East Asia is a fascinating region with a rich and diverse history and culture. It is the birthplace of some of the oldest civilizations in the world, such as **Imperial China**, **ancient Korea**, **ancient Japan** and the **Mongol Empire**, which have shaped the course of human history for millennia. Today, East Asia is home to 1.6 billion people, who live in vibrant and dynamic cities such as **Tokyo**, **Seoul**, **Shanghai** and **Hong Kong**, as well as in rural areas where they preserve their ancestral traditions and customs. East Asia is sometimes called the **Far East** by Europeans, but this term is problematic and Eurocentric, as it ignores the perspectives and experiences of the people who live in this region. East Asia is not far or eastern to them, but rather the center of their world. East Asia is a region where ancient and modern, tradition and innovation, harmony and diversity coexist and interact in fascinating ways.
