Around the Indus in 90 Slides

This site offers a tour of the ancient civilization of the Indus Valley via slides; each slide is provided with a descriptive commentary. An accompanying analytical essay provides interpretive material and gives thrust to the tour's narrative.

http://www.harappa.com/indus/slideindex.html

Questions for exploration:

How do the remains of the civilization of the Indus Valley reflect other early urban civilizations? In what ways are they unique? How do the slides and the essay accessed at this site suggest contacts between the Indus and other cultures via trade?

Harappan Seals

This superb site examines the use and meaning of the clay seals that were used in ancient northwest India. The site includes a slide show and other features.

http://www.harappa.com/seal/seal1.html

Questions for exploration:

What type of markings were found on the seals? What is their meaning as suggested here? Click on "full text" option at the bottom of this page or type in http://www.harappa.com/seal/sealtext.html. Using the text provided, summarize the current debate over the meaning of the seals. Does it suggest possible Harappan influence in the culture of Indo-European speaking people in India?

HinduKids Universe

A site designed to introduce Hindu customs to young people.

http://www.hindukids.org/namaskar.shtml

Question for exploration:

Why do Hindus place their palms together in their customary gesture of greeting or salutation?

Rituals and Sacraments of Hinduism

This site examines rituals and sacraments of Hinduism.

http://www.Hindubooks.org/wehwk/ch10.htm

Questions for exploration:

What is the Upanayana? What other major world religions have a similar ceremony?

Chinese Oracle Bones

This site analyzes early Chinese oracle bones.

http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/images/shnagbon.jpg

Questions for exploration:

How were Chinese oracle bones used to tell the future? What kind of techniques were used by contemporary spiritualists to divine the future?

Taoism

An exceptional introductory site to Taoist philosophy.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/taoism.htm

Questions for exploration:

According to Taoist philosophy, the development of what personal characteristics is the chief task of all mankind? What is tai chi? Why is good for you?

The Yellow River Basin

This site offers an essay that explores why the Yellow River basin is called the Cradle of Chinese Civilization.

http://www.cis.umassd.edu/~gleung/history/cradleen.html

Questions for exploration:

Why is the Yellow River basin considered the cradle of Chinese civilization? What is a tai yuan landform? What materials in the Bampo Museum suggest a high level of agricultural development in ancient China?

Yellow River Home Page

This site is designed to disseminate knowledge about the Yellow River.

http://www.vims.edu/~jpliu/huanghe/huanghe1.jpg

Questions for exploration:

After viewing the enlarged picture of the Yellow River in flood at this site, describe why such a volume of water and its loess content would be both a blessing and a danger to settled agriculture.

The Proposed Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River

This is a site critical of the damming of the Yangtze River.

http://www.floodwallstreet.org/

Questions for exploration:

After clicking on the "more" options at this site, describe why some environmentalists are concerned about the building of the great Yangtze River dam below its famed Three Gorges.

Feng Shui

This site introduces the geomancy of Feng Shui (pronounced "fung shway").

http://www.artoffengshuiinc.com/

Questions for exploration:

What is Feng Shui? Why is Feng Shui important for the proper flow of chi?

Conduct your own search of the many web pages devoted to Feng Shui, and provide three examples of how your home space can be altered to improve the flow of chi.