Introduction: Beyond the forbidden city; Genesis of Chinese buildings and cities; Architecture of the First Emperor and his predecessors; Han architecture; And age of turmoil: three kingdoms, two jins, sixteen states; Northern dynasties and southern dynasties; Sui and Tang: architecture for empires; five dynasties and ten kingdoms; Grandeur and magnificence under Liao and Western Xia; The Chinese building standards; Song elegance and jin opulence; The Chinese city between Tang and Ming; The Mongol century; The Chinese imperial city and its architecture, Ming and Qing; Late imperial architecture in Chinese style; Convergences Lamaist, Dai, Islamic; Garden and House; China comes to Europe, Europe comes to China, Chinese students come to the United States; Conclusion: Resolving the forbidden city.