In 1200, what is now southwest China--Guizhou, Yunnan, and the southern portion of Sichuan was home to an assortment of strikingly diverse cultures and ruled by a multitude of political entities. By 1750, China’s military, political, sociocultural, and economic institutions were firmly in control of the region, and many of the area’s cultures were rapidly becoming extinct. One purpose of this book is to examine how China’s three late imperial dynasties--the Yuan, Ming, and Qing--conquered, colonized, and assumed control of the southwest. Another objective is to highlight the indigenous response to China’s colonization of the southwest, particularly that of the Nasu Yi people of western Guizhou and eastern Yunnan, the only group to leave an extensive written record.

Tatiana, a young Mexican woman, is adrift in Berlin. Choosing a life of solitude, she takes a job transcribing notes for the reclusive Doktor Weiss. Through him she meets 'ant illustrator turned meteorologist' Jonas, a Berliner who has used clouds and the sky's constant shape-shifting as his escape from reality. As their three paths intersect and merge, the contours of all their worlds begins to change...

Marvel at our universe, with its billions of galaxies and the planets of our solar system. Explore Earth and all its breathtaking landscapes. Take a front-row seat at the impressive spectacle that is our weather and plunge to the depths of the ocean with all its hidden treasures.

Patricia Leffingwell, a high school reading teacher in Florida, received an ominous message from a prominent psychic medium. This message threw her life off track, and Leffingwell soon found herself propelled into an incredible, self-revealing spiritual and paranormal odyssey. Through difficult trials leading up to and following her spiritual awakening, Leffingwell became aware of her own psychic abilities. We are all born with them, but these abilities are often blamed on overactive childhood imaginations. We thwart our own connection to the other world, but this avoidance can easily become acceptance in adulthood if we open ourselves up to illumination. A Walk between the Clouds: Messages from the Other Side is an adventurous and enlightening memoir, in which Leffingwell shares her own other-worldly encounters and teaches you how to keep your own psychic journal. Once you realize there are no coincidences, you will be open to seeing the psychic phenomenon in your own life and in doing so, you will feel fulfilled, informed, and divinely peaceful.

Essential Terms of Chinese Painting provides a comprehensive coverage of the broad spectrum of Chinese painting. Through an array of some 900 terms, it exhibits the history of Chinese culture, as interpreted by artists and portrayed in their work. In masterful detail, it describes not only the artistic implements and drawing styles, but also how these are influenced by changing cultural considerations over time such as religion, philosophy, intellectual ideas, and political developments. From the broad view of how the change of dynasties affected painting trends in both format and subject, to the smallest detail of the methods used to paint different styles of tree branches, this is a full compendium of the scope and depth of artwork from China. This volume features twelve chapters which • explore all major areas of art including techniques, implements and materials, inscriptions and seals, painting and mounting formats for all categories including landscape, bird-and-flower, figure and auspicious paintings; • provide a helpful resource for readers to enjoy Chinese art with over 500 full-colour illustrations and pictures to further elaborate the terms discussed; • serve as an introduction to begin a true understanding of traditional Chinese painting.