Archives at USC
The USC East Asian Library owns many rare and unique archival collections including historic photographs, manuscripts, videocassettes, and maps. Below is a selected list of China-related archival collections that haven been processed and partially or fully digitized. You can find a comprehensive list of China collections from the East Asian Archival Collections web page.
1) Digitized Archives
- Ailing Zhang (Eileen Chang) Papers 張愛玲檔案Consists of seven boxes of correspondence (primarily with literary critic Dr. C.T. Hsia 夏志清), manuscripts (such as The Sing-Song Girls of Shanghai, Chang’s English translation of the Chinese novel 海上花), photographs, essays, articles, written speeches, and other materials. See the finding aid for a complete list of items in the papers, including the newly discovered manuscript of Chang's English translation of her short story 相見歡 (She said smiling) and a 2023 addition to document Chang's late years in Los Angeles.
- Bill Einreinhofer China ArchiveIncludes approximately 1,100 digital video, image, audio, and text files that Einreinhofer used to produce a series of public television documentaries covering modern China and Japan from 1910 to 2022.
- China Society of Southern California recordsIncludes documents and publications produced by the society. See the finding aid for a complete list of items in the collection.
- Chinese Cinema PostersUSC SSO login required to view the digital collection. Includes hundreds of Chinese film posters from the 1980s and 1990s.
- Chinese Historical Society of Southern California Collection, ca.1880-1933Documents artifacts systematically excavated from two sites in Southern California. The first site is represented by about 1,040 color images of artifacts from the original Los Angeles Chinatown; an additional 150 images document artifacts from the site of a Chinese laundry in Santa Barbara.
- Collection of Chinese postersIncludes commercial posters of Chinese and Western products printed in Shanghai, mostly from the 1920s. Also includes calendars created by various Chinese artists such as Zheng Mantuo 鄭曼陀, who most likely signed one of the calendars.
- Mark L. Moody CollectionsContains photographs, 16mm films, personal documents, and news clippings that record Mark L. Moody's residence in East Asia. See the finding aid for the Mark L. Moody papers.
- Pedro Loureiro CollectionThis collection is primarily comprised of items specific to China and Japan during the 1930s and 1940s, including the United States Asiatic Fleet and The United States Marine Corps, particularly the 4th Regiment, and Naval Attaché and intelligence reports.
- Saidee Pettus Hoose CollectionSaidee Alice Pettus (1887-1949) and her husband, Earl Albion Hoose (1886-1949), began their missionary work in China in 1915. See the finding aid for the Saidee Pettus Hoose papers.
- Taiwanese American ArchivesIncludes Pacific Times, a weekly Taiwanese American newspaper published in Los Angeles.
- Theodore Chen Collection, 1900-1924Consists of photographs from China during the late Qing and early Republican periods.
2) Physical Archives
- Chinese posters on COVID-19A collection of 32 public health posters on COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) published in China during 2020.
- Collection on Democracy WallThis collection consists of eight pamphlets, three pages of handwritten notes, and newspaper clippings relating to Democracy Wall in Beijing and the final years of the Cultural Revolution.
- Katherine Sui Fun Cheung scrapbook and videosA collection of videos and a scrapbook relating to Katherine Sui Fun Cheung (1904-2003), the first Chinese woman to obtain an international flying license.
- Theodore Hsi-en Chen PapersContains administrative and faculty papers from Dr. Chen's chairing of the East Asian Studies Center and its predecessors from 1960 to 1971, as well as material from the 1940s and 1950s, a scrapbook of newspaper clippings on Dr. Chen's career, photographic slides showing Theodore Chen and Wen Hui Chen's tour of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia in 1962, research reports and theses, and a photocopied biography of Theodore Chen. Lastly, the collection contains an oral history interview of Theodore Chen conducted by Ken Klein in 1986.
Chinese Archives
- Greater China Archival Resources Web ArchiveCollects websites belonging to established, physical archives and learned archival societies located in the Greater China region, and archival projects from or about the Greater China region. Includes 中国第一历史档案馆 (The First Historical Archives of China), 中国第二历史档案馆 (The Second Historical Archives of China), 外交部档案馆 (Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and provincial archives.
