Research Guides: HIST 150: Law and Society in Imperial China (Fall 2024): Primary Sources

What is a Primary Source?

Secondary Sources are materials written after the event. Examples:

Books
Articles
Documentaries

Primary Sources are the direct historic article or event being examined, or contemporary materials about the event/film. Examples:

A historic document

Tips

Language has changed over the centuries, and it is often difficult to speak like - and think like - our ancestors, even in the 20th century.

Words like college, race, gender meant different things.
Most primary source databases will have "thematic" filters to get you started. Before keyword searching, start there. See what curated documents come up. From those documents, see what terminology is being used by contemporaries.
Begin with basic searches and do not be too complicated. DO NOT USE TOO MANY TERMS AT ONCE
Be sure to use period-specific language.
Do NOT search a bunch of terms. This will give more, not less, false its.
Pick keywords carefully -- remember that words and their meaning change over time
Use the database limiting tools (publication date, place of publication, etc) to limit results. Do this instead of adding more search terms.
Use boolean (and or not) to make the best searches.

Database

Full collection of Primary Source databases for Chinese History

Unfortunately most of our databases are focused on the post 1800 period, so it only covers about a century of the Qing Dynasty and none of the earlier dynasties.

China: Culture and Society This link opens in a new window
Spanning three centuries (c1750-1929), this resource makes available for the first time extremely rare pamphlets from Cornell University Librarys Charles W. Wason Collection on East Asia. The resource is full-text searchable, allowing for the collection to be comprehensively explored and studied.
China Studies This link opens in a new window
Cross-searchable access to primary sources spanning three centuries of history, literature, trade and the international affairs of China. From the 1800s to the modern era, this cross-searchable platform brings together three Adam Matthew Digital collections of rare printed books, pamphlets, manuscripts, diaries, newspapers and periodicals. These are supported by a range of incredible art works, illustrations and photographs.
China Art Library This link opens in a new window
China Art Digital Library provides a comprehensive collection of works from Chinese fine arts, calligraphy, and folk art from 3000 B.C. to the present day. China Art Digital Library includes over 780,000 art images from more than 400 albums, museum and exhibition catalogs, and includes references to nearly 720,000 supporting research documents available in China Academic Journals (CAJ) and China Doctoral Dissertations (CDMD). CNKI will continue to add new images as they become available from Chinese art exhibition catalogs and international Chinese exhibitions. At the same time, based on CNKI massive academic resources, the database offers a wealth of art information, including artists’ information, techniques, history background, and theory research. Navigation available in English; content primarily in Chinese.
China: Trade, Politics and Culture 1793-1980 This link opens in a new window
With documents encompassing events from the earliest English embassy to the birth and early years of the Peoples Republic, this resource collects sources from nine archives to give an incredible insight into the changes in China during this period.

Collections Online

Lib of Congress World Collection
This collection contains cultural heritage materials gathered during the World Digital Library (WDL) project, including thousands of items contributed by partner organizations worldwide as well as content from Library of Congress collections. The original World Digital Library site (preserved in LC’s Web Archives here) and all descriptive metadata were translated from English and made available in six additional languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese. All item records include narrative descriptions submitted by the contributing partners and enhanced by WDL researchers to contextualize the item and its cultural and historical importance. Books, manuscripts, maps, and other primary materials in the WDL collection are presented in their original languages; more than 100 languages are represented, including many lesser known and endangered languages. Additionally, all World Digital Library metadata in each of the seven languages is available as a downloadable dataset.
Chinese Text Project (中國哲學書電子化計劃)
A web-based e-text system designed to present a comprehensive collection of ancient Chinese texts, particularly those relating to Chinese philosophy, in a well-structured and properly cross-referenced manner, making the most of the electronic medium to aid in the study and understanding of these texts. Text scope spans pre-Qin and Han works covering topics in Confucianism to mathematics, to post-Han classics and Republican era works.
Wason Pamphlet Collection Cornell University Library
This digitized collection of English-language pamphlets on China, published between 1750 and 1929, offers access to 244 (and counting) pamphlets on a wide variety of topics. Most pamphlets deal with Christian missionizing efforts, but other themes include the Chinese diaspora; international conflict and invasion; rebellion and revolution; the opium trade, consumption, and policy; and language and writing.