Research guides: Collections and Resources on China: Gazetteers, Maps &amp; Related Sources

Placename dictionaries and reference sources

China Historical GIS - Search Engine (online)
Use this search engine, which is powered by the China Historical Geographic Information System (中国历史地理信息系统), to trace historical data of Chinese placenames.
中國古今地名大辭典 / Zhongguo gu jin di ming da ci dian by 臧勵龢等編. Zang Lihe deng bian (print)
中华人民共和国地名大词典 / Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo di ming da ci dian by 主编崔乃夫. zhu bian Cui Naifu (print)
中国历史地名大辞典　/ 主编　史为乐; 副主编　邓自欣,　朱玲玲.; Zhongguo li shi di ming da ci dian (print))
中国古今地名对照表 / Zhongguo gu jin di ming dui zhao biao by 薛国屏编著 / Xue Guoping (print)
中华人民共和国地名词典 / Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo di ming ci dian(print)
The set contains separate volumes for Hubei sheng湖北省; Hunan sheng 湖南省; Anhui Sheng 安徽省; Fujian sheng 福建省; Jiangsu sheng 江苏省; Gansu sheng 甘肃省; Yunnan sheng 云南省; Shanxi sheng陕西省; Tianjin shi 天津市; Guangdong sheng 广东省; Shandong sheng 山东省; Shanghai shi 上海市; Sichuan sheng 四川省; Beijing shi 北京市; Henan sheng 河南省; Guizhou sheng 贵州省; Taiwan sheng 台湾省; Zhejiang sheng 浙江省; Ningxia Hui zu zi zhi qu 宁夏回族自治区; Jilin sheng 吉林省.
中國歷史地名查詢系統 (台灣中研院史語所) / Chinese Historical Placenames Search
從明至今臺灣與中國各行政區劃的演變資料，提供地名、地圖二種檢索方式，使用者能透過關鍵字迅速搜尋到各行政區劃沿革與相關地圖之資訊。參考文獻主要來自下列數種：第一，正史、實錄及相關史料。第二，地方志。第三，相關參考工具書、專書、地圖集。第四，可靠度較高的網路資料，如各地方政府的官方網站。

Chinese gazetteer e-resources

Chinese gazetteers database / 中國方志庫 (UofT e-resource)
Accessed through 中国基本古籍库 interface. Choose "Ancient Classic" and click "Login". The gazetteer collection could be found in the "初集二集" section.
China Academic Digital Associative Library: Gazetteer / 大学数字图书馆国际合作计划: 地方志 (online)
Registration needed to have limited access to this database as free user. It has a rich collection of old and new Chinese gazetteers which could be read online.
LoGaRT: Local Gazetteers Research Tools (open access)
This is a research software developed by the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, providing a platform for researchers to search, analyze, and collect data from digitized Chinese local gazetteers. Two high-quality collections are accessible via LoGaRT: Rare Local Gazetteers of Harvard-Yenching Library (https://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/research/projects/rare-local-gazetteers-collection) and Erudition’s Zhongguo fangzhi ku (中国方志库). To use this software, click the link provided, and then choose “Click here to access LoGaRT!” Registration is needed.
Ming Gazetteer Images in the UMedia Archive (open access)
This website provides charts and maps of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), collected from historical local gazetteers. The collection results from a digitization project undertaken by the University of Minnesota Library.
臺灣方志 / Chronicles of Taiwan (open access)
This website was developed by Taiwan Institute of Education. It provides free access to many gazetteers of Taiwan counties, cities and towns, etc.
Digital Archive of Chinese Buddhist Temple Gazetteers / 中國佛教寺廟志數位典藏 (open access)
This is the website for the Temple Gazetteer Project at Dharma Drum Buddhist College. The project is funded by the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies. The aim of the project is to tap into this wealth of information in order to deepen our understanding of Chinese Buddhist history. Between 2007 and 2010, 237 gazetteers were digitized and are distributed on this website. Of these 13 gazetteers were digitized as full-text archives and marked up with TEI/XML, identifying all persons and place names as well as dates. A print edition of these enhanced versions is under preparation.
中国地方历史文献数据库 (online)
This database, developed by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press, collects local archives from Huizhou (Anhui Province) 徽州文书 and Shicang (Zhejiang Province) 石仓文书. The local documents collected include contracts, account books, correspondence, legal documents, genealogy, material medica, daily-use compendia, and so on. UofT current has not subscribed this e-resource, but the index might be reference sources of interest to researchers.

