This course aims to provide a comprehensive historical overview of material cultures of China and discuss a variety of methodological issues. This course is both chronological and theme-oriented, using materials ranging from Neolithic to contemporary. Geographical coverage uses today's China as a point of departure, but its scope also extends to the rest of the world. Taking one form of material as the focus of each lecture, students will nurture a historical sense of the Chinese material cultures and learn how to examine these material records by relating the objects’ appearance and design to production technology. Digital technology will prove very useful in technical study of objects. Students will also be introduced to methodologies of studying textual history, art history, and literature together, reconstructing ephemeral art by historical texts and still images, and examining contemporary forms of art like photos and movies. At the end of this course students will be able to rethink how concepts of “China” and “Chinese material culture and history” have been formed and established.