to present a selective curation distinguished from the humdrum travel information galore on and offline. Deviating from the beaten paths suggested by every previous Seoul guidebook, they curate lesser known enchantments: time-forsaken back alleys and exclusive local shops. While they don’t avoid famous sites altogether, they recommend spots according to their personal experiences rather than popularity, catering to various tastes. From elegantly aged hanok to the hippest clubs in town, the book covers a wide spectrum of interests and preferences. Locals share the very best Asia’s hottest metropolis has to offer A Curated Guide: SEOUL is comprised of 10 sections: Neighborhoods, Historic Architecture, Arts & Culture, Dining, Cafés & Teashops, Nightlife, Nature, Shopping, Experiences, and Accommodations. Want to get a rough idea of the huge metropolis and its layout? Warm up with the “Neighborhoods” section exploring the nine trendiest neighborhoods of Seoul. The authors’ favorites are Euljiro, where the atmosphere shifts dramatically from day to night, and Seongsu-dong, known as the “Brooklyn of Seoul.” If you want more in-depth stories about life and culture in Seoul, check out the essays and interviews of a local architect, indie musician, chef, coffee expert, and DJ featured in the book. With more than 400 photos of vivid moments in the city, the guide offers a fresh perspective on Seoul for travelers, expatriates, or anyone who is simply curious about the city.
Koehler's mind is amazing and he has the literary skills to match. Simply reading this book, both your mind and your heart will be expanded. You won't see the world quite the same after reading it, so in a very real way the world won't be the same. Koehler is one of those extraordinary souls who makes you think a bit differently about the world - and thus he changes it, one essay at a time." - Marianne Williamson, author of Tears to Triumph: The Spiritual Journey from Suffering to Enlightenment Koehler is "someone who has fought through unthinkable adversity and made a mission out of offering the world a view of peace, cooperation, benevolence and self-education taken on for the common good. I don't know many people in the world, if any, who are putting their shoulder to so noble a task. ... He empowers his readers to find the highest levels of personal philosophy in the most innocuous of places." - Jason Stoneking, author of Audience of None
Nowadays, with healthy living and the 'slow food' movement receiving spotlight worldwide, Korean cuisine is drawing much interest as a healthy cuisine with nutritional harmony and balance. In fact, Koreans have traditionally viewed food as 'medicine,' a means to keep oneself healthy and strong. (..)Korea's four seasons and geography have produced a good many seasonal dishes and foods that reflect the nation's geographic characteristics, such as seafood from the ocean that surrounds the peninsula. This book will attempt to explore Korea's-year-old culinary culture and introduce to readers the historical, cultural, nutritional and philosophical background to this rich cuisine.
Music has played and continues to play a vital role in Korean society, providing a rich vein of material as a dynamic part of the nation's culture. Korean music's history reflects active engagement with surrounding cultures, as well as indigenous creativity and innovation. Korea is heir to one of the world's oldest repertoires of notated music. Over the past several hundred years, virtuosic instrumental genres based upon the music of shamanist rituals and agricultural ceremonies developed into highly sophisticated art forms. This book will examine the development of Korean traditional music, looking at what makes it unique, surveying its wide variety of genres, and reviewing its dramatic history as an art form.
This book offers an introduction to Korea's abundant and unique architectural past and present, combining explanations of the principles behind Korean architecture with introductions to some of the country's finest buildings and structures. It explains some of the ideologies and perspectives that form the foundation of Korean architectural tradition and outlines the history of Korean architecture, from the first architectural traces of dugouts and lean-tos to the increasingly sophisticated wooden frames and technologies. It offers a brief introduction to the basic elements, construction process, structural anatomy, and materials used in building a Korean traditional architecture. The book also highlights ten of Korea's best-known and most significant traditional buildings, ranging from Buddhist temples to royal palaces, Confucian royal shrines, landscaped literati gardens to "Enlightenment"-era fortresses. Korea's early modern architecture—a period from the colonial domination by Japan into the mid-20th century—is also examined.
The steps to murder were cluttered by such clues as a torn ticket stub and dried mud on a man's trouser cuffs. Isabel and her boyfrield, Al Branson of the Homicide Squad, had to walk carefully to avoid being tripped up!
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Why, with so much focus on organizational change, is there so little successful change? Is it the result of poor planning? The economy? Foreign competition? The fundamental reason is that most corporations fail to understand basic laws of structure that determine a business's success or failure. Often managers attempt to impose change on a weak foundation. Robert Fritz examines the underlying structures that support business strategy, with the insight that structure gives rise to behavior. Once they understand these structural forces, managers can realize their company's goals by applying the right principles. Fritz outlines the basic laws that determine a corporation's success or failure. He describes the difference between structural advancement and structural oscillation, and shows how, if an organization is poorly structured, success in one department can actually cause difficulties in another - increased sales can strain manufacturing capacity; reinvestment can lead to declining market performance. Corporate Tides reveals techniques that can be used at all levels of an organization, from project teams to senior groups doing strategic planning, and demonstrates how to create consistency throughout the organization.
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