Free Printable: Craft Asian Landmarks and Icons with Paper and Glue

A lion dance is an important, traditional type of dance performed at Chinese New Year, festivals, wedding ceremonies, and other celebratory occasions. The lion is said to repel evil and bring good fortune, and is a popular icon in China Towns around the world. In China, people of the same nationality speak in different dialects depending on the region they live in, and in the same way, the lion dance also varies in different areas. Broadly speaking, it can be divided into two styles: northern and southern. The northern style is performed mainly in areas in north China and features movements based on martial arts. The southern style, performed mainly in the south, is known for its acrobatic dancing style. This paper craft model is based on the southern style of lion dance, and has a main color tone of red, which is said to be a lucky color. (Text from Canon Creative Park)

The “Red Square” next to the Kremlin at the heart of Moscow. Saint Basil’s Cathedral stands on the south side of this Square, that can not be omitted when you speak of the Russian history. Tsar Ivan IV who was called the “Ivan the Terrible” from his violent temper, constructed this cathedral to commemorate the victory over Mongolia in 1560. This is a cathedral for the Russian Orthodox Church and at the same time it is said to be a symbol of liberation from the Mongolians who had governed this land for a long time. The formal name is “Pokrovskiy Cathedral”, but since Saint Basil who had a strong influence over the Russian people was buried here, the present name has taken roots. Nine onion shaped roofs in various sizes are of a typical Russian design to let piling snow fall off. Today it is a popular museum and one of the UNESCO world heritages. (Text from Canon Creative Park)

The Temple of the Emerald is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, and familiarly called Wat Phra Kaeo. When the capital city was transferred to Bangkok in 1782, it was constructed as the royal family’s temple. The principle image of Buddha made of emeralds is enshrined in the main sanctuary, hence comes the name” Temple of the Emerald”. This Buddhist image is believed to have the powers to save the nation from crises and maintain order. There are three doors at the front of the main sanctuary, but only the left and right doors are open. The center door is exclusively for the king and queen. (Text from Canon Creative Park)

Located near the center of Osaka Prefecture, Osaka Castle was built on flat land on the Uemachi Plateau, on the former site of the Ishiyama Honganji Temple. In 1583, Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed construction of this magnificent and splendid castle, which took three years in total. The castle fell in 1615 during the fighting known as the winter siege and summer siege of Osaka. Later, Tokugawa Hidetada rebuilt and greatly remodeled the castle. However, most of this remodeled Osaka Castle was destroyed during the Boshin War. Today’s castle was restored in 1931, based on paintings of the original on folding screens. Together with those in Nagoya and Kumamoto, Osaka Castle numbers among Japan’s three most important castles. (Text from Canon Creative Park)

Kaminarimon Gate marks the entrance to Senso-ji Temple, a temple located in Tokyo’s Taito City. The gate’s official name is Furaijinmon (“Wind and Thunder God Gate”), and the Japanese wind and thunder gods are enshrined in the left and right sides of the gate. A huge lantern measuring 3.3 m in diameter and 3.9 m in height, with a weight of 700 kg, hangs in the center of the gate. Built by Taira-no-Kinmasa in the year 942, the gate was moved to its current location during the Kamakura period (1192- 1333). The wind and thunder gods, enshrined when the gate was relocated, were first enshrined to protect from calamities, but they eventually came to be regarded as bringers of peace and plentiful harvests. Kaminarimon Gate has been destroyed three times by fires, and in 1960 it was rebuilt for the first time in 95 years. It is now consid- ered a representative structure of the Asakusa area. (Text from Canon Creative Park)

Formally known as Sultan Ahmed Camii, this mosque was built by Sultan Ahmed I, over seven years between 1609 and 1616, and is known as one of the world’s most beautiful Islamic mosques. Called “camii” in Turkish, the interior walls of the mosque are decorated with around 21,000 beautiful blue and white Iznik ceramic tiles, giving the mosque its more popular name of “Blue Mosque”. Some 260 stained glass windows help create a beautifully mystical atmosphere as light streams through them. The mosque is still in use as a place of worship. The main dome is approximately 43 meters high, with a diameter of approximately 23 meters, and is supported by four marble columns, each measuring roughly 5 meters in diameter. The only mosque in the world to feature six minarets, the Blue Mosque is one of Turkey’s World Heritage sites. (Text from Canon Creative Park)