Description: Chinese architecture is astonishingly uniform. Buddhists, Daoists, and Muslims, inside China and beyond, built Chinese-style structures the same way for two thousand years, despite mastering new technologies along the way. Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt offers an authoritative overview of design principles that have stood the test of time--and geography.
Brief description: Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt is Professor of East Asian Art and Curator of Chinese Art at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of Chinese Architecture: A History. Her work has been supported by the Guggenheim Foundation, Getty Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Philosophical Society.
Review Quotes: A fascinating look at architectural examples from China and neighboring regions that are related to China's long building tradition but not usually included in Chinese architectural history. Steinhardt demonstrates that the cultural 'boundary' of Chinese architectural traditions and practices was actually much more porous than expected. By putting border crossing into sharper focus, she argues for a much broader understanding of Chinese architecture as a dynamic cultural expression across East Asia, and even beyond. A delightful treat and indispensable reference for anyone interested in border-crossing issues in art and architectural history.--Wei-Cheng Lin, author of Building a Sacred Mountain: The Buddhist Architecture of China's Mount Wutai