Asian Geographic Issue 03/2020 No. 142 | Page 6

Chairman LIM Geok Khoon No. 142 • Issue 3/2020 CONTENTS The FIRE issue E DI TOR I A L Publisher/Editorial Director John THET • [email protected] Editor Shreya ACHARYA • [email protected] contributing Editor Ian BONGSO-SELDRUP • [email protected] DE S IG N Graphic Designer WONG Shee Leng • [email protected] Web/it Dutch CATALON • [email protected] ADVERTISING & MARKETING regional Business ManagerS Elysee TAN • [email protected] Desmond HO • [email protected] Jasmine TEE • [email protected] Project & Events Manager Ellfrance PHANG • [email protected] Marketing Manager Nora ISMAIL • [email protected] Events & Marketing Assistant Manager Karter LEE • [email protected] CIRCULATION Senior traffic/production Manager Victor OW • [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS Andrew MARIOTT Diego GARCIA Editorial Submissions • [email protected] Subscriptions • [email protected] Feedback • [email protected] CULTURE 06 The Fire Element 20 LITERATURE Epic Reads The retelling of Asia’s iconic folk tales Revealed 40 The Light That Never Goes Out The mysterious hillside with an inextinguishable natural fire Timeless 44 The Message AG PASSPORT 32 Fire Festivals of East Asia From daily rituals through religious festivals to cultural celebrations, East Asia is blessed with numerous rich traditions full of colour, drama and exuberance. No more is this true than with the region’s spectacular fire festivals, destined to ignite that spark on your next travel adventure FEATURE: The Stories That Make Us 10 Folk Tales of Asia Inherently embedded across cultures, folk tales are the stories passed down from generation to generation, often by word of mouth. Here is just a glimpse into the vast world of fascinating folk tales in different parts of Asia, and the history them FEATURE: Burning with Desire 22 The Fire Within Fire has a symbolic function in a multitude of Asia’s – and the world’s – religious beliefs, and it is used in celebration as well as mourning. The symbolism of fire has inspired other areas as well, including the occult, literature, and art. And the results are nothing short of enchanting ON THE COVER Torch bearers at the Nachi Fire Festival, Japan PHOTO: ANDREW MARIOTT Copyright © 2020 by Asian Geographic Magazines Pte Ltd. No material may be reproduced without written permission. This publication is purchased with the understanding that information is presented from many sources for which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to accuracy, originality, or completeness. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering product endorsements or providing instruction as a substitute for appropriate training by qualified sources. All content provided is accurate at the time of publishing. Unmarked Images are purchased from Shutterstock. Please recycle. MCI (P) 097/06/2019; PPS 1367/04/2013 (022956) ISSN 0219-3310 AsianGeo @asiangeographic @asiangeographic