Chinese Studies Resources - by type

This database has two parts. The first part called 史地經典文庫 collects full-text historical textual material on the Chinese borderlands dating from the Ming Dynasty to the Republic in the punctuated editions by Zhonghua shuju. The second part 邊疆史料文庫 gives access to Republican monographs, periodicals, government gazettes and other documents on the history of the border regions.

The original printed text is displayed side-by-side with a fully searchable digital edition of the text for comparison. Downloading is not possible. Copying (with a maximum of 200 characters at a time (after signing in)) is, but only using the pop-up copy function, not the usual browser function.

To use the database you have to sign in with a user account.

You have the following two choices:

1) You can use one of four generic Princeton accounts with the following details

Username:
plsdguji4@163.com          
plsdguji3@163.com
plsd2@163.com
plsd1@163.com

Password (for all of the 4 accounts above): 123123

2) You can register a personal account

To sign in for both options please choose 登录 on the upper left and then switch to 邮箱登录 on the following page (right under the large 登录 button)..

Please note: This database does currently not fully support the Firefox Browser!

The CHANT (CHinese ANcient Texts) databases, compiled under the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong since 1988, give full-text access (single words, phrases and sentence patterns) to all traditional texts from the Pre-Han (pre 220AD) period up to the Six Dynasties (581 AD) (over 30 million characters.) These texts are divided into two databases: Pre-Han & Han (Xian Qin Liang Han), and Six Dynasties (Wei Jin Nanbeichao). During compilation, different versions of the same texts were carefully compared, and modern punctuation was added. Comparisons with other versions, parallel passages, as well as citations found in Leishu are shown in footnotes. CHANT also includes databases of excavated wood/bamboo and silk scripts (the Zhu-jian-bo shu database), oracular inscriptions (the Jiaguwen database, and bronze inscriptions (Jinwen). includes now a database of extant Chinese encyclopedias (Leishu), which includes the titles listed on the spreadsheet below:

To enter, click first on "dengru wenku", and then on "jigou yonghu dengru" ("For IP user only"; no password is necessary as a Princeton user). Initial navigation until entering each database itself is slow, searching the databases themselves is faster. Then choose your database, and navigate using the buttons and menus provided; each database works differently. Note that not all books are categorized properly (a Six Dynasties work might be found in the Han database, and vice versa), and that one has to search within subcategories the content of which is not always self-explanatory. One cannot usually search all works within a database at one go.

To use the databases fully, download and install the specialized fonts available from the download page after logging in.

Princeton users can use special features of the Chinese Text Project website. The library provides access to the Chinese Text Project Application Programming Interface (CTP API) which facilitates usage of large amounts of textual data and metadata for text mining purposes and other digital humanities (DH) studies. The API works with external tools such as the C-Text Text Tools and the free DH tool MARKUS.

Because of the large amounts of traffic that is involved in using the API, direct usage of the API is currently limited to on-campus use as the library proxy server does not support API usage. For off-campus use of the API please connect to the University network via Sonic Wall VPN before accessing. An extensive description of the API is available at: https://ctext.org/tools/api

A discovery service for full-text cross-database searching in a number of East Asian Studies databases and full-text searching in printed books.

Note: Not all databases covered in this search engine are currently subscribed to by Princeton. The title list below shows titles that Princeton has access to (in green), database for which Princeton currently uses other providers than the ones linked from Crossasia ITR (in orange), and database currently not available in Princeton (in red).

Please use the grey “Provider Link” to gain direct access to the content from the search results. Direct access will only be available for databases currently subscribed to by Princeton. The direct links will only work on campus and via VPN. Princeton NetID is not supported!

