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Classical Historiography for Chinese History

Research guide for Chinese Historiography

Encyclopedias

  • Beijing tu shu guan cang Zhongguo li dai shi ke ta ben hui bian 北京圖書館藏中國歷代石刻拓本匯編. Henan: Zhengzhou, 1990.
  • Beijing tu shu guan gu ji zhen ben cong kan 北京圖書館古籍珍本叢刊. Beijing: Xin hua shu dian, 1988-.
  • Gao Cheng 高承 (11th century), compiler. Shi wu ji yuan 事物紀源. In Cong shu ji cheng 叢書集成, v. 1209-1212.
  • Giles, Lionel. An Alphabetical Index to the Chinese Encyclopedia. London: British Museum, 1911.
  • Jiang Tingxi 蔣廷錫, et al., compilers. Gu jin tu shu ji cheng 古今圖書集成. Presented to the emperor in 1725. Photolithographic reproduction, Shanghai: Zhonghua shu ju, 1934.
  • Smith, Richard J. "The Cultural Role of Popular Encyclopedias in Later Imperial China."
  • Tai ping yu lan 太平御覽. Compiled under imperial auspices by Li Fang 李昉(925-96) and others. Completed in 983. Photolithographic reproduction, Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1935. See also index in Harvard-Yenching Institute Sinological Index Series, volume 23.
  • Wang Qi 王圻, compiler. San cai tu hui 三才圖會 (Pictorial Encyclopedias). 155 vols. Published in 1609.
  • Wang Yinglin 王應麟 (13th century), compiler. Yu hai 玉海. 1806 ed.
  • Yang Jialuo 楊家駱, compiler. Zhongguo wen xue bai ke quan shu 中國文學百科全書. Nanjing: Zhongguo ci dian guan, 1936 and 1937.
  • Zhai Hao 翟灝, compiler. Tong su bian 通俗編. Latest dated pref. 1751. In Cong shu ji cheng 叢書集成 , v. 1222-1223.

Other documents

  • These are less useful for the Qing since they are excerpts from sources that survive in full (especially the Hui dian 會 典 Dong hua lu 東 華 錄 Sheng xun 圣 訓 etc.
  • See Wilkinson, Endymion. The History of Imperial China: A Research Guide. Cambridge: East Asian Research Center of Harvard University, 1973 for the four Qing encyclopedias in the "Ten T'ung" 十 通 set, pp. 126-28
  • The Gu jin tu shu ji cheng 古 今 圖 書 集 成 (1725) which uses more primary sources, is good. There is an index by Lionel Giles (1911).
  • Huang chao tong dian 皇 朝 通 典 (to 1785)
  • Huang chao tong zhi 皇 朝 通 志 (to 1785)
  • Huang chao wen xian tong kao 皇 朝 文 獻 通 考 (to 1785)
  • Huang chao xu wen xian tong kao 皇 朝 續 文 獻 通 考 (1786-1911)
  • Indexes to 1936 Commercial Press editions
  • Huang chao zhang gu hui bian 皇 朝 掌 故 匯 編 (1902) in same tradition
  • For other encyclopedias, see Wilkinson, Endymion. The History of Imperial China: A Research Guide. Cambridge: East Asian Research Center of Harvard University, 1973, pp. 162-69; Teng, Ssu-yu, & Knight Biggerstaff. An Annotated Bibliography of Selected Chinese Reference Works. Third Edition. Harvard-Yenching Institute Series. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1971, pp. 94-95.
  • Fairbank, John K. Ch'ing Documents: An Introductory Syllabus. 3rd edition. Cambridge: East Asian Research Center of Harvard University, 1970, pp. 84-92.