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Chinese Studies - Digital/Electronic Sources: GW subscribed databases

This research guide helps you to find resources related to China studies including China's foreign relations, history, politics, military, economy, culture, language, religion and etc.

GW Patrons Only

Please be aware that the databases in this page are GW libraries' subscription. You have to use GWID account to get access to these databases. Some databases need you to log into GW VPN. 

Chinese Language Databases

  • New! Modern newspaper in China, 1840-1949 (近代报纸数据库)   
    Chinese newspapers published from 1840 to 1949 at both national and local levels. Check user's manual here.  
  • New! Historical Newspapers: Chinese Newspaper Collection 
    With coverage from1832 to 1953, the 12 English-language Chinese historical newspapers that comprise the database provide researchers unique insight into Chinese political and social life during this turbulent 120 year period.
  • Ebooks published in Taiwan in humanities and social science. You can get access to GW purchased books normally. But during the COVID-19 time period, you have advantage of getting access to the entire collection.  
  • An important primary source on twentieth-century China. The Chinese Literature and History database contains full texts of more than 20,000 volumes (650,000 articles) of publications arranged by regions and provinces. The articles are mostly first-person narratives on history, culture, politics, economy, literature and ethnicity.
  • China Academic Journals Full-text Database (中国期刊全文数据库)
    More than 8,200 Chinese journal titles and nearly 1000 Chinese newspaper titles. Use Chinese simplified characters or Pinyin to search. Note: please download and install CAJviewer for articles with CAJ format. LInk: http://cajviewer.cnki.net.proxygw.wrlc.org/
  • China Core Newspapers Full-text Database (中国重要报纸全文数据库）
    With an archive beginning in 2000, this database collects 350+ core newspapers in China. GW's subscription includes these areas in humanities and social sciences. Note: please download and install CAJviewer for articles with CAJ format. LInk: http://cajviewer.cnki.net.proxygw.wrlc.org/
  • China Data Online (中国数据在线）
    Access to current statistical data on a variety of economic and demographic aspects of China.
  • China Doctoral Dissertations （中国优秀博士学位论文全文数据库)
    It contains thousands of such texts from higher education institutions and research institutes in China since 1984, in the broad subject areas in humanities and social sciences. Note: please download and install CAJviewer for articles with CAJ format. LInk: http://cajviewer.cnki.net.proxygw.wrlc.org/
  • China Economy, Public Policy, and Security Database (Pi Shu) (皮书数据库）
    The database contains white papers "pi shu" written by key think tanks and academic institutions in China from 1996 to date. Pi shu address a comprehensive breadth of issues surrounding the development and governance of modern day China.
  • China Geo-Explorer II
    China Geo Explorer is a spatial intelligence data service. It offers Chinese demographic and economic data, maps, charts and reports in a web-based delivery system. Data sources in this database includes demographic and business information for all PRC geographic areas, including 31 Provinces, 345 Prefecture Cities, 2,873 Counties, and over 50,000 Townships.
  • Chinamaxx Digital Libraries (超星中文电子书)
    ChinaMaxx contains full-text Chinese e-books from cover to cover on the subject areas of China economy, politics, military affairs, international relations, security and social studies.
  • GW subscription includes Chinese literature, CPC history, military, political science, international affairs and etc. 
  • China Statistical Yearbooks Database（中国统计年鉴数据库）
    CSYD is the largest and continuously updated statistical yearbooks database in China, including all aspects and fields, such as population and human resources, people’s living conditions and price indices, enterprises and institutions, finance, political and public administration, domestic trade and foreign trade, etc. 
  • Chinese Cultural Revolution Database（文化大革命数据库）
    Original documents including CCP notices, instructions, proclamations, speeches and major media commentaries.
  • CommonWealth Knowledge Bank
    Commonwealth Magazine is a storehouse of information on Taiwan's economic development and the transformation of its society. This electronic journal includes over 310 issues, from the first issue in 1981 through the current issue.
  • CPC History Database (党史数据库)
    This database covers over ten thousand periodicals of 200 kinds established and participated in by Chinese Communist Party before 1949.
  • Dacheng pre-1949 journals full-text database (大成 老旧刊全文数据库)
    Consists of approximately 7,000 Chinese periodicals published from 1830 to 1949 in all fields of knowledge as well as popular journals. A unique and valuable source for the studies of Chinese politics, history, culture, society, philosophy, literature and arts in that period.
  • Database of the Chinese Government（中国政府数据库）
    This database includes archives and publications of the Chinese central government, its ministries and subsidiaries, and regional authorities. Simultaneous Users: 2
  • Database of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (中国人民政治协商会议资料库)