The system currently includes:

Adam Matthew - China America Pacific
Adam Matthew - China Trade & Politics
Adam Matthew - Foreign Office Files China & Japan
Adam Matthew - Meiji Japan (only metadata)
Airusheng - Local Gazetteer (1, 2)
Brill - The Japan Chronicle (1902-1940)
Brill - Mobilizing East Asia (1931-1954)
Brill - North China Daily News
Brill - North China Herald
Brill - North China Standard (1919-1927)
Diaolong - Classical Works of Japan
Diaolong - Daozang jiyao
Diaolong - Dunhuang shiliao
Diaolong - Gujin tushu jicheng
Diaolong - Qingdai shiliao
Diaolong - Sibu congkan
Diaolong - Sibu beiyao
Diaolong - Siku quanshu
Dioalong - Yongle dadian
Diaolong - Xuxiu Siku quanshu
Diaolong – Zhengton Daozang
Diaolong – Zhongguo Fangzhi yiji
Diaolong – Zhongguo Fangzhi xuji
East View - China Comprehensive Gazetteers
Gale - China and the Modern World: Records of the Maritime Customs Service of China (1854-1949)
Gale - Missionary, Sinology, and Literary Periodicals (1817-1949)
Renmin Ribao
SBB digital: Asian language collection (selection)
SBB digital: Western language Asia collection
Ta Kung Pao 大公報 (1902-1949)
Ariti - eBooks (Princeton can acquire individual titles upon request)
Brill - The Chinese Student Monthly (1906-1931)
CNKI - eBooks (Princeton can acquire individual titles upon request)
Fulltext search in print books (links to catalog of the State Library Berlin)
Adam Matthew - Area Studies: China and Southeast Asia (content mostly available in microform)
Adam Matthew - Area Studies: Japan (content mostly available in microform)
ISEAS Publishing - Asian Studies eBooks
NLC - Early Twentieth Century Chinese Books (1912-1949) (Many titles available in Princeton via CADAL)

This database of Classical Chinese Texts gives access to various sub-databases including the Zhengtong daozang 正统道藏, the Daozang jiyao 道藏輯要, a collection of Dunhuang Manuscripts from English, Russian and Peking collections 敦煌史料-英法俄、北大等馆藏, the Imperial encyclopedia (Yongle dadian 永乐大典), the Imperial Library (Gujin tushu jicheng 古今图书集成), Collected historical material on the Qing Dynasty 清代史料 (in particular 五朝会典, 清实录, 缙绅全书系列), a collection of old Japanese books 日本古典书籍, two Congshu collections (Sibu congkan 四部丛刊 and Sibu beiyao 四部备要 (here called 续四部丛刊)) as well as the Siku quanshu 四库全书, the Xuxiu siku quanshu 续修四库全书 and includes the Siku catalog 四库存目书, Banned books from the Siku 四库禁毁书, and Supplemental texts to the Siku  四库未收书.

A collaborative digitization project, sponsored by Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange Program, which includes Chinese rare books digitized from the collections of four participating libraries: the Asian Division of the Library of Congress, tEast Asian Library and the Gest Collection of Princeton University, the Harvard-Yenching Library of Harvard University, and the Fu Ssu-Nien Library of the Institute of History and Philology of the Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

Each library provided some 100,000 images, covering between 171 and 295 titles each.  They have now been made available free of charge to the world. A description of the project is available.

Due to maintenance work the database will be unavailable between September 5 and September 11, 2020.

The Lidai shiwenji zongku 歷代詩文集總庫 (previously known as Lidai bieji ku 歷代別集庫) consists of the collected poetry writings of individuals. Currently Princeton users have access to 8,000 titles of the full range of pre-Ming, Ming, and Qing authors. As all Airusheng/Erudition databases, the texts have been carefully digitized and checked for optimal full-text searching. Please select “ancient classics” from the first landing page, then choose 歷代詩文集總庫 you will see «Ming qian», «Ming», «Qing shang», and «Qing xia» highlighted.

