This volume offers a path-breaking reassessment of Xu Bing’s oeuvre by analyzing the diverse cultural environments in which his work has developed since the Book from the Sky.  It contains three lecture transcripts and eight art historical essays; these explore themes such as Xu’s animal works, audience participation, new ink, prints, realism, socialist spectacle, and word play. A critical question addressed in this volume is what carries art to a global level beyond regional histories and cultural symbols.