    The CPPCC Database is a collection of archives and documents of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), including: Resolutions and Statements, Pictures, Press Conferences, Important Commentaries, Representatives Lists, Agendas, Session Updates, Reports, Leaders' Activities, Selected Proposals and Suggestions from Representatives, News Reports, Video Reports, etc. Simultaneous Users: 2
  • Database of the Communist Party of China（中国共产党数据库）
    This database contains archives and publications of the Communist Party since its establishment in 1921.
  • Database of the National People's Congress（中国人民代表大会数据库）
    NPC Database is a collection of reports, primarily by People's Daily and People's Daily Online, on National People's Congress, from the 1st Session of 1st NPC to the 3rd Session of the 10th NPC. Simultaneous Users: 2
  • Duxiu (读秀)
    Provides information about and, in many cases, full-text searching and / or limited views (up to about 20 pages) of 2,600,000 Chinese books. A useful tool for discovering bibliographic information; for locating particular search terms within a text; and for getting a preview of a text. Works best on Internet Explorer. Please refer to the user's guide from the East Asian Library of Princeton University:https://library.princeton.edu/eastasian/duxiu. 
  • Policies, Laws & Regulations of China (中国政策法规资料库)
  • The database Policies, Laws & Regulations of China provides valuable information on Chinese jurisdiction, legislature, and business laws. The database holds more than 1,000 records covering a comprehensive range of Chinese policies, regulations and Laws of both national and regional levels from 1949 onward. Simultaneous Users: 2
  • The open access database contains in formation on Chinese regulations and laws which is released by the National People's Congress (NPC). Current collections reflect the Phase I of the database (released on Feb. 24, 2021). The content includes regulations and laws by NPC & NPCSC, State Council, Supreme People's Court & Supreme People's Procuratorate and local legislatures. Phase II of the database is expected to include additional authorities including rules issued by State Council agencies or local governments.
  • People's Liberation Daily (PLA) Daily (Jiefangjun bao, 解放军报) 
    Digital archive to the official newspaper of the People’s Republic of China’s Central Military Commission. The publication acts as the authoritative media of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army for the release of military news and comprehensive military-related information. Dates of coverage January 1, 1956 to present; updated annually.
  • Renmin Ribao (《人民日报》数据库) 1946-5/2012. 
    Full-text, full image of Renmin Ribao (People’s Daily), the official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the central newspaper of record for the modern Chinese state. 
  • Shanghai Evening Post and Mercury (《大美晚报》数据库）
    This database covers issues from 1943-1946 of the Shanghai Evening Post and Mercury This English-language newspaper represented the perspective of Shanghai's American business community.
  • Shen Bao (《申报》数据库)
    The Shen Bao (申报, also spelled Shunpao) database is full-text searchable and contains PDF page images of this newspaper published from 1872 to 1949. This database, containing more than 2 million articles, works best on Internet Explorer (IE) browser.
  • Siku Quanshu (四庫全書)
    Users must download a reader using Internet Explorer (IE) (Please go to this webpage to install the reader: http://www.eastview.com/online/sikudownload before use. Email China Studies Librarian at hey@gwu.edu for questions. Simultaneous users: 1
  • Taiwan Academic Classics（台灣學術經典）
    Taiwan Academic Classics offers classic works from China/Taiwan and contemporary scholarly thought from academic societies in Taiwan and around the world. The federated search platform of Taiwan Academic Classics incorporates full text searchable Web access to core journals in the humanities and social sciences from 1928 to the present with ancient compilations from China's earliest Dynasties. Taiwan Academic Classics includes authoritative archives and historic documents from the era of the Chinese Republic. Taiwan Academic Classics integrates a total of 2 billion characters, 300 different journals, 6,630 ancient works and more than 100,000 dissertations, with contributions from 35,000 authors.
  • Taiwan Electronic Periodical Services (TEPS)
    Offers full-text Taiwanese periodicals in five main categories: Social Sciences, Humanities, Applied Sciences, Medical & Life Sciences, and Natural Sciences. Searchable in English or Chinese. Abstracts are in English. Full-text (PDF) articles are in Chinese.
  • Taiwan Shibao (Taiwan JIHO)（臺灣時報)）
    Access to this Japanese magazine published by the Taiwan Governor House during the Japanese colonial period. Issues included were politics, industry, trade, transportation, military, education, judiciary, police, civil engineering, technology, handicraft and arts.
  • Taiwan Wenxian Congkan (Taiwan History: 618-1945) 臺灣文獻叢刊
    Covers a time span from the Tang Dynasty to the Japanese colonial period and incorporates local histories, and official documents of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The database covers a wide variety of dimensions of Taiwan, including history, geography, local customs, politics, economy, sociology, laws and culture.