This is a database of Buddhist related documents from non-Buddhist sources published by Zhonghua shuju. It collects a wide variety of documents like edicts, monastery records, stele inscriptions, rock carvings from Buddhist sites, philosophical texts, poems, and  images. These documents have been drawn together from a range of sources including 四庫全書,  續修四庫全書, 四庫存目叢書, various inscription collections,  全宋文，全遼文，北京圖書館藏中國歷代石刻拓本滙編, 明清实录, local gazetteers, and many other sources. The collection was assembled and punctuated by Prof Li Shen 李申 from Shanghai Normal University. The collection is divided into 金石佛踨, 史部佛跡, 子部佛影, and 集部佛論. Each section can be browsed individually or also searched through simultaneously.

To access the database you have to click on 登录 and choose IP登录 in case you are not automatically recognized as a Princeton user.

For simple reading and searching, no individual registration is needed, but if you wish to copy text, make notes, submit corrections, save searches, etc. you have the following two choices:

1) You can use one of four generic Princeton accounts with the following details

Username:
plsdguji4@163.com          
plsdguji3@163.com
plsd2@163.com
plsd1@163.com

Password (for all of the 4 accounts above): 123123

2) You can register a personal account

To sign in for both options please choose 登录 on the upper left and then switch to 邮箱登录 on the following page (right under the large 登录 button).

Previously hosted at the National Social Sciences Database (PRC) = 国家哲学社会科学学术期刊数据库 this collection gives access to hundreds of high-level Chinese social science and humanities journals, including those published by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. These journals are now freely available. Titles include 城市问题 (Urban Problems), 财经研究 (The Study of Finance and Economics), 当代韩国 (Contemporary Korea), 东南亚研究 (Southeast Asian Studies), 敦煌学辑刊 (Journal of Dunhuang Studies), 当代亚太 (Contemporary Asia-Pacific Studies), 敦煌研究 (Dunhuang Research), 复旦学报：社会科学版  (Fudan Journal, Social Sciences Edition), 方言 ( Dialect), 金融研究 (Journal of Financial Research), 考古 (Archaeology), 历史研究 (Historical Research), 满语研究 (Manchu Studies), 明清小说研究 (The Research on Ming and Qing Dynasties Novels), 美国研究 (American Studies Quarterly), 民族语文 (Minority Languages of China), 南开管理评论 (Nankai Business Review), 清史研究 (Studies in Qing History), 求实 (Truth Seeking), 日本问题研究 (Japan Problem Studies), 人口研究 (Population Research), 世界宗教研究 (Studies in World Religions), 探索 (Probe), 文史哲 (Journal of Literature,History and Philosophy), 文物 (Cultural Relics), 中国经济史研究 (Researches in Chinese Economic History), 中国语文 (Chinese) and 政治学研究 (CASS Journal of Political Science).

Individual titles have also been registered in the catalog; thus, when searching for Kao gu in the catalog, and clicking on "View Princeton's online holdings," there is an additional link to the holdings in this database.

Additionally, the database gives access to 20,000 fascicles of Chinese rare books from the collections of the library of the Chinese Academy for Social Sciences.

The National Library of China (NLC) has opened 21 databases on its 中国古籍保护网 to the public.

Included are the following database covering only the collection of NLC (if not otherwise noted):

数字古籍 Digital Rare books

数字方志 Digital Gazetteers (Some of the items are offered with side-by side reading of the transcribed text. The text however is not full text searchable. Most of the gazetteers included here are already available at Princeton in a full-text searchable database China Comprehensive Gazetteers).

中华寻根网 China genealogical database (The database offers a sophisticated search system. It includes bibliographic information on almost 30,000 家谱, and gives reading access to more than 2,000 (probably mostly from the collections of Shanghai Library). It also provides an overview of family lineages for each family name and has biographical entries for 14,000 individuals. Over 6,000 gazetteers are also linked into this system which makes it quite a powerful tool for genealogical research).

