Chinese Electronic Resources

Since 2004, the Asian Division has acquired a number of Chinese e-resources. Most of these databases are continuing subscriptions and can only be accessed from the Asian Reading Room.

They are listed below.

Academia Sinica databases: contains more than twenty databases originated from Academia Sinica in Taiwan and its various institutes and library.

Academic Conferences in China (ACIC): offers over 600,000 full-text and 800,000 abstracts of national and international conferences held in China since 1986.

China Academic Journal (CAJ) and China Core Newspapers Database (CCND): both are China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases that contain more than 22,000,000 full-text articles from 7,200 journals and over 9,000,000 articles from 700 core newspapers.

China Data Online: provides monthly and annual statistical information and monthly reports on economic development, etc.

China Dimensions Data Collection: offers access to a data collection on natural science and socioeconomic research and educational activities.

China Infobank: provides access to real time business news, China general news articles and magazines, information and statistics on government, reports and statistics of various industries and regions in China.  It is actually a collection of 14 databases.

China Regional Forecasting Service: provides geo-political analysis and economic forecasts, along with historical data, for every one of China's 31 provinces and annual reports for each of China's 40 most important prefectures. Each report contains information on the political, economic and business environment for each region, providing a complete picture of economic growth, changes in demographics and income and expenditure levels. Also it includes quantitative assessments of 44 cities (including benchmarks against Beijing and Shanghai), allowing direct comparisons across cities on areas including the economy, market opportunities, labour, infrastructure and the environment. EIU provides five-year forecasts based on models to gauge the potential market size for products and services.

China Times (click on the word Enter): provides full text of the Chinese-language newspaper published in Taiwan.

China: Trade, Politics and Culture, 1793-1980: provides a wide variety of original source material detailing China's interaction with the West from Macartney's first Embassy to China in 1793, through to the Nixon/Heath visits to China in 1972-74. Sources are from the School of Oriental and African Studies and the British Library, London.

China Yearbook Full-text Database: (Politics/Military Affairs/Law) covers authoritative data and other information including statistics, activities, events, etc. in the fields of politics, military affairs, and law in China.

Chinese Cultural Revolution Database: includes primary source materials relating to the Chinese Cultural Revolution such as Chinese Communist Party documents, speeches, and writings by major party leaders and media editorials as well as important documents of the Red Guards.

China Reference Works Online (CRWO): is an authoritative, comprehensive and continuously updated encyclopedia database comprised of over 1,400 reference works, including dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, illustrated books, table spectrum, biography, quotations, and handbooks. The content covers such subjects such as art, literature, language, music, film, photography, history, geography, philosophy, culture, archaeology, religion. Related journal articles, doctor and master dissertations, proceedings of conferences, newspapers, yearbooks, patents, and so on are also linked.

Chinese Classic Ancient Books (中国基本古籍库): is a full-text database for ancient Chinese books. It includes over 10,000 pre-modern titles (170,000 volumes) published before the Republican period (1911-1949) in China covering various subjects such as Chinese classics, history, literature, local gazetteers, Qing Dynasty archives, encyclopedias, dictionaries, reference books, etc. In addition to full-text search, the database features image display of the original text, which allows scholars to study different editions of Chinese books.

Database of the Chinese Government: includes archives and publications of the Chinese central government, its ministries and subsidiaries, and regional authorities.

Database of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCCC): is a collection of archives and documents of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), including: Resolutions and Statements, Pictures, Press Conferences, Important Commentaries, Representatives Lists, Agendas, Session Updates, Reports, Leaders' Activities, Selected Proposals and Suggestions from Representatives, News Reports, Video Reports, etc.

Database of the Communist Party of China (CPC): contains archives and publications of the Communist Party of China since its establishment in 1921.

Database of the National People’s Congress : is a collection of reports, primarily by People’s Daily and People’s Daily Online, on National People’s Congress.

Dictionary Today: allows users to utilize keyword searches for dictionary definitions, thesaurus options and other resources in Chinese and English.

Dissertations of China (DOC): includes over 800,000 full-text and 1,000,000 abstracts of dissertations from key Chinese universities and research institutions.

DuXiu: is a comprehensive bibliographical index database covering over 2,700,000 books and other materials including periodicals, newspapers, graduate theses, and conference proceedings.

Foreign Office Files for China, 1949-1980 Published in three sections covering the periods 1949-1956; 1957-1966; and 1967-1980; this project addresses a crucial period in Chinese history, from the foundation of the People’s Republic, in 1949, to the death of Zhou Enlai and Mao, the arrest of the Gang of Four and the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976. Included are the complete British Foreign Office Files dealing with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in this period. These files are particularly important because Britain was one of the first countries to recognise Communist China. The quality and depth of the Foreign Office’s reporting on politics, industry, trade and cultural affairs is formidable. Eye-witness accounts and detailed reports on life in China, 1949-1976. In depth analysis of the Communist Revolution and all the major figures. Material on the Korean War, the Cold War, US relations and the Cultural Revolution.

Late Qing Periodical Full-text Database  晚清期刊全文数据库 (1833-1911): Developed by Shanghai Library, the second largest library in China, Late Qing Periodical Full-text Database is a database covering 304 journals published during the late Qing Dynasty from 1833 to1910. With more than 280,000 entries full-text downloadable, users can search by title, author, journal title, full-text, keyword, date, author’s institution, etc. Documenting the major events at that time, including the events shortly before the 1911 Chinese Revolution, the database is a good source for the studies of contemporary Chinese history, politics, literature, arts, culture, social sciences, etc. The database provides a convenient tool for researchers and librarians alike.

National Index to Chinese Newspapers and Periodicals: covers information from 1833 to 1949, and over 16,000 titles of newspapers and periodicals published in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. For full-text articles, please check with one of the Chinese Studies Librarians.

National Library & National Digital Library of China Databases: provides access to numerous databases, including Digital Oracle Bones & Rubbings, Digital New Year Illustrations, Digital Local Gazetteers, Digital China Republican Period Periodicals, Digital Doctoral Dissertations, International Dunhuang Project, Tangut Kingdom Research Repository, and Online Exhibition & Online Video Tutorial.

People’s Daily: With publication started in June 1946 and a current circulation of 3 million, People's Daily is the most influential and authoritative newspaper in China. It is the official voice of the central government of the People's Republic of China For the last over 60 years, the People's Daily has published daily issues that provide the single location where the central government and the Communist Party of China announce their respective policies and disseminate governmental, political, and economic messages to the public and the world. Most importantly, since its inception the newspaper has been the true barometer of the political climate of Chinese society on a daily basis.

People’s Liberation Army Daily: Provides the full text in Chinese for People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the official newspaper of the military of the People’s Republic of China. It covers military news and provides comprehensive military-related information from the perspective of the Chinese Central Military Commission.

Soshoo: as part of China Infobank this database includes yearly and monthly statistical data on social and economic situation of China. Users can download data into an Excel sheet.

Wenyuange Si ku quan shu dian zi ban: the electronic version of Wenyuange edition of Si ku quan shu, the largest Chinese encyclopedia compiled during 1773-1782 by edict of Emperor Qianlong, provides full texts in 800 million characters as well as indexes.

WiseSearch is a Chinese and English language database dedicated for published information from Greater China. It is an online multi-media database with materials from 1,500 content providers covering more than 900 major Chinese and English language newspapers, news magazines, TVs, radios, newswires, Web sites, etc. from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, as well as Singapore, Malaysia, and other countries. The database has stored more than 88 million articles since 1998, offering Greater China news reports and feature articles.