Research Guides: Guide to Primary Sources: Asia

Links to Collections

East Asia

East Asia History Sourcebook
Subject listing of documents from East Asian history. Includes cultural origins; religious traditions; imperial China; western intrusion; Japan as a world power; and more. From Fordham University.
Mongols in World History
Images, timelines, maps, and other sources on the role of the Mongols in world history. From Columbia University.
Library of Congress World Digital Library
Cultural heritage materials gathered during the World Digital Library (WDL) project, including thousands of items contributed by UNESCO partner organizations worldwide as well as content from Library of Congress collections.

China

Chinese Newspapers Collection (1832 - 1953)
22 historical newspapers published in Beijing & Shanghai from 1832 to 1953. Most titles are in English.
Titles included are:
North China Herald (1850-1941)
Canton Times (1919-1920)
China Critic (1939-1946)
The China Press (1925-1938)
China Weekly Review (1917-1953)
Chinese Recorder (1868-1940)
Chinese Repository (1832-1851)
Peking Daily News (1914-1917)
Peking Gazette (1915-1917)
Peking Leader (1918-1919
Shanghai Gazette (1919-1921)
Shanghai Times (1914-1921)

Chinese Cultural Revolution Posters
Collection of posters relating to the Chinese Cultural Revolution. From the University of California San Diego.

Japan

National Diet Library, Japan
Amazing resources and digitized collections, many available in English.
Modern Japan in Archives
Political history from the opening of the country to post-war. From the National Diet Library Japan.

Koreas

Korea Times‎ (1956 - 2016)
English language Korean newspaper published daily.
Detailed explanation of ProQuest Historical Newspapers. *We own most but not all of the titles listed on the Guide.*

North Korean Propaganda Posters
Reproductions of North Korean propaganda posters, dating from 1985-2002. From the University of California San Diego.

South Asia

Indian Princely States Online Legal History Archive
Documents on the Indian Princely States during British colonial rule, focusing on their legal and administrative history.
South Asia Open Archives (SAOA)
Historical and contemporary sources from and about South Asia in the arts, humanities, social sciences, history of science, and other fields, in English and other South Asian languages.
Social, Political, and Economic History in the South Asia Open Archives
Primary and secondary sources reflecting the economic, social life, and social structures of South Asia, including popular culture, periodicals and newspapers, gazetteers, government documents and official publications such as census reports, legislative and administrative reports, and statistical reports on trade.
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This collection is part of South Asia Open Archives (SAOA).

Recommended Open Web Sources

These resources are not focused on Asia but may have English language materials related to Asian countries and events.

Ad*Access
Free database of historical Advertising Images (1911-1955) from Duke University
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
Digitized American newspapers, 1789 - 1963. From the Library of Congress.
Digital Public Library of America
Millions of photographs, manuscripts, books, sounds, moving images, and more from libraries, archives, and museums around the United States. Each record links to the original object on the content provider’s website.
Google News Archives
Historical newspaper archives that goes back to about 1880. Google creates a time-line of results from each decade. Includes free and fee-based content - check our library resources before paying for articles.
Moving Image Archive from the Internet Archive
Includes television news broadcasts, historical film clips, alternative news broadcasts, classic full-length films, cartoons, and concerts.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Catalog
Photographs, fine and popular prints and drawings, posters, and architectural and engineering drawings from Library of Congress collections. While international in scope, the collections are rich in materials produced in, or documenting the history of, the United States and the lives, interests and achievements of the American people.
Life Magazine via Google
Magazine know for excellent photography. Digitized issues back to 1935
Moving Image Research Collections
Collection of films and videos produced outside the American feature film industry, including news film, home movies, and civil rights movement film footage.
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Main collecting areas: the Chinese Film Collection, Newsfilm Collections, Regional Film Collections, Science and Nature Films and Military Films Collections. Materials include local television news and commercials, home movies, cinemicroscopy nature films, and fiction and documentary films from the People's Republic of China.
From the University of South Carolina.
Papers Past: National Library of New Zealand
New Zealand newspapers and periodicals published between 1839 and 2015.
New York Public Library Digital Collections
Prints, photographs, manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints, illustrated books, printed ephemera, streaming video, and more from the New York Public Library Collections.
UNZ Review Alternative Media
Alternative media outside the mainstream media over the last 150 years in England & America. Incomplete coverage; lots of interesting articles.
Vanderbilt Television News Archive
Extensive archive of television news, 1968-present. Useful to see what was in the news--video clips not available online.