Courtyard of Joseph Rock's House

Yuhu Village near Lijiang, in Yunnan province

Joseph Rock was a true original: a wealthy Austrian botanist who lived near Lijiang from 1922-1949, gathering over 80,000 plant specimens and compiling the first dictionary of the Naxi language. His entourage numbered in the hundreds: cooks, mercenaries, and servants to carry his gramophone, gold dinner service, and bathtub¹. His modest rooms here have been turned into a local museum (photos not permitted), that emphasizes the hardships of his life, perhaps as a concession to the Cultural Revolution, but neglects to mention his golden forks and spoons. Dr. Rock is celebrated as the first Westerner, however eccentric, who cared about Naxi culture and introduced it to the European world.

Notes:
(1) Eyewitness Travel Guide, p. 390