Introduction: Asia at a Glance
History
Arts, Culture, Thought, and Religion
Science-Technology, Economics, and Everyday Life
The World
1. East Asia
China: Political History
China: Arts, Culture, Thought, and Religion
China: Science-Technology, Economics, and Everyday Life
Japan: Political History
Japan: Arts, Culture, Thought, and Religion
Japan: Science-Technology, Economics, and Everyday Life
Korea
Taiwan
Hong Kong
Macau(Macao)
2. South Asia
India: Political History
India: Arts, Culture, Thought, and Religion
India: Science-Technology, Economics, and Everyday Life
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Maldives
Nepal
Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
3. Southeast Asia
Brunei
Cambodia
Indonesia
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar (Burma)
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam
4. Central Asia
Mongolia
Central Asian Republics
Tibet
Appendix 1: National/Independence Days
Appendix 2: Scientific-Technological Achievements in Asia

Containing more information on Asian culture than any other English-language reference work, Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture is the first of its kind: a set of more than thirty chronologies for all the countries of Asia-East, South, Southeast, and Central-from the Paleolithic era through 1998. Each entry is clearly dated and, unlike most chronologies found in standard history texts, the entries are complete and detailed enough to provide virtually a sequential history of the vast and rich span of Asian cultures. The contributing writers and editors have ensured the book's usefulness to general readers by identifying individuals and groups, locating places and regions, explaining events and movements, and defining unfamiliar words and concepts.
The thirty-two chronologies on individual countries, in conjunction with a detailed index, allow readers to find specific information quickly and efficiently, whether they seek the date for the invention of the iron plow or gunpowder, the fall of the Han Dynasty in China, or Ho Chi Minh's declarations of Vietnamese independence. This invaluable reference culminates with three appendices: "National/Independence Days," "Scientific-Technological Achievements in Asia," and "Asia: A Chronological Overview," which provides an accessible summary of key events and developments in various fields of activity throughout the continent.
The Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture features:
¿ three discrete chronologies on (1) Politics/History, (2) Art/Culture/Religion, and (3) Science/Economics/Everyday Life for each of Asia's three major cultures-China, India, and Japan-as well as a combined chronology for each of the other nations;
¿ detailed entries of thousands of historical events as well as important milestones in religion, philosophy, literature, and the arts;
¿ entries on technological developments and natural events (famines, floods, etc.) affecting the lives of ordinary people; and
¿ authoritative and accessibly written entries by a team of Asian scholars from Columbia, Harvard, and other major research universities.
Beyond its detailed accounting of Asia's political history, Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture also gives full recognition to religious, intellectual, artistic, and general cultural achievements, as well as to scientific, technological, industrial, agricultural, and economic developments. Concise yet complete, it will stand as an indispensable reference work in the field of Asian studies.