What Does Oriental Mean?
The word "Oriental" has been used in many ways to describe Asia and its peoples, artifacts and civilization, countries within Asia or people of Asian nationality or descent. But is the word being used correctly and when is its use considered derogatory?
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Etymology
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The term derives from the Latin word "oriens" which means "east" and is the opposite of "occidens" which has become "occidental" in the English language and means "west."
History
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The word "orient" originated in Western Asia circa 1300 A.D. to describe the parts of the world that were located in the "far east" in terms of the known continents and countries at that time. The Orient began in what is now the Middle East but shifted as Europeans discovered more about Asian lands and cultures. Although explorer Marco Polo wasn't the first European to travel to Asia, his book Il Milione (The Million, better known as The Travels of Marco Polo) widely introduced Europeans to Central Asia and China, even inspiring Christopher Columbus to become an explorer. Polo visited the Far East between 1271 and 1290 A.D., becoming an important figure alongside the Mongol leader Kublai Khan.
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Geography
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According to the World Book Atlas (2003) "Oriental" or "Far East" traditionally has been used to refer to China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and eastern Siberia in Russia. This region, excluding eastern Siberia, is now often called East Asia. Sometimes the term includes Southeast Asia which consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Significance
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Oriental culture is much older than the civilized cultures of Europe, dating back approximately 5,500 years. The continent of Asia covers one-third of the land mass of our planet and is home to three-fifths of the world's population. Some of the highest and lowest locations on earth are located within Asia, as well as some of the longest rivers.
A short list of the endangered mammals of Asia includes the Aru flying fox and many other species of bats, Asian elephant, Asiatic lion, Bactrian camel, cheetah, clouded leopard, Caspian seal, giant panda, the Javan, Sumatran and the great Indian rhinoceros, red panda, snow leopard, the tiger and the right whale. The Northeast Asia deciduous forests is also endangered. Once it's gone, not only will many animals of the Orient disappear, but many potential cures and medicines.
Warning
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When describing the culture of the Far East or Asian communities, the term "Oriental" is possibly okay to use in today's PC world. Use of the word as a noun is generally considered an ethnic slur. The word "Asian" should be used if one is not certain of the country/ethnicity of the person.
Fun Fact
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Director Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Bear, Quest For Fire) will make his Chinese debut when he films the best-selling novel Wolf Totem, one of the biggest-selling ever in China, selling over 2.5 million copies; possibly around 17 million pirated copies are in circulation. Annaud has been scouting for locations in China & Mongolia with the book's author, Jiang Rong.
Dragons are a symbol of good luck in the Orient, unlike Occidental dragons.
Gunpowder and fireworks were invented in the Orient.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit photo © 2008, Ethan Nahté
