A list of curious facts
One: All of us are familiar with the Japanese kimono—and often mistake its other Asian counterparts to be a variation of the same. For example, the Chinese hanfu. The traditional attire—which literally means clothing of the Han people—is a far lighter and looser—three-layered outfit. It is designed to allow for free movement—unlike the kimono which forces the wearer to take small, lady-like steps. See: The lead image is part of "Court Ladies Adorning Their Hair With Flowers"—a painting that dates back to the 7th century Tang dynasty.
Hanfu has become very popular with young Chinese around the world—because it revives tradition—and looks fab on social media pics:) A big ‘but’: “[T]he idea of Hanfu is not to replicate what the historians excavated from tombs or ancient texts… it is more like a new age urban subculture similar to cosplay and Japanese Lolita dresses, or a Chinese version of Afrofuturism.” As you can see below, it’s a whole lot more elaborate than those Lolita dresses:
A must-see: The South China Morning Post’s gorgeous interactive introduction to the traditional garment. WWD has more on its fashion-forward interpretations—which look something like this:
Two: Sticking with Asia, did you know that the world’s skinniest hotel is the nine-foot wide PituRooms—located in Java. Architect Sahabat Selojene designed and built it to raise awareness of his small hometown Salatiga. The seven-room hotel is named after the Javanese word for "seven":
Each of the seven rooms in the five-story structure is large enough to accommodate a double bed and has a modest bathroom with a shower and toilet. Because of the regional interior design and artwork, every room has a unique vibe.
You can see how skinny it is below. ArchDaily has loads of pictures. CNN and Dezeen have more on the project. Bonus fact: The world’s skinniest house is the Keret House in Warsaw.
Three: If someone says ‘ancient pyramid’, most of us think of Egypt—or maybe South America. But a paper published in October claims that the world’s oldest pyramid may actually be in Indonesia. Until now, Gunung Padang was thought to be a prehistoric stone complex that sat on top of the hill. But scholars now believe that the hill itself was made by humans anywhere between 8,000 to 25,000 years ago:
From the inside out, Gunung Padang is constructed in four parts. The first and oldest is in the middle, a natural lava hill from a dead volcano, sculpted by humans into a pyramidal shape. The next portion is made of coarse sands and pillar-like structures, followed by another layer of columnar rocks, and finally the megalithic stones on the surface layer, all meticulously placed and layered by hand.
FYI: Not all scientists are convinced Gunung Padang is that ancient—and say the dates need to be verified. Atlas Obscura has more on the study. You can see the hill below:
