Reference Sources - History 411 - Junior Seminar: China's foreign relations, 1400-1820 (Spring 2021)

Getting Started with Reference Sources

There are many handbooks, guides, and companions that provide basic information for historical studies. If you are selecting a topic, build a framework by consulting definitions or a quick overview found in these resources and then focus on your topic by searching for more specific information. The Cambridge History of China will be a great place to start as well.

Cambridge History of China

The Cambridge History of China is the largest and most comprehensive history of China in the English language. These volumes are a great resource for laying out the main developments in political, social, economic and intellectual life of China in their respective periods and should be an integral part of your research.

The Cambridge History of China Vol. 7, The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644
Volume 7 deals primarily with the political developments of the period, but it also incorporates background in social, economic, and cultural history where this is relevant to the course of events.
Cambridge History of China Vol. 8 The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 (Part 2)
Volume 8 offers detailed studies of governmental structure, the fiscal and legal systems, international relations, social and economic history, transportation networks, and the history of ideas and religion.
The Cambridge History of China Vol. 9 The Ch'ing Empire to 1800
Volume 9 considers the political, military, social, and economic developments of the Ch'ing empire to 1800. The period begins with the end of the resurgent Ming dynasty, covered in volumes 7 and 8, and ends with the beginning of the collapse of the imperial system in the nineteenth century, described in volume 10.
Cambridge History of China Vol. 10 Late Ch'ing 1800-1911
Volume 10 deals with the decline of the Ch'ing empire, opening with a survey of the empire at its height, in about 1800. Coverage includes the complex interplay of foreign invasion, domestic rebellion and Ch'ing decline and restoration. Special reference is made to the Peking administration, the Canton trade and the early treaty system, the Taiping, Nien and other rebellions, and the dynasty's survival in uneasy cooperation with the British, Russian, French, American and other invaders.
Cambridge History of China Vol. 11 Late Ch'ing, 1800-1911 (Part 2)
Volume 11 surveys the persistence and deterioration of the old order in China during the late nineteenth century, and the profound stirring during that period, which led to China's great twentieth-century revolution.

Electronic Reference Sources

Cambridge Companions Complete Collection
Full text access to "Cambridge companion to. . ." series of books in the areas of literature, music, classics, philosophy, religion, and culture.
Cambridge Histories
Online access to the Cambridge Histories series. Overal 300 volumes in 10 subject areas including history, classics, literature, philosophy, and religion.
Oxford Reference Online
Contains facts, figures, definitions, and translations in most fields, from art and architecture to science.
Credo Reference
Search and access the full text of selected reference books, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, covering a wide range of subjects.
Gale eBooks (formerly Virtual Reference Library)
Search and access the full text of selected reference books, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, covering a wide range of subjects.

Reference Books on Chinese History (Available in the library only)

Chinese History by Endymion Porter Wilkinson
Call Number: DS735 .W695 2000 (In library use only)
ISBN: 0674002474
Publication Date: 2000-05-01
Eminent Chinese of the Chʻing period (1644-1912) by Arthur W. Hummel, editor
Call Number: DS734 .U65 (In library use only)
Publication Date: 1943
Chinese History by Endymion Wilkinson
Call Number: DS735 .W695 2012 (In library use only)
ISBN: 9780674067158
Publication Date: 2013-01-07
Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1364-1644 by L. Carrington Goodrich (Editor)
Call Number: DS753.5 .A84 1976 (In library use only)
ISBN: 0231038011
Publication Date: 1976-03-01

Online Tools for Chinese History

Here are some other tools you might find helpful for topic exploration or, later, as you're working on your research:

"Chinese language," "Mandarin," "Pinyin," "Wade-Giles," and other related topics. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language

Chinese romanization converter. This site will help you convert Pinyin romanization of Chinese names, terms, & placenames into Wade-Giles romanization, and vice-versa.

Benjamin Elman. "Classical historiography for Chinese history."