Reference works provide background information on important people, events, concepts, and topics central to a particular field of study—in this case Chinese Studies. Below, you will find a variety of encyclopedias, handbooks, biographical dictionaries, and other research aids. Wikipedia is an accessible and very useful resource, but it is just one of many encyclopedic resources. The reference works listed below can help you quickly gain background knowledge you need for your Chinese Studies research project. And if you are still looking for a research topic, these resources can introduce you to research ideas you might never consider on your own.
Looking at the table of contents or index of an Encyclopedia can spark a research idea. They also help you learn the basic facts about a significant event, person, concept, or topic.
Chinese History: A New Manual by 
Encyclopedia of Modern China, David Pong (ed.). 4 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, 2009. Ebook.
Accessing and searching this encyclopedia is a bit tricky. Follow these instructions:
(1) Click the link provided above, this will take you to Gale E-books "Advanced Search."
(2) Change search criteria from "Keywords" to "Publication Title" enter "Encyclopedia of Modern China."
(3) Click on the publication title link "Encyclopedia of Modern China" that appears in any entry that you see; this will take you to a search page for this 4 vol. work.
(4) Enter search terms in the box at the right of the screen that reads "Search within this publication." You can also click on the link "List of Topics" at the left side of the screen to browse a list of individual entries.
Berkshire Encyclopedia of China (5 vols.)
Brill's Encyclopedia of China
Encyclopedia of Chinese-American Relations by 
Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture by 
China Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the People's Republic by 
Encyclopedia of Modern Asia (6 vols.) by 
Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania
The Columbia Guide to Modern Chinese History by Chinese Encyclopedia
Zhongguo dabaike quanshu 中国大百科全书 Two copies. Location: Level 4, Asian Reference and in the regular Asian Collection.
Routledge Handbook of Chinese Culture and Society by 
The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Studies by 
Routledge Handbook of the Chinese Diaspora by 
Understanding Contemporary China by 
A Biographical Dictionary of the Qin, Former Han and Xin Periods, 221 BC - AD 24 by 
A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23-220 AD) by 
Historical Dictionary of Medieval China by 
Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1368-1644 by 
Eminent Chinese of the Ch'Ing Period, 1644-1912 by 
Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Qing to 20th Century (1644–2000) by 
Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity through Sui (1200 BC–AD 618) by 
Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography by History of Contemporary Chinese Art 1949 to the Present (2020) by Zhou Yan. eBook.
Includes the following chapters:
Research Quick Start Guides
Detailed information on each part of the research process. Picking a topic
Descriptions and links to resources to help you do your research.
Excellent, quick modules that make sense of what you need to do to be successful in your research.
Trained consultants help you in any part of the research and writing process - for free!
For your Chinese to English, English to Chinese, and Chinese to Chinese dictionary needs, I recommend that you download the Pleco App to your device. There are many excellent features and dictionaries that can be purchased within the App.
Oxford English-Chinese & Chinese-English Dictionary
You may need to login with your BYU NetID. When prompted, select "Chinese" from among the dictionary choices.
ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary by Comprehensive Dictionaries (Multiple Volumes)
Hanyu da cidian 汉语大词典 (Comprehensive Dictionary of Chinese Words)
Asian Reference PL 1420 .H26 1987 (12 vols.)
Hanyu da zidian 汉语大字典 (Comprehensive Dictionary of Chinese Characters)
Asian Reference PL 1420 .H26 1986 (10 vols.)
Dai Kanwa jiten 大漢和辞典 (Morohashi) Definitions in Japanese
Asian Reference PL 681.C5 M6 1966 (13 vols).
Zhongwen da cidian 中文大辭典 (Comprehensive Chinese Dictionary)
Asian Reference PL 1420 .C57 (40 vols).
Asian Reference PL 1420 .T86 1979 (3 vols.)
The State of China Atlas by 
The State of China Atlas by Digital Collections for Chinese Studies Over 100 collections of digitized materials with collection locations mapped to an interactive map. You can search for institutions with collections by clicking on a location. There are also many ways to limit search criteria. Organized and maintained by George Washington University under the leadership of Yan He. To suggest a collection to add see this site.