- National Palace Museum Digital Library of Qing Archives 國立故宮博物院清代檔案檢索系統Provides metadata searching and scanned images of Qing documents held in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, including Palace Memorials and Archives of the Grand Council, biographies, and other archival documents.
- Grand Secretariat Archives 內閣大庫檔案Please select 免費使用 to proceed. Provides metadata searching of approximately 310,000 documents originally collected by the Grand Secretariat of the Qing dynasty.
- Online System of the Archives of the Institute of Modern History 近代史研究所檔案館館藏檢索系統Includes Foreign Ministry Collection (1861-2009), Economic Ministry Collection (1903-1980), Personal Papers, Other Organizations, and Historical Maps.
- Qing and Republican Documents Collection, Kyoto University 京都大学法学部蔵中国清代民国公私文書Includes nearly 300 items from Kyoto University.
- Digital Taiwan 典藏台灣A portal of digitization projects of archival and historical materials developed by various institutions in Taiwan.
- 中国第一历史档案馆 (The First Historical Archives of China) [Beijing]Contains the central government archives from Ming and Qing dynasties.
- 中国第二历史档案馆 (The Second Historical Archives of China) [Nanjing]Contains government archives from the Republican era (1912-1949).
- 外交部档案馆 (Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) [Beijing]Part of the PRC diplomatic archives from 1949-1965 are open to the public.
- 国家档案局 (The State Archives Administration of the PRC)A best place to learn more about policies and regulations, newly opened post-1949 archives, current research and study on archives, etc. at both national and local levels in mainland China.
- Bibliothèque Numérique Asiatique/Asian Digital LibraryIncludes a considerable number of archival documents in English from the Republican to early PRC periods, such as Records of the Shanghai Municipal Police 1894-1949, Zhongguo jin dai shi zi liao hui bian 中国近代史资料汇编, Jiao wu jiao an dang 教务教案檔, etc.
- China Unofficial Archives"This site is dedicated to making accessible the key documents, movies, blogs, and publications of a movement of Chinese people seeking to reclaim their country's history."
- Maoist Legacy ProjectIncludes archival materials from the Mao period and after. Please note that you need to create a free account with the site to view and use the materials.
- Princeton Chinese Archival Handbook CollectionIncludes 300+ Chinese archival handbooks from national to county levels.
- Resources for Historical Research on the People's Republic of ChinaIncludes reviews and user experiences of archives in China.
English Archives
- Archive Finder This link opens in a new windowArchive Finder brings together ArchivesUSA and the cumulative index to the National Inventory of Documentary Sources in the UK and Ireland (NIDS UK/Ireland).
- ArchiveGrid This link opens in a new windowOnline access to nearly a million descriptions of archival collections owned by thousands of libraries, museums, historical societies and archives worldwide.
- Archives Unbound This link opens in a new windowThe Asian Studies section includes several China-related collections, such as China: Records of the U.S. Department of State (1930-1949), General George C. Marshall's Mission to China (1945-1947), etc.
- Bibliothèque Numérique Asiatique/Asian Digital LibraryIncludes a considerable number of archival documents in English from the Republican to early PRC periods, such as Records of the Shanghai Municipal Police 1894-1949, Zhongguo jin dai shi zi liao hui bian 中国近代史资料汇编, Jiao wu jiao an dang 教务教案檔, etc.
- Cambridge Archive Editions Online – East and Southeast Asia Collection This link opens in a new windowIncludes a reprint collection of China Political Reports, 1911-1960 & 1961-1970, Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941, Shanghai: Political and Economic Reports, 1842-1943, and Taiwan Political and Economic Reports, 1861-1960 from the National Archives in UK.
- China, America and the Pacific This link opens in a new windowExplore an extensive range of archival material connected to the trading and cultural relationships that emerged between China, America and the Pacific region between the 18th and early 20th centuries. Manuscript sources, rare printed texts, visual images, objects and maps document this fascinating history. The resource is provided by Adam Matthew.
