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Murphy's buildings were compromises - "new wine in old bottles" as he once called them - and the book uses those "bottles" as lenses through which to understand not only Murphy's quest to find a middle ground for his architecture in China, but also to gaze at a tumultuous society facing an uncertain future. Murphy's buildings were more than vessels for either aesthetic visions or technical expertise; inadvertently they became political emblems, as Chinese rulers such as Chiang Kai-shek and Sun Yat-sen's son called on Murphy for city planning advice to complement their hopes for urban reconstruction."--Jacket.

"Building in China is about striking an architectural balance between the pull of monumental tradition and the push of technological novelty. Centering on the dynamic period of post imperial and pre-Communist China, the book focuses on the builing and city planning initiatives of Henry Murphy, a little known American architect who initially ventured to China in 1914 to design a campus for the Yale-in-China program, but who then found himself captivated by a professional and cultural challenge that lasted two decades: how to preserve China's rich architectural traditions while also designing new buildings using up-to-date Western technologies.

Introduction: Building Compromises

1. The Transpacific Challenge: Henry Murphy Encounters China, 1914-1918

2. Building a China-Based Practice: Murphy amid Competitors in Shanghai and Beijing, 1918-1919

3. Building Campuses and Offices: Ginling, Yenching, Banks and Dollars, 1919-1921

4. Building a Reputation: Partners, Persistence and Praise, 1921-1927

5. Building Cities: Sun Ke, Chiang Kai-shek and the Redesigning of Guangzhou and Nanjing, 1923-1930

Conclusion: Murphy's Legacies.

Murphy, Henry Killam, 1877-1954 > Criticism and interpretation.

Architects > United States > 20th century.

Architecture, Modern > 20th century > China.

Architecture, American > China.

Architecture, American > China.

Architecture > China > History > 20th century.