Tab Article
This book is a compilation of 540 photographs and paintings of Qing Dynasty architecture that appeared in Western publications currently housed in the Peking University Library. The collection is categorized into 18 chapters, such as city walls and gates, pagodas, archways, guild houses, churches, streets, and bridges (see Table of Contents). These photographs and paintings present a visual introduction to the modes and styles of Chinese architecture built before and during the Qing Dynasty. Besides mirroring the various social upheavals in China during the late Qing Dynasty, the photographs also reflect the Sino–Western cultural interactions and military encounters then. This is shown in photographs of armed foreign troops standing guard on the city walls of Nanjing and the triumphant parade of the German military motorcade along a street in Qingdao. In conclusion, this book is useful as a visual reference for researching the architectural evolution during the Qing Dynasty and also provides a fresh and multi-faceted perspective on China’s political, social, cultural, and economic landscapes then.
