Table of Contents Plates 9 Introduction 25 Sources and research 34 Preparation and research concept 38 The education of Ernst Boerschmann and his early work for the military 38 Heinrich Hildebrand and the documentation of the Temple of Enlightenment (1891–1897) 43 Joseph Dahlmann and religion in the Far East 47 Boerschmann’s memorandum about research in Chinese architecture (1905) 49 Karl Bachem and the German Reichstag 50 The Temple of Azure Clouds 52 Fritz Jobst at Jietai Temple (1905) 65 Franz Baltzer and Japanese architecture 68 Architecture and the religious culture of the Chinese 72 Field trips in China (1906–1909) 74 On the way to China (1906) 74 First winter in Beijing (1906–1907) 75 Trip to the Eastern Qing Tombs (March–April 1907) 86 Trip to Chengde (May–June 1907) 91 Beijing and the Western Hills (June–August 1907) 102 From the Western Qing Tombs to Mount Wutai (August–September 1907) 115 From Shanxi to Shandong Province (September–December 1907) 128 Trip to Zhejiang (December 1907–Spring 1908) 157 Mount Putuo (January 1908) 174 Jiangsu Province (Spring 1908) 187 The great trip to the West: Taiyuan, Shanxi Province (April–May 1908) 196 From Pingyao to Mengcheng, Shanxi Province (May 1908) 207 Feng Shui pillars and towers for Kui Xing in Shanxi Province 223 From sacred Mount Hua to Xi’an, Shaanxi Province (June 1908) 228 From Fengxian to Mianxian, Shaanxi Province (July 1908) 241 From Guangyuan to Chengdu, Sichuan Province (July–August 1908) 247 From Dujiangyan to sacred Mount Emei and Leshan, Sichuan Province (August–September 1908) 261 From Yibin to Fengjie, Sichuan Province (September–November 1908) 281 From Yichang to sacred Mount Heng, Hunan Province (November 1908–January 1909) 299 From Guilin in Guangxi Province to Wuzhou in Guangdong Province (February 1909) 314 In Guangzhou, Guangdong Province (February–March 1909) 322 In Fuzhou, Fujian Province and the return to Beijing (March to May 1909) 333 Boerschmann’s research results (1909–1931) 340 Back in Berlin: Working through the collected material (1909–1911) 340 8 Table of Contents The first book – Mount Putuo (1911) 352 Exhibition of Chinese architecture in Berlin (1912) 373 The book about memorial temples (1914) 385 A German Scientific Institute in Beijing and further publications about Chinese architecture in Germany 413 In the service of the army (1914–1921) 418 Asian Architecture in Germany after the First World War 419 Boerschmann’s return to research in Chinese architecture (1921) 427 Baukunst und Landschaft in China (Picturesque China) (1923) 427 Chinesische Architektur (Chinese architecture) in two volumes (1925) 435 Ceramics in Chinese architecture (1927) 450 Pagodas (1931) 465 Conclusion: Documenting a vanishing culture 502 Boerschmann’s documentation of Chinese architecture in a changing socio-political environment 502 Working methods in China and in Germany 506 Space and distance: theoretical and practical problems with architecture in China 510 Exploring the sacred mountains in search of religious architecture 518 The layout of the city in relation to the landscape 526 Pagodas: Creating harmony between urban settings and the landscape 537 The temple as an arrangement of spatial units 548 Boerschmann’s goals and achievements up to 1931 553 Postscript 556 Addendum 559 The Chinese religious pantheon in Boerschmann’s work 559 Ernst Boerschmann in the context of German-Chinese relations and research into Chinese architecture (1860–1949) 565 Literature 568 Archives 568 Literature 568 Chinese Dynasties and Emperors 583 Ancient 583 Imperial 583 Modern 583 Index 584 Historic Events, Persons and Deities 584 Persons 586 Places 589 Photocredits 592 Abbreviations for the images 592.