China and the Modern World

China and the Modern World is a series of digital archive collections sourced from preeminent libraries and archives across the world that detail the history of modern China, including The National Archives in the United Kingdom, the Second Historical Archives of China, and the British Library. The series covers a period of nearly 200 years (early 1800s through the 1990s), when China experienced radical and often traumatic transformations from an inward-looking imperial dynasty into a globally engaged republic.

Consisting of monographs, manuscripts, periodicals, correspondence and letters, historical photos, ephemera, and other kinds of historical documents, these collections provide excellent primary source materials through Chinese records and Chinese archives for the understanding and research of the various aspects of China during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, such as diplomacy and international relations, economy and trade, politics, Christianity, sinology, education, science and technology, imperialism, and globalization.

With rare and unique content on subjects like the emperor of the Han dynasty and Ming dynasty, resources on both Ming and Han Chinese culture, revolution, Taiwan, Japan, and the Mongol Empire, this collection provides trustworthy and extensive bibliographic information and technology that fits the needs of today’s researchers who are looking to learn about Chinese history. China and the Modern World is poised to revolutionize research on China and the world in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from the last of the imperial dynasties to the colonial periods.

Expand any collection with these in-depth sources on modern Chinese history, which are primed to contribute to the efforts of researchers everywhere.

Download the latest Asian Studies brochure to review all collections in the series, and download the catalog to get all the details on newly released collections in Gale Primary Sources.

Collections

China and the Modern World: Records of the Maritime Customs Service of China, 1854–1949

This archive provides an excellent primary source collection, mainly in English, for the study of the history of modern China and its relations with the imperial West in the late Qing and Republican periods.

China and the Modern World: Missionary, Sinology, and Literary Periodicals, 1817–1949

This archive is the essential digital primary source collection for researchers of nineteenth- and early twentieth–century China, providing unique, firsthand accounts of the cultural interactions and conflicts that gave rise to today’s modern China.

China and the Modern World: Diplomacy and Political Secrets, 1869–1950

This archive presents a valuable collection of primary source material through Chinese records and Chinese archives carefully selected from the British India Office Records, covering modern Chinese history ranging from Anglo-Chinese relations and the British interests in South Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia from 1869 to 1950. The collection comprises files from three series: the Political and Secret Department Records, the Burma Office Records, and the Records of Military Department.

China and the Modern World: Hong Kong, Britain, and China, Part I: 1841–1951

An essential primary source archive for researching the history of China and the history of Hong Kong in the context of modern China and the British Empire in Asia—from the inception of this British colony in the 1840s to the early 1950s, immediately after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

China and the Modern World: Hong Kong, Britain, and China, Part II: 1965–1993

Digitized primary sources from the records of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO 40), held at The National Archives, UK. This digital archive documents the process of Hong Kong maneuvering, surviving, thriving, and transforming into a modern international metropolis and financial center in the wider context of the Cold War—opening a portal into the history of modern China.

China and the Modern World: Imperial China and the West, Part I: 1815–1881

China and the Modern World: Imperial China and the West, Part I: 1815–1881 is the first part of an archive that provides a vast and significant primary source for researching every aspect of Chinese-British relations during the nineteenth century and comprehending modern Chinese history.

China and the Modern World: Imperial China and the West, Part II: 1865–1905

China and the Modern World: Imperial China and the West, Part II: 1865–1905 is the second part of an archive that provides a vast and significant primary source for researching every aspect of Chinese-British relations during the nineteenth century.

China and the Modern World: Records of Shanghai and the International Settlement, 1836–1955

British Foreign Office files from The National Archives, UK, that are related to the history of Shanghai and the International Settlement, plus a small number of files selected from the records of the British Ministry of Labour, Treasury, and War Office, this collection deciphers and illuminates the International Settlement as the seat of formative events that shaped the history of modern China as it transitioned from an imperial dynasty to a globally engaged republic.

China and the Modern World: Regional China and the West, 1759–1972

A compilation of 39 series of mostly British Foreign Office (FO) files, China and the Modern World: Regional China and the West, 1759–1972 includes general correspondence and registers composed by the British legation in Beijing as well as British consulates based in more than 20 Chinese coastal and inland treaty ports. Also included are the private and semiofficial correspondence of Sir Henry Pottinger, Sir John N. Jordan, and Lord Edmund Hammond as well as the records and photographs of the British concession in Tianjin.

Platform Features & Tools

Term Frequency

Researchers can see the frequency of search terms within sets of content to begin identifying central themes and assessing how individuals, places, events, and ideas interact and develop over time.

Topic Finder

By grouping commonly occurring themes, this tool reveals hidden connections within search terms—helping to shape research by integrating diverse content with relevant information.

Cross-Search Capability

Search across the materials of complementary primary source products, including books, in one united, intuitive environment, enabling innovative new research connections.

Learn more about the Gale Primary Sources Platform »

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