Description: The author has done on-site research at almost every site mentioned in the book. Many of the 476 illustrations are the author's own photographs. Many of the sites and structures discussed in this book were unknown 20 years ago; the majority has never been published in a Western language.
Brief description: Ronald G. Knapp, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus, State University of New York, New Paltz, where he taught from 1968 to 2001, has been carrying out research on the cultural and historical geography of China since 1965. He is the author or editor of more than twenty books concerning the vernacular architecture of China and Southeast Asia.
Review Quotes: Overall, the book is an excellent collection of information of archaeological materials pertaining to architecture of China during the third to sixth centuries. The materials are further studied with textual sources and extant examples. . . . The narrative behind the evidence is lucid: the archaeological discoveries, the decoration on objects or caves are presented in detail so that a good sense of the architecture in this tumultuous period can be gained. The book filled a gap in our knowledge of the development of architecture in China between the two greatest dynasties, as well as across the wide expanse of the territory from present-day Xinjiang to northern Korea.-- "Journal of Chinese Studies"