Iconic Towers in Chinese Art and Visual Culture

This dissertation offers the first systematic study of the formation of iconic towers (minglou 名樓), a distinct group of multistory timber structures richly represented in literature and visual arts and frequently reconstructed since the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE). While terms such as "Four Iconic Towers" or "Three Iconic Towers of Jiangnan" are commonly referenced in architectural history, art history, and literary studies, the concept of iconic towers has not been critically examined. Despite their significance, evident through their repeated reconstructions across China's dynastic history and their role as representative landmarks of many Chinese cities today, iconic towers are often marginalized in Chinese architectural history, where scholarship typically prioritizes extant timber structures with high physical integrity and original materials. Similarly, the diverse visual material—including paintings, decorative objects, and illustrated books—that depict iconic towers have been rarely systematically analyzed within art history and are often treated as mere tools for reimagining lost structures. By integrating literary and visual representations with the reconstruction histories of these buildings, my dissertation argues for the importance of cross-medium analysis in understanding the historical development of iconic towers. It demonstrates how communication and interplay across artistic mediums, facilitated by diverse social groups, have sustained the relevance of these perishable timber structures within the changing built environment and cultural landscape. The study of iconic towers also invites a more nuanced consideration of the interrelationship between physical structures and their representations within the fields of Chinese art and architectural history. The dissertation is organized into four chapters, arranged in loose chronological order. The first three chapters focus on key moments in the development of iconic towers. Chapter One examines the emergence of iconic towers in Song dynasty (960–1279 CE) literary discourses. Chapter Two explores the development of iconic towers as an independent painting subject during the Yuan (1271-1368 CE), most fully expressed in the work of mid-14th-century painter Xia Yong. Chapter Three investigates two instances of motif transfer of iconic towers across mediums: from Yuan paintings to Ming (1368-1644 CE) carved lacquers, and from (as well as between) Ming printed books to Qing (1644-1912 CE) porcelain. By exploring these processes of motif transfer, this chapter also illuminates methods for recovering unwritten experiences of looking and highlights the agency of diverse social groups—such as lacquer carvers, book publishers, and porcelain makers—in observing and thinking across different spheres of artistic creation, further shaping and refreshing the characteristics of iconic towers. Finally, Chapter Four spans multiple dynasties, primarily analyzing commemorative essays in local gazetteers from the Song to Qing dynasties that documented the repair and reconstruction of iconic towers. Many episodes of repair and reconstruction also reveal a dynamic process of learning from, tending to, and negotiating with surrounding landscapes.