Primary Source Databases - Chinese language - HIST 486: China in Revolution

Primary Source Databases - Books and Documents

Use the Advanced Lionsearch and limit by date to retrieve documents created around the time of interest. You can also limit by language to get materials in Chinese (or English). This will not pull up every primary source document, but it is a convenient way to start before using the more specific databases on this page.

LOOKING FOR MORE CHINESE LANGUAGE SOURCES?
SEE THE "CHINA" SECTION OF OUR ASIAN STUDIES GUIDE

ChinaMaxx Digital Library 超星数字图书馆 This link opens in a new window
A collection of 700,000 Chinese titles published since 1900 with the majority after 1949. Penn State has not acquired every title. Ask for help if unable to access.
A collection of 700,000 titles of Chinese titles published since 1900 with the majority after 1949. It includes 22 areas covering all academic disciplines. Please click the box next to “Trail to ChinaMaxx” in order to search all books in the database. Library has purchased several hundred titles and full-text access is limited to purchased titles that can only be found in the CAT. Faculty and students are welcome to make purchase recommendations. When you make recommendations, please contact the Asian Studies Librarian . 欢迎推荐，并请联系亚洲研究馆员.
Chinese Historical Literature Library: Books 1911-1949 (中国历史文献总库·民国图书数据库) This link opens in a new window
A collection of over 200,000 books published in China between 1911-1949, developed by Beijing Guotu Bookstore of National Library of China.
A collection of 213,257 books published in China between 1911-1949, developed by Beijing Guotu Bookstore of National Library of China. It is full text searchable and full text display. Full text download is limited to 1000 pages per day.
Chinese Literary and Historical Materials 文史资料 This link opens in a new window
Personal accounts of historical events in China from Late Qing to the 1980s
Wenshi Ziliao (文史资料专题库) is a collection of oral history on the historical events from Late Qing to 1980s, recorded by members of the People’s Consultative Conferences and personalities across China. The database contains more than 25,000 series and more than 900,000 articles. The principle of guiding the publishing of these historical materials was: experienced in person, saw in person, and heard in person (亲历, 亲见,亲闻). It is full Text searchable, full text display; but not full text downloadable.
Collected Writings of Yuan Shikai Database (袁世凯全集数据库) This link opens in a new window
A collection of published and unpublished writings of Yuan Shikai, It includes a large scale compilation and release of rare documents from 1875 to 1916.
A collection of published and unpublished writings of Yuan Shikai, It includes a large scale compilation and release of rare documents from 1875 to 1916.
Dacheng Minguo Tushu Quanwen Shujuku (大成民国图书全文数据库) This link opens in a new window
Contains more than 50,000 volumes of monograph published between 1911 and 1949.
Dacheng Minguo Book Database contains more than 50,000 volumes of monograph published between 1911 and 1949. It is full textdisplay, but searchable only by title, author, subjects, publishing dates and publisher. One may also browse by one of the 22 subject categories including humanities, arts, social sciences, natural sciences, medical sciences and more.
USC Shoah Foundation: Visual History Archive This link opens in a new window
Online video interviews with a focus on the Holocaust and World War II. Includes over 100 Chinese accounts of the massacre in Nanjing, China between 1937 and 1938.
The Visual History Archive® is the Institute’s collection of audiovisual interviews with witnesses and survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides. It is the reason USC Shoah Foundation was originally founded, and continues to be the basis for its educational and scholarly programs today.

