Nachdenkliche Erinnerung (Reflective Memory)

Count Karl von Luxburg published his book "Nachdenkliche Erinnerung. Ungewöhnliche Erlebnisse eines Diplomaten aus vier Erdteilen" (Reflective Memory: Unusual Experiences of a Diplomat from Four Continents) in 1953.

The letters he wrote to his mother may have also served as a source for his book. Additionally, a diary that Count Karl kept during his years in Beijing likely provided further material for his accounts of his time in China.

In his autobiography, Count Karl detailed his work in China, his collection of East Asian artifacts, and his travels throughout the country.

In 1905, Count Karl initially worked under the envoy Baron Alfons Mumm von Schwarzenstein (1859-1924). When Baron Mumm moved to Tokyo in 1906, Arthur Alexander von Rex (1856-1926) succeeded him as the new envoy in Beijing until 1911. Count Karl described his relationship with von Rex as complicated. Following von Rex's departure to Tokyo in 1911, Count Karl briefly served as chargé d'affaires at the German Legation in Beijing, representing the new envoy, Johann Friedrich von Haxthausen (1858-1914). The following year, Count Karl left China to represent the German Empire in British India.