China Comprehensive Gazetteers

With China Comprehensive Gazetteers (CCG), East View provides unprecedented access to a historically significant collection of difangzhi (地方志). CCG is the largest and most authoritative assembly of these unique primary sources on Chinese history. The source of the original materials is the collection at the National Library of China, whose holdings are extensive and often unique.

East View’s CCG database presents a vast collection of difangzhi spanning eight centuries (1229-1949). CCG offers an unparalleled look at China through a comprehensive collection of more than 6,500 titles spanning all of China’s regions and covering vast historical periods, from the Northern Sung Dynasty up to the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. CCG is perhaps the richest single resource available for researching China in multiple aspects, including its political history, literature, minorities, and religion, as well as the biographies of famous personages, its culture, economic development and, of course, its geography and natural history. More than just local gazetteers, CCG also includes source materials, dictionaries, specialized works on topography, palaces, gardens, travel and even foreign travel.

China has a long history of chronicling events, facts, and individuals specific to a location. Known as difangzhi, or gazetteers, these are a genre highly specific to China and span thousands of years.

Historically, difangzhi were written by noted officials and literati from the area. The writing is thorough and inclusive, spanning all administrative units from provinces and cities to prefectures and towns.

Difangzhi may be regarded as detailed encyclopedias of every local region in China covering every conceivable topic: history, geography, economics, politics, culture, social sciences, minorities, military, institutions, religion, art and architecture, archaeology, and more of China and neighboring countries. Even science and natural disasters are recorded chronologically. Trade, local products, scenic sights, ethnic minorities, and natural resources round out the picture in many titles, and illustrations and maps enhance facts stated.