the guardian

The guardian of Joseph Rock's (1884-1962) house, in Yuhu village, Lijiang

Rock was a national geographic correspondent who settled in a village outside of Lijiang, Yunnan province, China, to research the Naxi culture.
He was appointed by the US Department of Agriculture to China. However, he was deeply attracted by the wonderful local customs. He decided instead to research the local Naxi culture, one of the many minorities in China.

He was the "father of Naxiology".
He was the only westen scholar who studied Naxi culture at that time.

Rock lived in Yuhu village (it was called Nguluko when he was there) outside Lijiang. Many of his possessions are now local family heirlooms.

The 'Ancient Nakhi Kingdom of Southwest China' (Harvard University Press, 1947) is Joseph Rock's definitive work. Prior to his death, his Naxi dictionary was also finally prepared for publishing.