Chinese Culture

Libraries

Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library
Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library is the second highest rated source on the Internet for Asian studies and for good reason. Although designed for fast transmission speed instead of fancy looks, the library offers a wide range of current information about Asia, including this country-specific library on China:

The China WWW Virtual Library
The China WWW Virtual Library is part of the Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library and is the Internet Guide for Chinese Studies (IGCS) hosted by the Institute of Chinese Studies at Heidelberg University. The IGCS allows general searches of its database and is organized by subject categories, such as Philosophy and Religion, each with a host of rated listings (one to four stars). Those marked "essential" within each subject category are a very good place to begin your search for on-line sources.

Country Profiles

China Profile
China Profile: Facts, Figures, and Analyses, developed by Gerhard K. Heilig, offers numerous tables, figures, animations, and maps that provide insight into China's economic, social and political development, including a short analysis or interpretation for each. The website also provides a detailed bibliography on contemporary Chinese studies with almost 1,000 references. There is also a chronology of key events since 1949 organized into a time-line.

A Country Study: China
A Country Study: China published by the Library of Congress (call number: DS706 .C489 1988) is a general encyclopedic study of China, including chapters by separate authors on these subjects: China's Historical Setting (from ancient history to 1982), Physical Environment and Population, Social System, Education and Culture, Economic Context, Agriculture, Industry, Trade and Transportation, Science and Technology, Party and Government, Political Process, Foreign Relations, Criminal Justice and Public Security, and National Defense. The site allows for general searches within the individual country study. The country profile section of this study includes an updated section available in PDF.

Wikipedia: China
China is often blocked in China. Please see FAQ on how to access.

History

A Visual Sourcebook for Chinese Civlization
A Visual Sourcebook for Chinese Civlization by Professor Patricia Buckley Ebrey, University of Washington

Internet East Asian History Sourcebook
Internet East Asian History Sourcebook by Paul Halsall

China Knowledge
China Knowledge by Ulrich Theobald

Sino-Japanese Relations

Throwing Off Asia
Throwing Off Asia is hosted by the Visualizing Cultures of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It includes digital copies of Japanese woodblock prints circulated for propaganda during the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) now held in the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The images are discussed in context of Japan's agenda of industrialization, expansion and "Westernization" in the mid-nineteenth century.

General

China the Beautiful
China the Beautiful by Dr. Ming L. Pei

Local

Lingyin Monastery

Hangzhou Tour

Hangzhou Government

Maps

Hangzhou Government 3-D Map of Hangzhou
Hangzhou Government 3-D Map of Hangzhou

This site is in Chinese only. Try exploring the sites of the West Lake District by clicking on the yellow administrative area on the main map labeled 西湖风景区块(Xihu fengjing qukuai). The default view is at Xihu Tiandi on Nanshan Road. Hold the cursor over the directional arrows at the bottom of the interface to navigate around any view in eight directions and change the view by using the crosshairs in the inset map or clicking on the yellow directional arrows at the extent of any view. Click on any feature on the map to display an image to the left of the view and click on any camera icon to pop-up a panoramic movie taken at each vista.

E-Dushi
E-Dushi (meaning E-Metropolis) is a Chinese language website with excellent and comprehensive 3-D interactive maps of Hangzhou, Shanghai and several other cities. The default view of the Hangzhou map is Wulin Square downtown and for the Shanghai map is Pudong, in the vicinity of Jinmao Tower. The map interface includes tools for dragging, zooming, and you can click on most buildings for its address, phone number, connecting bus routes, and other useful information contributed by users. There are also numerous thematic maps, including those for free parking spaces in Hangzhou, popular street kebab locations, and even a map of where to watch out for pickpockets.

Virtual Shanghai
Virtual Shanghai: Shanghai Urban Space in Time is a research and resource platform on the history of Shanghai from the mid-nineteenth century to present, incorporating different types of data sets, including essays, original documents, photographs, and maps, to present and access a history of the city through NTIC and GIS technologies. The editor is Christian Henriot.

Back to Online Resources