Catalogue & bibliographies

Online Union Catalogue of Chinese Local Gazetteers (中國大陸各省地方志書目查詢系統)
This database, developed and maintained by the Academia Sinica of Taiwan, is an important tool to look for bibliographic and holdings information for Chinese Local Gazetteers. The database is based on the Union Catalogue of Chinese Local Gazetteers on the Union Catalogue of Chinese Local Gazetteers (中國地方志聯合目錄, https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991105928964806196) published in 1985 by the Academy of Sciences in mainland China.
中國地方志總目提要 (1949-1999) / 主編　金恩輝, 胡述兆. Zhongguo di fang zhi zong mu ti yao (1949-1999) (print)
中国新编地方志总目提要 = Zhongguo xinbian difangzhi zongmu tiyao / 《中国新编地方志总目提要》编纂委员会编. Zhongguo xin bian di fang zhi zong mu ti yao = Zhongguo xinbian difangzhi zongmu tiyao (print)
A Catalog of Post-1949 Chinese Local Histories at UCLA = 洛杉機加州大學魯德福東亞圖書館藏中國新方志目錄 / compiled by Amy Ching-Fen Tsiang in collaboration with Hong Cheng (print)
地方經籍志彙編 / [賈貴榮, 杜澤遜輯].; Di fang jing ji zhi hui bian (print)
This collection has more than 50 bibliographies and catalogues, listing more than 50,000 titles of classic works written by Chinese local literati.

EAL: historical gazetteer reprints

中國佛寺志叢刋
中國佛寺志叢刋續編
中國地方志歷史文獻專輯. 災異志
中國地方志歷史文獻專輯. 金石志
中國地方志集成
中國方志叢書
"Zhongguo fang zhi cong shu" is a huge set of old Chinese local gazetteers published by Cheng Wen Press at Taipei. You can browse the set by geographical names that appear under the Subject category under "Refine Your Search" to the left of the list.
中國稀見地方史料集成
中國西藏及甘青川滇藏区方志彙編
天一閣藏明代方志選刊
宋元方志人物傳記資料叢刊
新修方志叢刊
日本藏中國罕見地方志叢刊
日本藏中國罕見地方志叢刊續編
明代孤本方志選
明代方志選
清代孤本方志選
臺灣方志彙刊
宋元方志人物傳記資料叢刊
地方志人物傳記資料叢刊
The set has separate volumes for 東北卷; 西北卷; 華北卷; 華東卷 (上編).

Historical geography

China Historical Geographic Information System (CHGIS) / 中国历史地理信息系统 (open access)
CHGIS is an open access database of placenames and historical administrative units for the Chinese Dynasties developed by Harvard University. It provides a base GIS platform for researchers to use in spatial analysis or to visualize the historical divisions of China as digital maps. Included datasets (Time Slice, Time Series, and Digital Elevation Model basemap) must be opened with GIS software such as ESRI ArcGIS (paid license, https://www.arcgis.com/index.html) or QGIS (free and downloadable at https://qgis.org/en/site/).
China In Time And Space (CITAS) / 中國時空 (open access)
A project initiated by William Lavely to create and maintain databases of spatially and temporally referenced data on China, providing access to a wealth of contemporary and historical information on China. It utilizes geographic information system (GIS) technology to integrate tabular and vectorized map data. One project goal is the capability of reconstructing Chinese administrative geography for specific historical dates, and the ability to compare spatial data at two points in time, whether over years or over centuries.
G. William Skinner: Regional Systems Analysis (online)
This is a scholarly web source on spatial analyses of regional systems in contemporary China as well as early modern Japan and France, organized by the G.W. Skinner Research Team of the Department of Anthropology, University of California. In the societies, under analysis, the analysis model provides a useful framework for explaining the spatial variation in many demographic and ecological phenomena.
Chinese Civilization in Time and Space / 中華文明之時空基礎架構 (open access)
This online system aims to construct an integrated GIS-based application infrastructure within the spatial extent of China, in the timeframe of Chinese history, and with the contents of Chinese civilization. This system consists of three major components: basic geospatial materials, WebGIS integrated application environment and thematic information. The fundamental base maps are based on Tan Qixiang’s The Historical Atlas of China. Furthermore, various historical atlas and remote sensing imagery are persistently geo-referenced and overlaid into the system to broaden the spatial and temporal scope.
中国历史大辞典. 历史地理　/ [中国历史大辞典・历史地理卷　编纂委员会　编].; Zhongguo li shi da ci dian. Li shi di li (print)
中华大典. 历史地理典 (print)
The set includes 3 volumes: 域外分典; 总论分典; 政区分典.
中国行政区划通史 / Zhongguo xing zheng qu hua tong shi by 周振鹤主编 / Zhou Zhenhe (print)
This series, published by Fudan University Press between 2007 and 2016, is the most comprehensive studies on the historical change of administrative divisions in China before 1949. It also contains multiple historical maps aiding Tan Qixiang’s The Historical Atlas of China.
唐代交通圖考 / 嚴耕望撰 (print)
This title focuses on the study of traffic and geography during the Tang dynasty, and provides rich information about the courier route together with geography and historical sites along the way. It also contains detailed maps assisting research on the history of Medieval China.

