For Immediate Release

NEW YORK, October 22, 1999 - AsiaSource.org (www.asiasource.org), a unique new site that is a gateway to the most up-to-date, reliable and valuable information and news on everything to do with Asia, has been launched by the Asia Society.

As Internet growth has exploded, it has become increasingly more difficult to find quality information on Asia quickly and easily. AsiaSource acts as an "intelligent filter", leveraging the Asia Society's in-house expertise with the best resources available on the Web. The result is an accessible and intuitive site that provides context and perspective for those looking for information on Asia in a digestible form.

More than a year in development, AsiaSource is a response to four decades of requests for information on Asia from students, teachers, journalists, government workers, NGOs, business people, artists, performers and the general public. According to Nicholas Platt, President of the Asia Society, "People have turned to the Society for information about Asian arts and cultures, history and governments, for more than forty years. They have looked to us for information as varied as sources of Asian experts, where to go in Asia and how to conduct business, how countries and regions compare. Through AsiaSource we can now quickly offer the most comprehensive, timely and reliable resource on Asia ever assembled."

"The World Wide Web has really given the Asia Society the opportunity to take giant steps forward in our ability to carry out our core mission of public education about Asia," said Karen Karp, Vice President for Marketing and Communications. "With AsiaSource we have addressed the needs of the broad public in a comprehensive yet user-friendly way, and have gathered the kind of quality resources to become the first point of reference for anyone approaching the vast and continually changing body of information about Asia."

Startup funding and support for AsiaSource has been provided through a generous grant from the Freeman Foundation.

HOW ASIASOURCE WORKS

The range of resources available to users on AsiaSource is as broad and far-reaching as Asia itself. Four major content areas -- Arts & Culture, Business & Economics, Policy & Government, and Society & History -- offer a full menu of intuitively organized services and features.

Among the services currently available on the site are:

• AsiaTODAY: Access a daily digest of top news stories appearing in major international news sources with special reports on timely subjects and upcoming events; includes links to arts coverage, commentary and magazine articles
  
  
• AsiaEVENTS: Search for Asia-related events happening around the world by date and location. Other organizations, museums, publishers, and publicists are encouraged to submit information on their upcoming events.
  
  
• AsiaVIEWS: Link to the latest commentary on Asia's cultural, political, social and economic landscape through a directory of annotated articles, speeches, policy briefs and essays.
  
  
• AsiaLINKS: Browse through thousands of annotated links to the best resources on Asia
  
  
• AsiaEXPERTS: Search the database of specialists on Asian history, arts, society and more. Entries list areas of expertise, publications, affiliated institutions, and contact information.
  
  
• AsiaPROFILES: Access maps and statistical information on all Asian countries.
  
  
• AsiaREFERENCE: Look up definitions of terms covering business, arts, politics and religion.
  
  
• AsiaSEARCH: Search websites on Asia selected and evaluated by AsiaSource staff for quality content.
  
  
• AsiaBULLETIN: Subscribe to receive emails that will alert you to: the day's Asia-related headlines; a weekly listing of events in your region of choice; or new websites in your areas of interest.
  
  
• AsiaBOOKS: Browse our select offering of books available for purchase (through barnesandnoble.com).
  
  

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Special Reports - These periodic reports provide context for issues of the day, from the crisis in East Timor, to AIDS in Asia, to e-commerce in India.
  
• Country Comparison - This section of AsiaProfiles allows users to compare data between 2 to 5 countries at the same time.
  
• Business Protocol Guide - This section of AsiaSource provides information on business customs in Asia's major markets.
  
• Asian Government Directory - An up-to-date listing of current leaders of Asian countries as well as the full cabinets for each country.
  
• This Day in Asian History - A daily feature chronicling Asia?s past with a listing of major historical events.
  
• Fact of the Day - Hundreds of facts culled from the Asia Society's Encyclopedia of Asian History.
  
• Asian Language Resources - Scores of links to the best languages resources available online.
  
• Regional News Sources - A comprehensive listing of news services available online, broken down by country.
  
• Asian Holidays - A full listing of public and government holidays across Asia.
  
• Timelines & Chronologies - Dozens of links to sites with chronologies of various phases of Asian history.
  

AsiaSource will continue to grow and evolve over time. Interactive screens will enable users to suggest additional specialists and websites in order to expand the databank available to future visitors. Organizations are also encouraged to list their upcoming programs and exhibitions.
Strategic consulting, application development and programming were provided by AppNet (www.appnet.com), a major interactive marketing agency.

ABOUT THE ASIA SOCIETY

In addition to AsiaSource, the Asia Society already has two award-winning websites, AsiaSociety.org (www.asiasociety.org), the Web location for news and information about Society programs and activities, and AskAsia® (www.askasia.org), the Society's innovative web service for K-12 students and educators.

A nonprofit, nonpartisan educational institution, the Asia Society is the leading U.S. institution dedicated to fostering public understanding of Asia and communication between Americans and the peoples of Asia and the Pacific. The Society presents a wide range of programs including major art exhibitions, performances, media programs, international conferences and lectures; publishes country briefings, special reports, art catalogues, and other publications; and produces materials and programs for students and teachers. The Society's headquarters is located in New York City, with regional centers in Houston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Hong Kong and Melbourne, Australia; and representative offices in San Francisco, Seattle, Manila and Shanghai.