Description
Book SynopsisExamines the changing significance of ruins as vehicles for cultural memory in Chinese art and visual culture from ancient times to the present. In this book, the author shows how the story of ruins in China is different from but connected to "ruin culture" in the West.
Trade Review"This intriguing study effectively aims for a universal understanding of ruins."--Choice "[T]his is a well-researched, ambitious, and important book that should appeal greatly to anyone interested in Chinese visual culture as well as ruins in general. As always, Wu's reading of images is thorough and perceptive. This book is a real gem also because of its beautifully reproduced images from a great variety of visual sources, including paintings, prints, films, photographs, and architecture."--Tong Lam, Journal of Asian Studies "A Story of Ruins is a powerful book, made more powerful by the many, haunting illustrations. It challenges a reader to think and feel as she reads."--Nancy S. Steinhardt, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
