Yuan (1267-1368) not only is the period of Chinese history when all of China was ruled by a non-Chinese dynasty, it is also a period when China was part of a much larger empire. At its zenith, the Mongol empire spanned from Korea in the East to Eastern Europe in the West. It is thus a period when non-Chinese building traditions should have entered China. This talk explores that question.

Nancy S. Steinhardt is professor of East Asian art and curator of Chinese art at the University of Pennsylvania. She has broad research interests in the art and architecture of China and China’s border regions, particularly problems that result from the interaction between Chinese art and that of peoples to the North, Northeast, and Northwest. Her most recent book, Yuan: Chinese Architecture in a Mongol Empire won the 2025 Booklaunch Award for the best book in architectural history.