Abstract: During the period of the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, Joseph Rock, a westerner, wrote a great deal about the Naxi people and their culture, which even promoted him to the position of " the father of Naxi Studies". By reading Rock's writings and biography, we can see Rock's study is mainly about Naxi rituals and Dongba scriptures interpretation. His inferiority, white settlers superiority and non-professional academic background have much to do with this study character, and his alienation of the Naxi people makes his writings totally ignore Naxi people, although his study objects are Naxi culture.

Key words: Joseph Rock, Naxi, culture description