English Language Databases (Selected)

  • Aisa Pacific Database
    The Asia Pacific Database is a bibliographic and fulltext database that provides area coverage (especially for economic development, investment, trade and technological industries) for Northeast Asia and Asia-Pacific. It provides easy bibliographic and fulltext access to journals, newspapers, conference proceedings, press releases, books, manuals, magazines, and ephemera.
  • Area Studies: China
    A varied array of records of traders, travellers, missionaries and diplomats, from the mid-seventeenth century to the late twentieth century, offering Western perspectives on all aspects of Chinese culture and society and Western interactions with China and Southeast Asia.
  • Bibliography of Asian Studies
    Citations to scholarly journal articles and monographs relating to all areas of Asia. Western-language materials. Entries may be browsed by journal title and country of relevance.
  • Brill's Encyclopedia of China Online
    The main focus of this encyclopedia is China from the mid-19th century to the 21st century. It contains the information on the history, geography, society, economy, politics, science, and culture of China.
  • British Library Newspapers: Pts. l & ll, 1800-1900
    British Library Newspapers, Pts. I & II, offer full runs of national, regional, and local nineteenth-century British newspapers, taken directly from the extensive holdings of the British Library. The papers provide a broad, yet detailed view of British life in the nineteenth century; from business to sport, from politics to entertainment and the arts. The two collections together cover 69 titles.
  • CEIC Global Database (with China and Brazil premium data)
    NOTE: Register for a free CEIC account to save searches and download data, or click guest access to search without downloading. Limit:  5 simultaneous users. Please log out when finished! Over 2.5 million item time series covering economies from the United States and China and etc. It offers a quick country reference on key indicators such as GDP, GNP, FDI, and CPI, as well as detailed, hard-to-find information on 18 macroeconomic and 14 industrial sectors.
  • Chinese Civil War and U.S.-China Relations: Records of the U.S. State Department's Office of Chinese Affairs, 1945-1955
    Comprehensive documentation examines the political background of the civil war, the failed efforts of American mediation, and the ramifications of Communist victory.
  • East and South Asia Collection (ProQuest Central)
  • Foreign Office Files for China 1919-1980
    Formerly restricted British Foreign Office files dealing with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan between 1919 and 1980. Features diplomatic dispatches, letters, newspaper cuttings, political pamphlets, reports of court cases and other materials that provide insight into a turbulent period in Chinese history. The documents allow students and researchers intimate access to eye-witness accounts, weekly and monthly summaries, annual reviews, reports and analyses, economic assessments, synopses on Chinese personalities, and more.
  • Gale Primary Sources
    Integrated research environment that allows users to search across all of Gale primary source collections.
  • North China Herald
    The North China Herald was a major English-language newspaper published in China from the 1850s to the 1940s. It is a major source for the history of the foreign presence in China in that period. It was the official journal for British consular notifications and announcements of the Shanghai Municipal Council, and published translations of Chinese official notifications and news from across China.
  • ProQuest Asian Business & Reference
  • Tiananmen Square and U.S.-China Relations, 1989-1993
    This collection offers unique primary source documents relating to the demonstrations and their aftermath: public mail, memoranda, reports, cables, meeting notes, news clippings and much more.

