Features of Asia
Asia is a big continent where many different cultures, religions and traditions have co-existed peacefully. Photos taken in many Asian countries will give you a taste of various cultures, traditions, and sceneries in Asia. You will also learn how to say ?ello?in many Asian languages, which will help you get connected to other Asians.

1. China - Miao girls in Guizhou
The dancing girls are the Miao minorities in Guizhou, southwest China. They dance to welcome visitors in their traditional costumes. While dancing, they also sing and sometimes invite some visitors to join them. The Miao are the fourth largest ethnic minority in China, and many of them live in Guizhou, Guangxi, Hainan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Since Guizhou is located on a plateau at an average elevation of over 1,100m (3,608 feet), unique ethnic minority cultures have been protected. About 40% of the population consists of different ethnic minorities. - By Kangsoy (Chinese)

2. Japan - Fountain of Peace and Peace Statue
The Fountain of Peace and the Peace Statue are the symbols of the Nagasaki Peace Park. The park was built in a wish for world peace. Nagasaki city was devastated by the 1945 atomic bomb of the United States Army Air Forces. The bombing killed an estimated 74,000 Japanese people. Due to tremendous heat after the explosion, many people suffered from thirst. The fountain was dedicated to the victims. The 9.7m (32 feet)-tall Peace Statue is located near ground zero where the atomic bomb was blasted. Its left hand symbolizes the threat of atomic bomb and the right hand world peace. - By Im Hyeon-sook (Korean)

3. Malaysia - Traditional wedding gifts
In Malaysia, the bride and the groom exchange Malay traditional engagement and wedding gifts called 'Hantaran'. Hantaran consists of the couple's necessities such as handbags, wallets, shoes, towels, perfume, sweets, chocolates, fruits, Kuih (Malay traditional cake) and many more items. Usually the bride's side sends two more gifts than the groom's side. All the gifts are wrapped and arranged beautifully on the wedding day. The Hantaran is decorated based on the theme color for the wedding, chosen by both the bride's and the groom's side. - By Shahiba Najiha Bt Shafie (Malaysian) and Lee Hye-jeong (Korean)

4. Mongolia - Mongolian Owo
The stack of stones in the middle of this picture is a Mongolian owo. This owo is located on the way from Ulaanbaatar to Terelj National Park. Although there are many different types of owos in Mongolia, most of them are built in sacred places, and decorated with blue cloth, which represents the sky. People say that if you throw a stone on owo and go around the owo clockwise three times, something favorable will happen to you. Mongolians circle this owo when they start traveling. - By Choi Jee-seun (Korean)

5. North Korea - Mt. Baekdu
Mt. Baekdu is the highest mountain in the Korean peninsula. It has been considered the ancestral mountain to Koreans. The (South) Korean national anthem starts with “Until the East Sea dries out and Mt. Baekdu is worn away …” Baekdu means a white head, which is given because its summit is covered with snow throughout most of the four seasons. It is a dormant volcano. According to the 1962 DPRK-China treaty on border demarcation, 54.5% of its crater lake belongs to North Korea and 45.5% to China. - By Hyunjin Kang-Graham (Korean)

6. Philippines - Chocolate Hills in Bohol
The Chocolate Hills are a popular tourist attraction in Bohol, the 10th biggest island in the Philippines. During the dry season, several hundred hills formed by the upheavals and erosions of the ocean floor turn into the shape of brown chocolates. Bohol is interesting not only due to its unique geography but also due to its extraordinary wildlife. Tarsier, the smallest primate on Earth, is only found in Bohol. Bohol is becoming one of the most visited islands in the country. - By Choi Jee-seun (Korean)

7. South Korea - Peace Bell
The Peace Bell is situated in the Imjingak resort. Koreans hear this bell tolling every New Year? Day with the hope of unification and peace. Imjingak is the northernmost area of South Korea where people can visit without government permission. It is only less than 7 km (about 4 miles) away from the Military Demarcation Line, and many separated families come here to feel connected to their families in the North. When the sky is clear, you can see North Korea through a telescope in Imjingak. - By Hyunjin Kang-Graham (Korean)

8. Thailand - Floating market
A floating market in Bangkok provides foreigners a chance to experience the traditional Thai lifestyle. Floating market refers to a boat that sells a variety of foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and merchandise. Such a boat originally functioned as a means for Thais living in floating houses to exchange necessary goods with each other. Today, floating markets are more popular among foreign tourists than locals. - By Hyunjin Kang-Graham (Korean)

9. United Arab Emirates - Henna tattoo
In the Arabic region, the bride traditionally decorates her body with henna tattooing for the wedding day. The bride? female friends and relatives also tattoo their hands or feet with henna. Before the wedding day, they go to a tattoo shop together to get tattooed. It is easy to find henna salons on the streets in UAE. Popular tattoo patterns keep changing season by season. Henna tattoos are only temporary, and they disappear within a few weeks. - By Im Hyeon-sook (Korean)

10. Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh mausoleum
Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, situated in the capital Hanoi, enshrines the embalmed body of Vietnamese national hero Ho Chi Minh. He led the Vietnamese independence movement during World War II, and established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DPV) in 1945. He served as president of the DRV (1946-1969) until he died of heart failure during the Vietnam War. Many Vietnamese still respect him, affectionately calling him "Bac Ho" meaning Uncle Ho), and visit this mausoleum. - By Im Hyeon-sook (Korean)