Maps (print)

中國歷史地圖集 = The historical atlas of China / 主編譚其驤 (print)
This is the most widely used set of atlas in Chinese language and is considered the most authoritative compendium of premodern place names and administrative boundaries. It covers Chinese history over the past 2000 years, from the ancient time to Qing dynasty.
简明中国历史地图集 / Concise historical atlas of China / sponsored by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; chief editor Prof. Tan Qixiang. 谭其骧主编 (print)
中国古代地图集 / 曹婉如 [et al.] 编 = An Atlas of ancient maps in China / edited by Cao Wanru [et al.] (print)
大清一統輿圖 / Da Qing yi tong yu tu by Michel Benoist (print)
Li dai yu di tu / 歷代輿地圖, Yang Shoujing 楊守敬, & Xiong Huizhen 熊會貞 (print)
Cultural Atlas of China. Elvin, Mark, & Caroline Blunden. Oxford: Equinox Book, 1983 (print)
Historical and Commercial Atlas of China. Herrmann, Albert.Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1935 (print)
An Historical Atlas of China. Herrmann, Albert. Edingburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1966 (print)

Maps (online resources)

Library of Congress Library Chinese Maps Collection (oipen access)
The Library of Congress has a rich collection of maps from China, dated from 1500 to the present. Part of them have been digitized and could be viewed online.
Atlas of Mutual Heritage (open access)
This is a database of information related to the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company. It provides 148 images of Chinese maps.
Asian Maps Collection (open access)
A collection made by the University of Southern California. Some valuable old Chinese maps have been digitized and made available online.
中央研究院--地圖數位典藏查詢系統 (open access)
A project developed by the Academia Sinica. It contains multiple Chinese maps dated before 1949, including maps held in the Academy of Science, Japan. It is based on the book 近史所檔案館藏中外地圖目錄彙編. All maps can be viewed online.
Antique Maps of China (open access)
The maps included are from the Special Collections of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Library. This collection has more than 230 maps, charts, pictures, books, and atlases. Most of them were produced by European cartographers from the 16th to 19th centuries.
東洋文庫画像データベース中華帝国図等 (open access)
A digitized collection of rare maps of China that were acquired by the Toyo Bunko in 1917.
Historical and Commercial Atlas of China / 中国历史地图 (open access)
The sources come from Albert Herrmann’s Historical and Commercial Atlas of China, published in 1935. Included are maps of prehistoric sites, Zhou through Qing dynasties, maps of capital cities, and maps of commercial activities.
Virtual Shanghai: Maps Collection (open access)
A project focused on Shanghai historical photographs, as a collaborative project between the Institut d’Asie Orientale (CNRS-University of Lyon) and the Center for Chinese Studies of UC Berkeley. It has 758 Shanghai related maps.
Reading Digital Atlas / 數位方與 (open access)
A digital project undertaken by Academia Sinica to digitize and exhibit online a collection of historical Chinese maps sourced from the Library of Congress (US) and the British Library (UK).

* This page is last updated in June 2021. Special thanks to Ruoyang Weng, GSLA of the East Asian Library, who has helped to put together and organize the resources.

Research Guides

Collections and Resources on China

Placename dictionaries and reference sources

Chinese gazetteer e-resources

Catalogue & bibliographies

EAL: historical gazetteer reprints

Historical geography

Maps (print)

Maps (online resources)

Library links

Libraries

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