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Okubo, Toshimichi

(Encyclopedia)Okubo, Toshimichi tōˌshēmēˈchē ōˈko͞obō [key], 1830–78, Japanese statesman. A major figure in the Meiji restoration, he was influential in introducing Western ideas to Japan. He supported ...

Pinyin

(Encyclopedia)Pinyin pĭnˈyĭnˈ [key] [Chin. Hanyu pinyin = Chinese phonetic alphabet], system of romanization of Chinese written characters, approved in 1958 by the government of the People's Republic of Chi...

Paracel Islands

(Encyclopedia)Paracel Islands päräsĕlˈ [key], Chin. Xisha, group of low coral islands and reefs in the South China Sea, c.175 mi (280 km) SE of Hainan island. They are rich in guano and are underlain by oil dep...

Taichung

(Encyclopedia)Taichung or T'ai-chung both: tīˈjo͞ongˈ [key], special municipality (2010 pop. 2,731,056), 855 sq mi (2,214 sq km), W central Taiwan. It was created in 2010 by merging the city of Taichung with Ta...

Scarborough Shoal

(Encyclopedia)Scarborough Shoal, lagoon and reefs, South China Sea, c.135 mi (220 km) W of Luzon, the Philippines. Claimed by China, the Philippines, and Taiwan, it is called Huangyan Island by China and Panatag Sh...

Shimonoseki, Treaty of

(Encyclopedia)Shimonoseki, Treaty of, Apr. 17, 1895, ending the First Sino-Japanese War. It was negotiated and signed by Ito Hirobumi for Japan and Li Hung-chang for China. Harsh terms were imposed on a badly defea...

Oceania

(Encyclopedia)Oceania ōshēănˈĭkə [key], collective name for the approximately 25,000 islands of the Pacific, usually excluding such nontropical areas as the Ryukyu and Aleutian islands and Japan, as well as T...

Taipei 101

(Encyclopedia)Taipei 101, skyscraper in the Hsinyi dist., Taipei, Taiwan; also known as the Taipei Financial Center. With 101 floors and reaching 1,667 ft (508 m) high, Taipei 101 became the world's tallest buildin...

Hu Shih

(Encyclopedia)Hu Shih ho͞o shŭr [key], 1891–1962, Chinese philosopher and essayist, leading liberal intellectual in the May Fourth Movement (1917–23). He studied under John Dewey at Columbia Univ., becoming a...

camphor

(Encyclopedia)camphor kămˈfər [key], C10H16O, white, crystalline solid ketone with a characteristic pungent odor and taste. It melts at 176℃ and boils at 204℃. The natural variety, Japan camphor, is obtained...