Premodern Asian History

Reference for Chinese History

This is a guide for BC students on pre-modern Asian history sources.

Reference for Chinese History

This page provides access points to BC's subscriptions to reference material on Chinese history. Here, you can find resources for finding definitions (e.g., dictionaries); suggested scholarly material (e.g., bibliographies); as well as background material and explanations written by experts in their fields (e.g., encyclopedia and handbooks).

What's on This Page

This page has a lot on it. You can use the following anchors (links down the page) to jump straight to a relevant box.

Finding Definitions

Dictionaries Related to Chinese Language(s)

Chinese-English Dictionaries at Boston College
A search for Chinese-English dictionaries in Boston College's catalog.
CEDICT Chinese-English Dictionary
A continuation of the CEDICT project started by Paul Denisowski. It aims to provide a complete Chinese to English dictionary with pronunciation in pinyin for the Chinese characters.
Chinese Characters: A Genealogy and Dictionary
by Rick Harbaugh. Copyright 1996, 1997, 1998. New Features: Chinese Discussion Board; Chinese Characters Dictionary Web.
Chinese-English Dictionary of Modern Usage
LINE Dict: Chinese-English

Mapping the Old Zhuang Character Script : a Vernacular Writing System from Southern China by David Holm
Call Number: Brill Online Books
Publication Date: 2013

Historical Dictionaries about China

ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese by Axel Schuessler
Call Number: JSTOR
Publication Date: 2006
An etymological dictionary of Old Chinese written in any language. As such, it constitutes a milestone in research on the evolution of the Sinitic language group.
Chinese Historical Illness Terminology by Paul U. Unschuld; Zhang Zhibin
Call Number: JSTOR
Publication Date: 2014
The Ben cao gang mu, compiled in the second half of the sixteenth century by a team led by the physician Li Shizhen (1518-1593) on the basis of previously published books and contemporary knowledge, is the largest encyclopedia of natural history in a long tradition of Chinese materia medica works. Its description of almost 1,900 pharmaceutically used natural and man-made substances marks the apex of the development of premodern Chinese pharmaceutical knowledge.

Find Maps/Geography/Atlases

China Historical GIS
A database of populated places and historical administrative units for the period of Chinese history between 222 BCE and 1911 CE. CHGIS provides a base GIS platform for researchers to use in spatial analysis, temporal statistical modeling, and representation of selected historical units as digital maps. [A Harvard project]

Find Scholarly Sources

Bibliography of Chinese Local Gazetteers 中國大陸各省地方志書目查詢系統 [OPEN ACCESS]
Chinese Christian Texts Database 中国基督教文本数据库 [OPEN ACCESS]
A research database of primary and secondary sources concerning the cultural contacts between China and Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (from 1582 to ca. 1840). The cultural contacts comprise documents in the various fields of cultural interaction: religion, philosophy, science, art, etc.
Internet Guide to Chinese Studies -- Bibliographies 中国研究在线参考书目 [OPEN ACCESS]
Song Research Tools [Open Access]
An online guide to bibliographies, indexes, dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases and chronologies of use to those interested in all aspects of Chinese society during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
Oxford Bibliographies Online
Includes portions on Chinese studies, anthropology, Buddhism, and more.
Hong Kong Macau Periodicals Network 港澳期刊網
Based on the "Hong Kong Chinese Periodicals Index" (HKInChiP). Currently includes Chinese and bilingual periodicals published in Hong Kong and Macao. Due to copyright, abstracts limited.
台灣期刊論文索引系統 (Taiwanese Journal Articles Index)
Taiwan Citation Index - Humanities and Social Sciences 臺灣人文及社會科學引文索引資料庫
CALIS Online Catalog CALIS 联合目录公共检索系统

Find Recommendations for Who's Who

China Biographical Database Project (CBDB)
Freely accessible relational database with biographical information about approximately 427,000 individuals as of April 2019, primarily from the 7th through 19th centuries.

Marquis Biography Online This link opens in a new window
International in scope, this database includes biographies of people in business, law, science, medicine, the arts, government, and entertainment. Updated daily, this source also includes biographies that have appeared in 24 Marquis Who's Who print titles since 1985, plus historical biographies from our Who Was Who in America volumes from 1607-1985.

China's new party leadership : biographies and analysis of the Twelfth Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party by Wolfgang Bartke
Call Number: HathiTrust
ISBN: 0873322819
Publication Date: 1985

Dictionary of Political Biography
Covers all the major figures in world politics of the twentieth century. Authoritative and wide-ranging, it describes and assesses the lives of around 870 men and women who have shaped political events across the world. Each entry includes an account of the background, career, and achievements of the individual concerned, balancing fact with critical appraisal.

Biography in Context This link opens in a new window
Biographical information on thousands of people throughout history and from around the world.