Primary Source Databases - News and Magazines

LOOKING FOR MORE CHINESE LANGUAGE SOURCES?
SEE THE "CHINA" SECTION OF OUR ASIAN STUDIES GUIDE

Chinese Historical Literature Library: Newspaper, 1840-1949 (中国历史文献总库·近代报纸数据库) This link opens in a new window
A collection of 208 newspapers published in China between 1840-1949
A collection of 208 newspapers published in China between 1840-1949, developed by Beijing Guotu Bookstore of National Library of China. It is keywords (article title and author) searchable and full text display. Full text download is limited to 1000 pages per day.
Chinese Historical Literature Library: Periodicals, 1840-1949 (中国历史文献总库·近代期刊数据库) This link opens in a new window
A collection of over 4000 periodicals published in China between 1840-1949
A collection of 4,449 periodicals published in China between 1840-1949, developed by Beijing Guotu Bookstore of National Library of China. It is full text searchable and full text display. Full text download is limited to 1000 pages per day.
Dagongbao (大公報） This link opens in a new window
Provides the entire run of the newspaper from 1902-1949, including all editions published in Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Guiling and Hankou
Dagongbao Newspaper (大公報1902-1949) provides the entire run of the newspaper, including all editions published in Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Guiling and Hankou. It is full text searchable, full text readable and pdf downloadable. Limited to 2 concurrent users.
Dongfang Zazhi (The Eastern Miscellany) 東方雜誌全文數據庫1904-1948 This link opens in a new window
Contains the articles, illustrations and advertisements from the publication chronicling events in Republican China
The Eastern Miscellany, published by the prestigious Commercial Press, is a significant chronicle of Republican Era China, covering over 45 years of content (interrupted only in 1942), with more than 30,000 articles, 12,000 illustrations and more than 14,000 advertisements. Issued in Shanghai, Changsha, Chongqing, and Hong Kong, the Eastern Miscellany was published during a period of extraordinary transition in Chinese society, from the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and two millennia of Imperial China, through periods of warlord rule, Japanese invasion, and Chinese Civil War. All content is in Chinese, full-text searchable.
Guang ming ri bao (1949-2017) This link opens in a new window
Full text Chinese newspaper
Full text Chinese newspaper.

Late Qing and Republican-Era Chinese Newspapers (Open Access)
The collection provides newspapers published in China in the first half of the 20th century

Ren min ri bao (People's Daily) [1946-2011] This link opens in a new window
Full text, Chinese newspaper
Full text, Chinese newspaper.
Shen Bao Newspaper (1872-1949) This link opens in a new window
Full run of the Shanghai-based newspaper, one of the longest-lasting and most influential newspapers in modern China.
The full run (1872-1949) of Shanghai-based Shen Bao (formerly transliterated as Shun Pao) was the longest-lasting and probably most influential newspaper in modern China. Its history is enmeshed in the major Chinese political and cultural developments of the first half of the twentieth century. Searches are allowed only in traditional (not simplified) Chinese.

Primary Source Databases - Visual Resources

For additional visual resources search the CAT or Lionsearch. You can search by title, director, or other known information.
Filter results by format (audio, video, graphic novels), language, location, or publication date to focus your results as desired.
For example, results for Format "video" and language "Chinese"

Asian Film Online I & II This link opens in a new window
A selection of films from across Asia.
Asian Film Online offers a view of Asian culture as seen through the lens of the independent Asian filmmaker. Through a selection curated by film scholars and critics, viewers can explore the impact of globalization and urbanization on people’s everyday lives throughout the greater Asian region. Faculty and students engaged in area studies, anthropology, film studies, philosophy, geography, education, religion, gender studies, world literature, urban development, cross-cultural communication, journalism, social sciences, and humanities will benefit from exploring this rare collection of films that make silent voices heard.
Chinese Graphic Novel Digital Library (中国连环画数字图书馆） This link opens in a new window
A digital library of more than 5,000 Chinese picture books, accompanied with approximately 700 audio files
A digital library of more than 5,000 Chinese picture books, accompanied with approximately 700 audio files (most audios files in Chinese, a few in Uyghur and Kazakh). Basic search only: title, series title, author, illustrator and publisher. Display of high-definition scanned images. Not downloadable. 10 concurrent users.
Socialism on Film: The Cold War and International Propaganda This link opens in a new window
Includes newsreels and short documentary films from various countries, including China, primarily from the 1930s to the 1960s.
This collection of films from the communist world reveals war, history, current affairs, culture and society as seen through the socialist lens. It spans most of the twentieth century and covers countries such as the USSR, Vietnam, China, Korea, much of Eastern Europe, the GDR, Britain and Cuba. Module I: Wars & Revolutions; Module 2: Newsreels & Cinemagazines; Module III: Culture & Society.
USC Shoah Foundation: Visual History Archive This link opens in a new window
Online video interviews with a focus on the Holocaust and World War II. Includes over 100 Chinese accounts of the massacre in Nanjing, China between 1937 and 1938.
The Visual History Archive® is the Institute’s collection of audiovisual interviews with witnesses and survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides. It is the reason USC Shoah Foundation was originally founded, and continues to be the basis for its educational and scholarly programs today.