Since 1851, obituaries in The New York Times have predominantly been about white men. Overlooked tells the stories of women and others, many of them marginalized, who left indelible marks on society but whose deaths were not reported by The Times.

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Many of China’s ancient architectural treasures crumbled to dust before Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng began documenting them in the 1930s. In China, ancient structures were usually treated like any other buildings rather than protected and studied, as they were in many Western countries. The husband and wife team were among the first preservationists to operate in China, and by far the best known. Their efforts have since inspired generations of people to speak out for architecture threatened by the rush toward development.

Becoming China’s premier architectural historians was no easy feat. The buildings they wanted to save were centuries old, often in a shambles and situated in remote parts of the country. In many cases they had to journey in treacherous conditions across the Chinese countryside to reach them.

Exploring China’s outlying areas during the 1930s meant traveling muddy roads by mule, rickshaw or on foot. This was a demanding undertaking for both Liang, who walked with a bad limp after a motorcycle accident as a young man, and Lin, who endured tuberculosis for years. Inns were often squalid and food could be tainted, and there was always a risk of violence by rebels, soldiers and bandits.

Their greatest discovery came on an expedition in 1937, when they dated and meticulously cataloged Foguang Si, or the Temple of Buddha’s Light, in Wutai County, Shanxi Province. This breathtaking wooden temple was built in 857 A.D., making it the oldest known building in China at the time. (It is now the fourth-oldest known).