Unfolding Layered Cultures

Colonial architecture, as a concrete representation of both the local culture and invading culture, has its unique values to both colonists and the colonized. Along with the colonized history in China, which started from around 1553, Qingdao is a typical colony that can reflect well the combination and conflicts between local culture and invading culture. In addition, as a colony owned by two different colonial powers successively, it was influenced by multiple cultures, and which is also reflected in colonial architecture there. This thesis seeks to unfold the layered culture of German colonial architecture built from 1897 to 1914 to examine changes under different governments’ control. By analyzing changes in German colonial architecture, it is possible to recognize people’s attitudes toward colonial architecture and how the government at the time influenced people’s thoughts when facing the same thing. In this sense, it can help to determine how to evaluate different historical layers and define significance for the preservation of colonial architecture in China. Starting from the Ming dynasty (1369-1644), many parts of China became colonies of Western countries. By 1897, German