Research Guides: Chinese Studies *: Reference Tools

Reference Databases

China Research Gateway (CRG) This link opens in a new window
CRG is a centralized means for discovery and access to a breadth of Chinese resources, including scholarly journals, monographs, statistical publications, government documents, newspapers, dissertations, patents, and more.
Duxiu (Chinese Google Scholar) This link opens in a new window
Known as Chinese Google Scholar, Duxiu provides access to a huge amount of full-text scholarly resources in all subjects and formats, such as books, theses & dissertations, journal & newspaper articles, conference papers, etc.
Paste this link in the browser https://libraries.usc.edu/sites/default/files/duxiu_instructions.pdf for instructions about how to request full-text content from the database.
Contemporary China Series (Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new window
Contemporary China is the first and also the most authoritative magnum opus that details the history of the People's Republic of China since 1949.
The series consists of 152 titles in 210 volumes, with a total word count of 100 million Chinese characters and 30,000 pieces of illustrations. The series is organized around three broad categories -- industries, sectors, and regions -- and falls under 23 subjects, such as Politics and Society, Mass Organizations, Foreign Relations, Economics, Transportation and Communication, Science and Technology, and National Defense and Military.
Digital Dictionary of Buddhism This link opens in a new window
Digital Dictionary of Buddhism is a collaborative Internet site developed by user contributions and maintained by a professor of the University of Tokyo.
Buddhist terms are indexed by radicals, texts, temples, schools, places, etc. See the list of lexicographical and canonical references used in DDB at: http://www.buddhism-dict.net/ddb/references.html. It provides links to other useful Buddhist web resources. DDB allows unlimited-use of the contents with two-year subscription. USC is one of the thirty-one (31) subscribing academic institutions.

Bibliographies

Chinese History: A Manual by Endymion Porter Wilkinson
Publication Date: 2000
Since publication of the first edition in 1998, this book has become an essential guide to researching the history of China.
Chinese History: A New Manual by Endymion Porter Wilkinson
Publication Date: 2015
The entire work has been corrected and updated with both print and online resources.

Sources in Chinese History: Diverse Perspectives from 1644 to the Present
Includes a variety of sources relevant to the study and research of modern and contemporary China, such as maps, posters, film scripts, memorials, and political cartoons and advertisements.
中国历史研究手册
A Chinese translation of Chinese History: A New Manual by Wilkinson.

Twentieth Century China by James H. Cole
Publication Date: 2003
Covers Chinese, Japanese and Western language sources on modern and contemporary China, and overseas Chinese.

Classical Historiography for Chinese History
Developed by Professor Benjamin Elman of Princeton University. Includes extensive lists of print and online sources for the study of Chinese history, especially the Ming and Qing period.

Biographies

China Biographical Database Project (CBDB) This link opens in a new window
A freely accessible relational database with biographical information (in both English and Chinese) about approximately 370,000 individuals as of April 2017, primarily from the 7th through 19th centuries.

Modern China Biographical Database (MCBD)
"The MCBD aims to collect biographical data on any individual active in China, both Chinese and non-Chinese, through systematic data mining in source books such as directories, biographical dictionaries, Who’s who’s, etc., in newspapers and periodicals, and in the academic literature."

人名權威人物傳記資料庫 This link opens in a new window
Contains biographical information for personal names in the Grand Secretariat and Grand Council archives held at Academia Sinica and National Palace Museum in Taiwan.
Buddhist Studies Authority Database Project 佛學規範資料庫 This link opens in a new window
A free online reference to personal names, places, time, and Buddhist Tripitaka catalogues in the Buddhist literature.

清季職官表查詢系統
Includes biographical information of Qing officials from 1786 (51st year of the Qianlong reign) to 1912 (3rd year of the Xuantong reign).

Selected biographical dictionaries and biographies in English in the library:

A biographical dictionary of the Qin, former Han and Xin periods
Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. - 618 C.E
Sung biographies
In the service of the Khan : eminent personalities of the early Mongol-Yüan period (1200-1300)
Dictionary of Ming biography, 1368-1644
Eminent Chinese of the Qing Period (Rev)
Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing period
Biographical dictionary of Republican China (A digital revival of the print edition)
The print edition is available in the East Asian Reading Room, call no. DS778.A1 B5.
Biographic dictionary of Chinese communism, 1921-1965

Calendar & Chronology

Chinese - Western Calendar Conversion Tool 兩千年中西曆轉換 This link opens in a new window
An online tool for converting between Chinese and Western calendars from A.D. 1 to A.D. 2100.
Buddhist Studies Authority Database Project 佛學規範資料庫 This link opens in a new window
The Time Authority Database provides date conversions for the following periods:
• China: 220 BC - today
• Korea: 56 BC - 1910 AD
• Japan: 593 AD - today

Dictionaries

Chinese-English Dictionary of Modern Usage (Online) This link opens in a new window
A classic Chinese-English dictionary compiled by Lin Yutang. Provides excellent guidance on translating terms.

明代職官中英辭典 Chinese-English Dictionary of Ming Government Official Titles
A bilingual dictionary of Ming official titles developed through a crowd-translation project that was funded by CEAL-Mellon.
Modern Chinese Scientific Terminologies (MCST) 近現代漢語學術用語研究
"A Repository of Chinese Scientific, Philosophical and Political Terms Coined in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century"
ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary [Print]
A best Chinese-English dictionary for modern Chinese.
Han yu da ci dian 漢語大詞典 [Print]
The most comprehensive dictionary for classical and modern Chinese. Provides definitions and explanations for 370,000 Chinese words. Includes quotations from many historical sources and is good for studying the changing meanings of Chinese words.
Dai Kan-Wa jiten 大漢和辞典 [Print]
Compiled by Morohashi Tetsuji. Includes extensive quotations from classical Chinese. Well indexed. There is a Chinese counterpart, based on the Morohashi but less reliable: Zhong wen da ci dian 中文大辭典.
Ci hai 辞海 [Print]
A comprehensive word dictionary; can also be used as a compact encyclopedia.

Encyclopedias

Gu jin tu shu ji cheng 數位古今圖書集成 (Online) This link opens in a new window
Developed by National Palace Museum and Soochow University in Taipei. The largest encyclopedia in pre-modern China. Compiled in the early 18th century, it was intended to be a comprehensive survey of all branches of knowledge and includes a large number of illustrations.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of China
Provides an absorbing and authoritative account of China from ancient times through to the momentous events of the 1980s.
Encyclopedia of Modern China
An online encyclopedia about modern China.
Zhongguo da bai ke quan shu 中国大百科全书 [CD-ROM]
A comprehensive encyclopedia divided into many subject volumes. A number of print volumes are also available in the East Asian Library. You can search them by title in the USC libraries catalog.
The Encyclopaedia Sinica
Compiled by Samuel Couling in 1917. Still a valuable source of information for the study of foreign missionaries in China.

Place Names & Atlases

CHGIS China Historical Geographic Information System 中国历史地理信息系统 This link opens in a new window
A free database of place names and historical administrative units for the Chinese Dynasties. Provides a base GIS platform for researchers to use in spatial analysis or to visualize the historical divisions of China as digital maps.

中國歴史地圖集 The historical atlas of China
Most accurate maps of historical changes in China's external boundaries, internal administrative boundaries, and toponyms.
中国古代地图集 An Atlas of ancient maps in China
Contains 650 reproductions of pre-modern maps in China.

Buddhist Studies Authority Database Project 佛學規範資料庫 This link opens in a new window
The Place Authority Database provides information on place names from Buddhist sources with latitude and longitude.