Wu Hung addresses the previously unexplored idea of the 'ruin' in Chinese culture and how these representations have evolved. The oldest concepts of ruins are 'xu' denoting emptiness or memory site and 'ji' signifying a trace or footprint. Hung questions why it is that ruins are such an integral element of traditional Chinese culture in both architectural and pictorial forms, and yet very little visual evidence can be found from pre-modern China in traditional paintings or in actual preserved structures. Drawing from traditional and contemporary art sources including painting, decorative art, rubbings, architecture, photography as well as literary sources, this book covers a broad chronological span stretching fromancient China to the present.