Research Guides: HIST 453: China and the World: Finding Primary Sources

Primary Sources on the Web

Thanks to a number of major digitization initiatives, MANY published sources (books, journals, etc.) are now freely available via digital web repositories. Most of these materials are in the public domain - i.e. not copyright-protected. For the U.S. this means titles published prior to 1922; copyright "cutoff" dates vary for other countries. Googling by title or author will likely retrieve materials in these digital repositories, but you can also search their contents individually. Notable examples:

Google Books

Internet Archive - Text Archive

Hathi Trust Digital Library

Databases for Primary Sources

19th Century English Language Journals of the Far East This link opens in a new window
Access six rare English-language journals related to the “Far East,” five of which were founded by Western missionaries in the 19th century. Topics include East-West communication, Christianity in China and Asia, and China’s political, economic, and cultural landscape.
China, America and the Pacific: Trade and Cultural Exchange (18th and early 20th Century) This link opens in a new window
China, America and the Pacific explores the cultural and trading relationships that emerged between America, China and the Pacific region between the early 18th and 20th centuries.
Sourced from world-class collections at American and Canadian libraries including the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, China, America and the Pacific offers unique insights into the history of North American trade and cultural interactions with China. Coverage also includes Pacific trading centres, such as Hawai‘i.
China: Culture and Society This link opens in a new window
Contains rare pamphlets related to China. Materials include speeches, guides, reports, magazine articles, and more.
China: Trade, Politics & Culture 1793-1980 This link opens in a new window
Access English-language sources related to China and the West from 1793 to 1980.
Chinese Recorder and the Protestant Missionary Community in China, 1867-1941 This link opens in a new window
Access the Chinese Recorder from 1867 to 1941.
Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window
Contains primary sources from the 19th Century, including monographs, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera, and more.
Emory Libraries has access to four collections in this database: Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange British Politics and Society British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture European Literature, 1790-1840: The Corvey Collection.

Additionally, this collection includes Europe and Africa: Commerce, Christianity, Civilization, and Conquest. Also, this collection includes the features that scholars require such as detailed subject indexing and metadata, textual analysis tools, personalized user accounts, and more.

HIST 453: China and the World

Chinese History Source Materials Search Results via DiscoverE

Primary Sources on the Web

Databases for Primary Sources

Other Relevant Resources