Kut: The Death of an Army is the fascinating, yet largely forgotten, story of the British-Indian Army, which was besieged in Mesopotamia from 1915 to 1916. It is an expert account of the tragic five-month Turkish siege, in which their enemies essentially outlasted them.The author reveals the day-to-day preoccupations of not only the Anglo-Indian forces, but their enemies the Turks as well as local civilians caught in the chaos. Throughout the campaign, the British were beaten back by the Turks, and the ever-prevailent human suffering of the men, so far away from home in this foreign ground, less than helped the cause: starvation, heavy shelling, inadequate medical supplies and disease were all taking their toll. By the end of the campaign, approximately 30,000 British and Indian soldiers had lost their lives.This informative book will be of interest to anyone wanting a concise and accessible introduction to the conflict and will be essential reading for both students of the First World War, as well as those who have a penchant for military history in general.

This volume, first published in 2002, presents a sophisticated analysis of the musical instruments, repertoires, musicians and ensembles, and symbolism of the ritual music of Shamans of Seoul, Korea. Placed firmly in a social and historical context, it shows that Shamanism, considered superstition by many today, is alive and well in Seoul in a rich tradition reaching back to the Chosôn Dynasty (1392-1910), the capital of which was Hanyang (now Seoul). The instruments, dress and other accoutrements of courtly life from the Chosôn Dynasty have been taken up, although transformed, in contemporary rituals among spirit-possessed Shamans. Through a comparison of Hanyang kut - the rituals of the Hanyang Shamans - and the ritual practice of Inner Asian Shamans, and through an analysis of the relations of spirit-possession music rituals to musok, the indigenous religion of Korea, Seo sheds light on the role of music, spiritual practice and culture in present-day Korea.

What beverages do “Tak Giu” and “Diao Yu” refer to? Who were the Samsui Women? Why do Chinese Singaporean families gather to toss yusheng every Lunar New Year? How and why did their ancestors migrate to Singapore in the first place? Discover all that and more through ten fun and educational storybooks, written and illustrated by Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Chinese Studies students with guidance from award-winning children’s book illustrator Lee Kow Fong! Complete with activity guides and downloadable learning resources for educators, this series is a must-have for any child’s cultural education. Filled with insights from the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre’s exhibition, this exciting bilingual series is the perfect introduction to local Chinese history, customs, values, and dishes! The Magical Bak Kut Teh is the third book in the SINGAPO人: Discovering Chinese Singaporean Culture series. It tells the story of a small mouse who went to the city in search of Bak Kut Teh for Grandpa Mouse. Little Mouse Le Le noticed her grandpa getting thinner day by day, so she decided to travel to the big city to find the legendary Bak Kut Teh, which was said to be able to nourish Grandpa’s body and make her mouth water. “Tak Giu”和“Diao Yu”指的是什么饮料？红头巾是谁？为什么每年农历新年，新加坡华人都要一起捞鱼生？ 在著名画家李高丰老师指导下，义安理工学院中文系学生自选与新加坡华族文化中心推出的“SINGAPO人-探索本土华族文化”展览相关的主题，继而创作出10本别出心裁且适合本地学前儿童与小学生阅读的绘本及教案! 绘本内容包括本地华族节庆习俗、本地饮食特色、早期华人下南洋的故事、华族所珍视的价值观等等. 《神奇的肉骨茶》是绘本系列里的三册。这本书讲述了有关小老鼠到大城市寻找肉骨茶给鼠爷爷补身子的故事。小老鼠乐乐眼看鼠爷爷身子日渐消瘦，于是，“她” 决定到大城市去寻找传说中能够滋补身子又让人垂涎欲滴的肉骨茶。

The siege of Kut is a story of blunders, sacrifice, imprisonment and escape. The allied campaign in Mesopotamia began in 1914 as a relatively simple operation to secure the oilfields in the Shatt-al-Arab delta and Basra area. Initially it was a great success, but as the army pressed towards Baghdad its poor logistic support, training, equipment and command left it isolated and besieged by the Turks. By 1916 the army had not been relieved, and on 29 April 1916, the British Army suffered one of the worst defeats in its military history. Major-General Sir Charles Townshend surrendered his allied force to the Turks in the Mesopotamian (now Iraq) town of Kut-al-Amara. Over 13,000 troops, British and Indian, went into captivity; many would not survive their incarceration. In Kut 1916, Colonel Crowley recounts this dramatic tale and its terrible aftermath.