is a book series for monographs of various thematic foci, sharing the goal of studying culture and literature in contemporary or historical contexts. The series was founded in 1984 by the German sinologist Günther Debon (1921-2005) and the Canadian comparatist Adrian Hsia (1938-2010). While the founding editors placed the emphasis on the transfer processes of classical literary works and motifs between cultures, the series' editors tend to a general view of cultures in contact.

Used by classical Western schools to teach rhetoric, a chreia is a brief saying attributed to a famous historical figure. In Late Ming China, the Italian Jesuit Alfonso Vagnone, also named Gao Yizhi, and the Chinese scholar-official Han Yun collaborated on a project to write down 355 chreiai and sayings.

This book is a comparative study of the spatial culture of contemporary Shanghai and Berlin. The study probes the intricate relationships of urban space, memory narratives, and political agendas at the local, national and global levels. It provides a set of linked case studies that reveal the crucial impact of modernity on the culture of cities.