Reading folktales from other countries is an engaging way to learn about other cultures and other people. Folktales present readers both a window into another culture and a mirror reflecting certain aspects of their own culture. In the...
Reading folktales from other countries is an engaging way to learn about other cultures and other people. Folktales present readers both a window into another culture and a mirror reflecting certain aspects of their own culture. In the...
This book sheds light on some of the common myths around being bilingual and explores the processes of dual language development among Korean American children. It sensibly argues that the bilingualism of linguistic minority children is a resource to be cultivated and treasured, not a problem to be overcome.
This brand new first edition of Frommer's South Korea features in-depth coverage of this increasingly popular destination, from the cities of Seoul and Busar to the DMZ border area to Jeju Island, the "Island of the Gods." Our author Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee is a first-generation Korean American who passes along insider's tips and insights into Korean culture, plus a Korean recipe or two (Hae-Jin Lee is also a respected cook and cookbook author). She'll steer you away from the touristy and the inauthentic and show you the real heart of South Korea. Eat a Hanjeongsik (full-course meal) in a neighborhood cafe in Seoul, attend the Busar Film Festival, shop for the country's best fabrics (ramie fabrics) at the markets in Hansan, and hike the Seoraksan Mountains (or just buy the area's famous mushrooms and honey)--plus seek out tea houses, limestone caves, Buddhist temples, hot springs, battlegrounds, and parks throughout the region.
The invasions of Korea launched by the dictator Toyotomi Hideyoshi are unique in Japanese history for being the only time that the samurai assaulted a foreign country. Hideyoshi planned to invade and conquer China, ruled at the time by the Ming dynasty, and when the Korean court refused to allow his troops to cross their country, Korea became the first step in this ambitious plan of conquest. In 1592 a huge invasion force of 150,000 men landed at the ports of Busan and Tadaejin under the commanders Konishi Yukinaga and Kato Kiyomasa. These two Japanese divisions rapidly overran their Korean counterparts, taking the principal cities of Seoul and then Pyongyang and driving the remnants of the Korean Army into China. The Japanese division under Kato Kiyomasa even started to advance into Manchuria. However, the Korean strength was in their navy and the vital Korean naval victory of Hansando disrupted the flow of supplies to the invasion forces, forcing them to hold their positions around Pyongyang. In 1593, the Chinese invaded capturing Pyongyang from the Japanese and driving them southwards. This phase of the war ended in a truce, with the Japanese forces withdrawing into enclaves around the southern port of Busan while the Ming armies largely withdrew to China. In 1597, following the breakdown in negotiations, the Japanese invaded again with a force of 140,000 men. However, the Chinese and Koreans were now better prepared and the advance came to a halt south of Seoul, and then forced the Japanese southwards. In November 1598 Hideyoshi died, and with him the enthusiasm for the military adventure. The Japanese council of regents ordered the withdrawal of the remaining forces, and the naval battle of Noryang, which saw the Japanese fleet annihilated by the Korean admiral Yi-Sunshin, proved to be the last significant act of the conflict.