Other English Language Databases

  • Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)
    Access to scholarly materials related to international affairs, including working papers, conference proceedings, journal articles, case studies, and other resources.
  • Congressional Research Reports
    Provides access to research reports on a wide variety of public policy issues prepared by the Congressional Research Service for members of Congress.
  • Declassified Documents Reference System
    Provides access to declassified U.S. government documents drawn from Presidential libraries.
  • Dissertations and Theses Online
    Contains information about doctoral dissertations and master's theses from over 1,000 North American and European universities. Includes citations ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to ones accepted as recently as last semester. Of over 1.5 million titles listed, Proquest offers over a million in full text. For these titles, the citation includes the Proquest order number.
  • EconLit
    Premier source for economic literature in scholarly journals (including book reviews), books, dissertations, and working papers. Covers accounting, capital markets, econometrics, economic forecasting, government regulations, labor economics, monetary theory, urban economics and more. Published by the American Economic Association.
  • Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
    Provides political, economic, and business information on countries. Generally, the best way to use the database is to select country report under My Reports and Services and then select the country from the list that is then displayed.
  • Europa World Plus
    Provides detailed country surveys containing the latest analytical, statistical and directory data available for over 250 countries and territories. This resource also provides analytical essays on the following regions: Africa South of the Sahara Central and South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia, The Far East and Australasia, The Middle East and North Africa, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, South Asia, The USA and Canada, and Western Europe.
  • Factiva
    Source for global news, and business, financial, and company information, providing access to thousands of newspapers and other publications. Stock quotes are also available.
  • FBIS: Foreign Broadcast Information Service Daily Reports (1941-1996)
    The Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) was a United States government operation which translated the text of daily broadcasts, government statements, and select news stories from non-English sources. Succeeded by World News Connection after 1996; scope of coverage may be significantly different.
  • Gallup Analytics
    Contains two sets of polling information: the Gallup Poll Social Series, public opinion surveys on social, economic, and political topics accessible to all users, and the U.S. Tracker and World Poll providing, respectively, U.S. public opinion datasets at the country, state and U.S. city respondent levels, and international public opinion datasets. Note: Dataset access is restricted to GW students, faculty, and staff.
  • Gale's Primary Sources
    Gale Primary Sources is an integrated research environment that allows users to search across all of their Gale primary source collections. Gale Primary Sources takes users beyond a simple search and retrieve workflow, allowing them to analyze content using frequency and term-relationship tools. Through intuitive subject-indexing users will discover new material even in the most familiar of content sets.There are a lot of primary sources related to China studies.
  • Historical Abstracts with Full Text
    Covers the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present, including world history, military history, women's history, history of education, and more. The database indexes more than 1,800 academic historical journals in over 40 languages back to 1955, provides full text for more than 349 journals and more than 120 books.
  • International Political Science Abstracts
    Current indexing and abstracting of the world's leading journals in political science. Simultaneous users: 8
  • International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center
    Full-text periodicals, news, reports, books, and proprietary background information summaries relating to terrorism and security. Combines deep background from scholarly sources with expert commentary from a range of organizations, agencies, and publishers and reviews of recent developments across the international political, military, economic, social, and technical spectrum.
  • Japan Times Digital Archive
    Searchable full-image archive of this English-language newspaper published in Japan from its inception in 1897 through 2018.
  • JPRS (Joint Publications Research Service) Reports
    The Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS) was a translation and publishing service created in the U.S. Commerce Department's Office of Technical Services in 1957 to provide government agencies with translations of unclassified foreign source documents, including scientific and technical reports, scholarly journals, trade and commercial statistics, defense reports, and more. Succeeded by World News Connection in 1996; scope of coverage may be significantly different.
  • JSTOR Security Studies Collection
    JSTOR Security Studies collection gathers academic and policy research on international and national security problems and foreign policy issues, encompassing perspectives from around the world.
  • Korea Times
    One of the oldest English-language newspaper in Korea, with coverage back to the 1950s. The Korea Times is known for its coverage of international business, economic and financial news. It also provides a window into historical and modern politics, society, economy, and culture in Korea and is a good source for researching local, regional and international news from the Korean perspective.
  • Military & Government Collection
    Providing current news pertaining to all branches of the military, this database covers about 400 titles, with the full text of nearly 300 journals and periodicals and 245 pamphlets. Includes CountryWatch's Country Review.
  • National Security Archive (GW)
    An independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University, the Archive collects and publishes declassified documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The Archive also serves as a repository of government records on a wide range of topics pertaining to the national security, foreign, intelligence, and economic policies of the United States.
  • National Security Archive (ProQuest)
    Declassified documents regarding critical U.S. foreign policy decisions organized into 24 thematic collections.
  • Nexis Uni
    Formerly LexisNexis Academic. Access to major newspapers from around the world, as well as: industry and market news; company financial information; general medical topics; accounting, auditing, and tax information; legal news, law reviews, and case law; and the U.S. and state codes. Please use Google Chrome or IE browsers with this database.
  • PAIS Index
    Covers journal articles, books, conference proceedings, and other literature on the full range of political, social, and public policy issues. Also included is information about websites, publications and organizations.
  • Presidential Recordings Digital Edition
    This rich resource features annotated, searchable transcripts of the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon White House tapes. Audio files, as available, accompany the transcripts.
  • ProQuest Congressional Hearings Digital Collection: Part A (1824-1979)
  • ProQuest Congressional Hearings Digital Collection: Part B (1980-2003)
  • ProQuest Congressional Hearings Digital Collection: Part C (2004-2010)
  • Proquest History Vault
    ProQuest History Vault unlocks the wealth of key archival materials with a single search. Researchers can access digitized letters, papers, photographs, scrapbooks, financial records, diaries, and many more primary source materials taken from the University Publications of America (UPA) Collections.
  • ProQuest History Vault
    ProQuest History Vault unlocks the wealth of key archival materials with a single search. Researchers can access digitized letters, papers, photographs, scrapbooks, financial records, diaries, and many more primary source materials taken from the University Publications of America (UPA) Collections. The collections related to China studies include: Office of Strategic Services (OSS)-State Department Intelligence and Research Reports, Part 03: China and India, 1941-1949; Office of Strategic Services (OSS)-State Department Intelligence and Research Reports, Part 09: China and India, Supplement, 1950-1961
  • World News Connection (1995-2013)
    Offers translated and English language news and information compiled from non-United States media sources. Coverage includes political, environmental, scientific, technical, and socioeconomic issues and events. Coverage: 1995-2013. Continued "Foreign Broadcast Information Service Daily Reports," published in print from approx. 1944-1996.
  • Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
    Provides citations to the international periodical literature in political science and its complementary fields.
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