The History of Imperial China

A Research Guide

Endymion Wilkinson

    Preface

    Acknowledgments

    Hanyu pinyin/Wade-Giles Conversion Table

    Part I: Research Hints

    1. Guides and Reference Works

    1.1 Manuals, bibliographic guides, and syllabi
    1.1.1 Chinese
    1.1.2 Japanese
    1.2 Guides to Reference Works
    1.3 Japanese Historical Encyclopaedias

    2. Dictionaries

    3. How to Find Out What Sources Are Available from a Given Period

    4. How to Find Rapidly the Contents of Primary Sources

    5. Where to Find Primary Sources

    5.1 Library Catalogues
    5.1.1 China
    5.1.2 Taiwan
    5.1.3 Japan
    5.1.4 Europe, America, and the Soviet Union
    5.2 Collectanea

    6. How to Locate Places (see 18.6, 18.9)

    7. How to Find Biographical Materials (see 17.5)

    8. How to Convert Dates

    8.1 Years
    8.2 Months
    8.3 Days

    9. Indexes and Concordances

    10. Secondary Sources

    10.1 Comprehensive Bibliographies
    10.2 Bibliographies of Chinese Secondary Sources
    10.3 Main Chinese Journals and How to Locate Them
    10.4 Bibliographies of Japanese Secondary Sources
    10.5 Main Japanese Journals and How to Locate Them
    10.6 Bibliographies of Western Secondary Sources
    10.7 Main Western Journals

    Part II: Traditional Chinese Historical Writing and Main Categories of Primary Sources

    11. Introduction

    11.1 Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Historical Writing
    11.2 Note on Availability of Sources from Different Periods
    11.3 Main Categories of Chinese Historical Sources at a Glance: Glossary-index to Part II

    12. Ancillary Disciplines

    12.1 Historiography
    12.2 Traditional Classification of Primary Sources
    12.3 Textual Criticism

    13. Archaeology and Epigraphy

    13.1 Archaeology
    13.2 Epigraphy
    13.3 Oracle-bone Inscriptions
    13.4 Bronze Inscriptions
    13.5 Stone Inscriptions

    14. Annalistic Sources and Annals Style

    14.1 Introduction
    14.2 Basic Annalistic Sources and Veritable Records
    14.3 Major Works in Annals Style

    15. Topically Arranged Histories

    16. The Standard Histories

    16.1 Introduction
    16.2 Editions
    16.3 Corrections, Supplements, and Studies
    16.3.1 Modern Studies of the Standard Histories as a Whole
    16.3.2 Translations
    16.3.3 Indexes and Concordances to the Standard Histories
    16.4 Studies and Research Aids for Individual Standard Histories
    16.4.1 The First Four Histories
    16.4.2 The Eleven Standard Histories Covering the Years 265-618
    16.4.3 The Later Histories
    16.5 Monographs in the Standard Histories
    16.5.1 Dynastic Bibliographies
    16.5.2 Monographs on Financial Administration
    16.5.3 Monographs on Penal Law
    16.5.4 Monographs on Official Posts and the Examination System

    17. Biographical Writing

    17.1 Commemorative Writings
    17.2 Historical Biographies
    17.3 Chronological Biographies
    17.4 Genealogies and Family Instructions
    17.5 How to Find Biographical Materials
    17.5.1 Modern Biographical Dictionaries, etc.
    17.5.2 Locating Historical Biographies and other Types of Biographical Materials
    17.5.3 Lists of Degree Holders

    18. Historical and Administrative Geography

    18.1 Introduction
    18.2 Historical Geography
    18.3 Maps
    18.4 Administrative Geography
    18.4.1 Early Works
    18.4.2 The Monographs on Administrative Geography in the Standard Histories
    18.4.3 Early Comprehensive Geographical Works
    18.4.4 Comprehensive Gazetteers of the Empire
    18.5 Local Gazetteers
    18.6 How to Find Local Gazetteers
    18.7 Miscellaneous Geographic Works
    18.7.1 Foreign Peoples and Border Areas
    18.7.2 Travel Accounts
    18.7.3 Cities
    18.8 Merchant Manuals and Route Books
    18.9 How to Locate Places

    19. Encyclopaedic Histories of Institutions

    20. Administrative and Penal Law

    20.1 Introduction
    20.2 Pre-Tang Law
    20.3 The Statutes and Compendia of Administrative Law (Tang and post-Tang)
    20.4 Guides and Handbooks for Local Officials and Clerks
    20.5 The Penal Codes (Tang and post-Tang)

    21. Army Administration and Warfare

    21.1 Army Administration
    21.2 Warfare

    22. Collections of Important Documents

    23. Collections of Edicts and Memorials

    23.1 Edicts
    23.2 Memorials

    24. New Documentary Sources

    24.1 Introduction
    24.2 Han documents on Wooden Slips
    24.3 Dunhuang Manuscripts
    24.4 Ming/Qing Archives
    24.4.1 Catalogues
    24.4.2 Early Manchu History, Veritable Records, etc.
    24.4.3 Selections of Published Documents from the Qing Archives
    24.5 Provincial and district archives
    24.6 Private Documents

    25. Works on Agriculture, Technology, and Water Control

    25.1 Agricultural Treatises
    25.2 Technology
    25.3 Water Control

    26. Encyclopaedias

    26.1 Introduction
    26.2 General Encyclopaedias
    26.3 Encyclopaedias for Daily Use

    27. Literary Anthologies and Collected Works

    27.1 Introduction
    27.2 Anthologies
    27.3 Collected Works

    28. Miscellaneous Notes

    29. Confucian Classics and Philosophical Works

    29.1 Confucian Classics
    29.2 Philosophical Works

    30. Buddhist and Taoist Writings

    30.1 Buddhist Writings
    30.2 Taoist Writings

    31. Oral and Popular Traditions

    32. Foreign Writings

    Subject

    Index

    Author-Title Index

  • Cover: The History of Imperial China

Endymion Wilkinson is Head of Delegation and Ambassador to China for the European Commission.