赵城金藏 Zhaocheng Jin Tripitaka (This Buddhist canon was printed between about the ninth year of the Huangtong era of Xizong of the Jin dynasty and is therefore referred to as Jin Tripitaka. The Jin Tripitaka was based on the tenth-century Kaibao Tripitaka. It has great documentary value because many of the sutras in this edition of the canon are missing from other editions. The database only gives access to the scans. Princeton has access to a full-text searchable version of both the Qisha Song Tripitaka and the Zhaocheng Jin Tripitaka via the Fojiao Jingdian ku).

年画撷英 Chinese New Year prints

碑帖精华 Rubbings database (Particularly strong for the Tang and the Qing. Where available the date of the making of the rubbing is included in the database. The database allows full-text searching of the transcribed text!)

宋人文集 Collected works of the Song (focuses on first editions).

甲骨世界 Oracle Bones (Two sub-databases containing images of original oracle bones and rubbings of oracle bones).

西夏文献 Tangut texts (Mostly of Buddhist nature. The texts are cataloged by Chinese titles).

西夏论著 Tangut Studies Bibliography

前尘旧影 Historic photographs

徽州善本家谱 Collection of Huizhou Jiapu

中华医药典籍资源库（测试版）Classical works of Chinese Medicine (Beta)

法藏敦煌遗书 Dunhuang collections of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF)

云南图书馆古籍 Yunnan Library Rare Books

天津图书馆古籍 Tianjin Library Rare Books

上海图书馆家谱 Shanghai Library Jiapu collection

东文研汉籍影像库 Rare books from the Toyo Bunko

哈佛大学善本特藏 Shan ben from Harvard Yenching Library

中华古籍善本联合书目 Chinese Shanben Catalog (图录 of 3,481 editions of 善本 in Chinese and international collections. In most cases only the first page of the first juan is available for viewing. The information provided about the holding institutions is rather cryptic.)

Regrettably, NLC does not currently provide a central search index to all of the databases above. Most of the collections however are actually listed in the Guji faxian system. An empty search in this system will bring up a complete list of purely bibliographic entries and entries for scanned rare books from many libraries from China and beyond. Selecting the 开源 option allows browsing the free online collections of all libraries by subject (an extended 四库 classification). This function might in many cases provide better discovery options for the material in the free NLC collections that the actual databases above, but many of the links in Guji Faxian have not yet been update to the free version of the NLC databases.

Previously known as Guji faxian 古籍发现 and Quanwen faxian 全文发现 this database started as a discovery service for Chinese rare books and collects information about digitized Chinese rare books from libraries in China, the US and Europe. The individual entries link back to the original scans hosted by the various institutions. Clicking on “检索” without a search term allows browsing the entire database via a simplified 四库 classification adding maps, gazetteers and congshu as browsing categories. Currently the portal lists about 100,000 editions.

More recently the database integrated material from the previous Zhongguo yanjiu wangluo ziyuan daohang 中国研究网络资源导航 and provides an easy-to-navigate overview of many databases in Chinese Studies available on the Internet. Most are free; some need free individual registration. 

In many cases Princeton patrons will already have full access to those resources. For resources Princeton users do not have access, the library can attempt individual document delivery. Please contact the Chinese Studies Librarian for individual requests.

This electronic database is available on all public computers at the East Asian Library. Fully searchable collection of 504 original and historical works (3134 volumes) published by the Commercial Press in 1919-1936. Original collection used photolithography, which resulted in better editions than the then available typeset editions. Authoritative editions. Alternatively, Sibu congkan is also available via the Diaolong database collection.

