The Mongol Century explores the visual world of China’s Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), the spectacular but relatively short-lived regime founded by Khubilai Khan, regarded as the preeminent khanate of the Mongol empire.

Although in recent years exhibitions have begun to open up the inherent paradoxes of Yuan culture, this is the first book in English to adopt a fully comprehensive approach. It incorporates a broad range of visual media of the East Asia region to reconsider the impact Mongol culture had in China, from urban architecture and design to tomb murals and porcelain, and from calligraphy and printed paper money to stone sculpture. Fresh and invigorating, The Mongol Century explores, in fascinating detail, the visual culture of this brief but captivating era of East Asian history.

Shane McCausland is a reader in the history of art of China at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has organized numerous exhibitions and published widely on East Asian and contemporary art, including the book Zhao Mengfu: Calligraphyand Painitng for Khubilai’s China.