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Useful Websites

This page lists useful non-library and non-archival websites for research. When adding a new entry, please provide the name of the website and link, as well as a brief annotation on what it contains as related to research sources.

China Vitae
Contains biographical information on many leading figures in the PRC.

The Chinese Foreign Policy Database (Wilson Center)
Relatively new and being updated semi-regularly with new materials. Contains translations of archival documents per agreements between the Wilson Center and certain Chinese archives. See also Chinese Foreign Policy Database by Charles Kraus (July 2015) for more information.

Chinese Propaganda Posters (Stefan Landsberger)
Description from the site: “This website aims to present Chinese propaganda posters through virtual exhibitions, theme presentations and a web-database. It also provides additional information in the form of biographical notes of poster artists, resources, etc. chineseposters.net is a work in progress, continually growing to become a true showcase for one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of poster propaganda, and a visual chronicle of the history of modern China. Most posters featured on this website are from the collections of Stefan Landsberger and the International Institute of Social History (IISH, Amsterdam, Netherlands), currently numbering over 5,000 pieces. A growing number of posters from an anonymous private collection of over 600 pieces are being included as well.”

Digital Archive for Chinese Studies (Heidelberg University)

Everyday Life in Mao's China
Loads of photos especially from the 1950s-1970s. Description from the site: “This website is dedicated to photos and paintings of everyday life in China from roughly the 1930s to the 1980s. I have chosen this broader time-frame in order to encompass China’s transition both into and out of socialism. I try to cover as many different aspects of life during this time period as possible.”

Kongfz.com 孔夫子旧书网
An online website where one can purchase books, handbooks, and other related items from the Mao years. Many of the sellers or shops will respond to email or, if you are in China and give them your mobile number, will call you. Some of them have related items they are also keen to tell you about in the off-chance you want to buy more. Items offered range in price from a few kuai to thousands. However, items can only be mailed within mainland China and purchased through a Chinese bank account. If you're not in China, this means that you need someone else to ship the items to, and possibly also to pay for your items. If you're in China or will be, set up an exclusively online bank account and regularly deposit money into it, then pay for everything through that account. One can also take money to a local bank branch and transfer directly into the seller's account, but this can be cumbersome given the often horrendous waiting times to see a teller. See also On the Joys of Online Book Shopping by Maggie Greene (The China Beat, February 2011), which provides a detailed description on how to use the site.

Mao Era in Objects
Essays providing historical context on different kinds of materials found during the Mao era. From the website: “Each object biography includes an essay written by a leading academic who has experience working with this object. Essays introduce and contextualise the object's history and show how it shaped politics, culture, economy, society or everyday life during this tumultuous time.”

Mao's Third Front
Images and oral histories related to the Third Front.

年谱/年编/传记 (CCCPC Party Literature Research Office)
Contains eBook versions of 年谱, 年编, and 传记 for major Chinese leaders. The books are full text searchable by keyword. Note: the site can be slow when accessed from outside so China, so when choosing the eBook from the results be prepared to wait several minutes for the page to load up.

Peking Review
Entire issues of Peking Review, most available in searchable PDF format. From the site: “All the entire issues for the period of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution are now posted, and all the issues for 1959 through 1962 and for the entire 19-year period from 1964 through 1982 are now posted.” There is also a work-in-progress subject index available.

PRCHistory.org - Electronic Journals Archive
The contents of three journals that publish Chinese research. Descriptions on these journals from the website: “Remembrance, edited by Wu Di, publishes academic research, especially related to the Cultural Revolution; Yesterday, edited by He Shu (former co-editor of Remembrance with Wu Di), publishes academic research and resources, especially related to the Cultural Revolution; Night Rains on Mount Ba, edited by a group of so-called Rightists and their children, publishes an eclectic collection of memoirs, archival documents, excerpts from diaries and letters, poetry, and more.”

Reading the China Dream (David Ownby, Timothy Cheek, Joshua Fogel)
Ongoing, collaborative translations of contemporary intellectuals in China. From the website: “This web site is devoted to the subject of intellectual life in contemporary China, and more particularly to the writings of establishment intellectuals. What you will find here are essentially translations of Chinese texts that we consider important, together with discussions of related issues and a number of reference tools that can help those interested to navigate the project.”

Social History of China, 1949–1979 (Lund University)
Sources and annotated resources concerning the Social History of China (1949-1979).

中共国史料
A relatively new blog, connected to this Twitter account, featuring a random collection of archival documents (including original PDFs) from the 1950s and 1960s. Frequently updated. Use the keyword search textbox in the upper left corner to search through all the postings.

usefulwebsites.txt · Last modified: 2021/09/29 11:23 by spieragastini