上海图书馆人名规范库 (Biographies from Shanghai Library)

Find Background Information

Oxford Handbooks Online
Contains in-depth, high-level articles by scholars at the top of their field. BC's subscriptions include archeology, history, political science, religion, and more.
Cambridge Companions Online
Cambridge Companions are a series of authoritative guides, written by leading experts, offering lively, accessible introductions to major writers, artists, philosophers, topics, and periods.

Brill's Encyclopedia of China by Daniel Leese (ed)
Call Number: Brill Online reference works
Publication Date: 2008
Focused on the modern period from the mid-nineteenth century to the 21st century. Arranged in alphabetical order, it covers the history, geography, society, economy, politics, science, and culture of China.
Encyclopedia of Modern China
Call Number: Gale Cengage Virtual Reference Library
Publication Date: 2009
An authoritative analysis of all aspects of the history and culture of China since 1800.
Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture by Edward L. Davis (ed)
Call Number: Taylor & Francis eBooks
Publication Date: 2004
Focus on mainland China since 1980 designed for a Western audience.
Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa by Andrea L. Stanton; Peter J. Seybolt (Editor); Edward Ramsamy; Carolyn M Elliott (eds)
Call Number: SAGE Knowledge Complete
Publication Date: 2012
The four volumes in our cultural sociology reference encyclopedia take a step forward in this endeavor by presenting concise information on those regions likely to be most "foreign" to U.S. students: the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The intent is to convey what daily life is like for people in these selected regions.
Oxford Research Encyclopedias: Asian History.
Call Number: Oxford Research Encyclopedias
Publication Date: 2016+
"Substantive, peer-reviewed, and regularly updated, the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History combines the speed and flexibility of digital with the rigorous standards of academic publishing." Emphasizes modern history but does include premodern content.

Ancient China

Ancient History Encyclopedia: China
Entries on an expansion of Chinese history with images.

Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature by David R. Knechtges; Taiping Chang (Volume Editor)
Call Number: Brill Online Books
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
The long-awaited, first Western-language reference guide, this work offers a wealth of information on writers, genres, literary schools and terms of the Chinese literary tradition from earliest times to the seventh century C.E. Indispensable for scholars and students of pre-modern Chinese literature, history, and thought. Part Two contains S to Xi.

Handbooks and Companions

Cambridge Histories - Asian History
Includes over 80 volumes on topics touching on or directly about Asian history. Includes volumes on China, China, India, Japan, etc., as well as subject volumes on specific wars or political ideologies.

Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
Oxford Handbooks offers an authoritative survey of current thinking and research. Specially commissioned essays from leading international figures in the discipline give critical examination of the progress and direction of debates, providing scholars and graduate students with compelling new perspectives. Major subject areas include:

- Arts and Humanities
- Economics
- Law
- Literature
- Medicine and Health
- Philosophy
- Politics
- Religion
- Science and Mathematics
- Social Sciences

Individual Titles

China in the Early Bronze Age by Robert L. Thorp
Call Number: JSTOR
Publication Date: 2013
Synthesis current knowledge of the Shang for everyone interested in the origins of Chinese civilization. China in the Early Bronze Age traces the development of early Bronze Age cultures in North and Northwestern China from about 2000 B.C.E., including the Erlitou culture (often identified with the Xia) and the Erligang culture.
Handbook of Christianity in China by R. G. Tiedemann (ed)
Call Number: Brill Online Books
Publication Date: 2010
The reader will be guided to and through the Chinese and Western primary and secondary sources by carefully selected major scholars in the field. Produced with financial support from the Ricci Institute at the University of San Francisco Center for the Pacific Rim.
Handbook of protest and resistance in China by Teresa Wright (ed)
Call Number: DOAB Directory of Open Access Books
Publication Date: 2019
Handbook on human rights in China by Sarah Biddulph; Joshua Rosenzweig (eds)
Call Number: Elgaronline
Publication Date: 2019
Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China by Eva Sternfeld (ed)
Call Number: Taylor & Francis eBooks
Publication Date: 2017
The Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China focuses on the environmental challenges of China's rapidly growing economy and provides a comprehensive overview of the policies developed to address the environmental crisis.
Routledge Handbook of the Chinese Communist Party by Willy Wo-Lap Lam (ed.)
Call Number: Taylor & Francis eBooks
Publication Date: 2017
The Routledge Handbook of the Chinese Communist Party gives a comprehensive and multi-faceted picture of the party's traditions and values - as well as its efforts to stay relevant in the twenty-first century. It uses a wealth of contemporary data and qualitative analysis to explore the intriguing relationship between the party on the one hand, and the government, the legal and judicial establishment and the armed forces, on the other.

For Additional Help

For additional recommendations, contact your History Liaison, Erin, at erinkate.scheopner@bc.edu or schedule an appointment.

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Premodern Asian History

Reference for Chinese History

Reference for Chinese History

What's on This Page

Finding Definitions

Dictionaries Related to Chinese Language(s)

Historical Dictionaries about China

Find Maps/Geography/Atlases

Find Scholarly Sources

Find Recommendations for Who's Who

Find Background Information

Ancient China

Handbooks and Companions

Individual Titles

For Additional Help