- China: Culture and Society This link opens in a new windowSpanning three centuries (c. 1750-1929), this resource makes available for the first time extremely rare pamphlets from Cornell University Library's Charles W. Wason Collection on East Asia. The resource is full-text searchable, allowing for the collection to be comprehensively explored and studied. The resource is provided by Adam Matthew.
- China and the modern world This link opens in a new windowIncludes: 1) Diplomacy and Political Secrets 1869-1950 (historical documents selected from three series within the India Office Records held at the British library); 2) Hong Kong, Britain and China 1841–1951 (British government documents on colonial Hong Kong); 3) Imperial China and the West part I, 1815–1881 (FO 17 series of British Foreign Office Files held at the UK National Archives); 4)The Missionary, Sinology, and Literary Periodicals collection (17 English-language periodicals published in or about China from 1817 to 1949); 5) Records of the Maritime Customs Service of China 1854–1949.
- China: Trade, Politics and Culture, 1793-1980 This link opens in a new windowSources from the School of Oriental and African Studies and the British Library, London. The resource is provided by Adam Matthew.
- Chinese Foreign Policy DatabaseIncludes 1000+ documents from Chinese and international archives regarding China’s foreign policy since 1949 and its relationship to ideology, revolution, the economy, and traditional Chinese culture.
- Digital National Security Archive (DNSA) This link opens in a new windowContains the full-text of declassified government documents categorized into over 40 collections, detailing U.S. foreign relations, world events and policy decisions from post-World War II through the 21st century. Collections include: glossaries, chronologies, bibliographies, overviews, and photographs. Click here to see the full list of collections.
- East India Company, 1595-1947 This link opens in a new windowEast India Company offers access to a collection of India Office Records from the British Library, London. Containing royal charters, correspondence, trading diaries, minutes of council meetings and reports of expeditions, among other document types, this resource charts the history of British trade and rule in the Indian subcontinent and beyond from 1600 to 1947.
The resource is provided by Adam Matthew. - Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980 This link opens in a new windowComplete British Foreign Office Files dealing with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in this period. This resource is offered by Adam Matthew.
- Foreign relations of the United StatesOfficial documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. Includes a lot of records related to China.
- Migration to New Worlds This link opens in a new windowFrom government-led population drives during the early nineteenth century through to mass steamship travel, Migration to New Worlds showcases unique primary source material recounting the many and varied personal experiences of 350 years of migration. Explore British Colonial Office files on emigration, diaries and travel journals, ship logs and plans, printed literature, objects, watercolors, and oral histories supplemented by carefully selected secondary research aids. The resource is provided by Adam Matthew.
- ProQuest History Vault This link opens in a new windowIncludes a substantial number of primary sources related to China, such as American War Production Mission in China, CIA records and research reports on China, U.S. State Department Central Files concerning China, Nixon's 1972 Trip to China, etc.
- ProQuest History Vault: Immigration: Records of the INS, 1880-1930 This link opens in a new windowThe files in this primary source collection cover Asian immigration, especially Japanese and Chinese migration, to California, Hawaii, and other states; Mexican immigration to the U.S. from 1906-1930, and European immigration.
- Revolution and Protest Online This link opens in a new windowRevolution and Protest Online explores the protest movements, revolutions, and civil wars that have transformed societies and human experience from the 18th century through the present. Organized around more than thirty events and areas, representing a variety of time periods, regions, and topics, this collection will include at completion 175 hours of video, 100,000 pages of printed materials.
- The Chronicles of the East India Company Trading to China, 1635-1834 [Print]Covers detailed aspects of trade between the West and China before the start of the Opium War.
- Shanghai Municipal Police Files, 1929-1945 [Microform]Consist of reports and other documents of the Central Intelligence Division of the British-run Shanghai Municipal Police in the former International Settlement. They are also available online at Bibliothèque Numérique Asiatique/Asian Digital Library ("Records of the Shanghai Municipal Police, 1894-1949").