This electronic database, published by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Digital Heritage Publishing Ltd., contains on at least 183 CD-ROMs the complete contents, in full text and image, of the 3460+ titles of the Wenyuange edition of the Si ku quan shu (1782) plus a few other useful tools. The total content is a staggering 800 million characters, and is arranged under almost 2 million piece titles. Some of the titles contained in the Si ku quan shu are themselves large compilations, such as the Quan Tang shi, Zi zhi tong jian, Xu Zi zhi tong jian chang bian, Wen xuan, Pei wen yun fu, Tai ping yu lan, the 25 Histories. One should realize, however, that the Siku quanshu editions are not always the best ones available, nor are they always complete: as is well known, its compilation involved censorship. The Electronic Si ku quan shu ("e-SKQS") is useful not only for searching, but also for studying: it has linked dictionaries, and the possibility of saving notebooks. Princeton University's license is valid for 3 simultaneous users, and the electronic Siku Quanshu is available from all public computers located in the East Asian Library. The functionality of the database is well thought-out, but its interface is not very intuitive: in addition to consulting a guide, users are advised to ask for explanatory session with the Chinese Bibliographer. Alternatively, Siku quanshu is also available via the Diaolong database collection.

The Xu xiu Si ku quan shu database is a set of 5328 full-text searchable Classical Chinese titles. This database forms an important addition to the Si ku quan shu and Zhongguo ji ben gu ji ku databases already available, and this late-20th century compilation is based upon an assessment of items which became important subsequent to the 18th-century Si ku quan shu compilation, arranged in the same way. Originally published in 1800 thick paper volumes, it is strongest in Qing material, but does occasionally include better versions of items already included in the Si ku quan shu. The original items came from the collections of more than 80 Chinese libraries. The database searches very quickly, you can compare OCRd text with original text, and print or download using a somewhat idiosyncratic decorative, but self-explanatory interface.

This is a database of 10,000 traditional titles (+4,500 additional editions of the same titles) on a wide variety of subjects, and from many different periods of time. It is full text searchable, while, less conveniently but sometimes usefully, images of the texts can be flipped through as well. Many ways of searching and the setting of limits are provided. It has become the database of choice in the PRC; but note that there certainly are mistakes in the way characters have been converted: it may be necessary to read the image-based texts. A complete list of contents is available below.

This database, when finished, will include more than 10,000 pieces of various kinds of literature, such as bianwen, baojuan, shanshu, huaben, zhanghui xiaoshuo, zaju, chuanqi, zhugongdiao, guci etc., all in full-text format next to the original page (which may be, e.g., manuscript scraps from Dunhuang). You can search the various genres separately.

The Zhonghua Classics Database contains the standard punctuated versions of many important Chinese classical texts in the fields of philosophy, history and literature (such as biji) as published by Zhonghua Shuju and other major publishers of punctuated editions. The database also includes the 360 volume Quan Song Wen《全宋文》set as e-books. Quan Song Wen is a collection of Chinese prose dating from the Song dynasty that was first published in 2006 by 上海辭書出版社.

In addition to browsing whole titles, this digitized version has been optimized to search simultaneously variant forms of characters (defaults can be changed in the advanced search), and includes especially useful ways to search variants of biographical data, place names, etc. Dictionaries, chronology converters are included. These functions also pop up whenever you select a character in the main text.

To access the database, you have to click on 登录 and choose IP登录 in case you are not automatically recognized as a Princeton user.

For simple reading and searching, no individual registration is needed, but if you wish to copy text, make notes, submit corrections, save searches, etc. you have the following two choices:

1) You can use one of four generic Princeton accounts with the following details

Username:
plsdguji4@163.com          
plsdguji3@163.com
plsd2@163.com
plsd1@163.com

Password (for all of the 4 accounts above): 123123

2) You can register a personal account

To sign in for both options, please choose 登录 on the upper left and then switch to 邮箱登录 on the following page (right under the large 登录 button).

Advanced searches can be made using the “specialized search” function.

Downloading is not possible. Copying (with a maximum of 200 characters at a time (after signing in)) is, but only using the pop-up copy function, not the usual browser function.

The original printed text is available for comparison; please click on the orange page numbers that are displayed in the running text.

One oddity is the lack of an obvious home/(re)starting page: click on the database title for that function.