Types of Historical Records

Imperial Records

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Veritable Records (实录)

- Dynasty histories - Court chronicles - Official events #

Imperial Gazetteers (地方志)

- Province histories - County records - Local information

Genealogical Records

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Zongpu (宗谱)

- Clan genealogies - Complete lineages - Family histories #

Jiapu (家谱)

- Family records - Household lists - Marriage records

Administrative Records

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Household Registers (户口)

- Population records - Tax documents - Migration records #

Census Data

- Population counts - Family surveys - Regional data

Key Historical Documents

Biography (传)

- Life stories - Achievements - Family background

Monument Inscriptions (碑)

- Tomb records - Memorial stones - Commemorative texts

Testaments (遗嘱)

- Estate division - Property distribution - Final wishes

Finding Records

Archives

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National Archives

- 中国第一历史档案馆 (Beijing) - 中国第二历史档案馆 (Nanjing) #

Provincial Archives

- Each province has archives - Local records - County documents

Libraries

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Major Libraries

- National Library of China - Provincial libraries - University libraries #

Special Collections

- Genealogy sections - Local history - Rare books

Online Resources

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Digital Archives

- 中国国家数字图书馆 - Provincial digital libraries - University repositories #

Commercial Sites

- Ancestry - MyHeritage - FamilySearch

Reading Historical Documents

Classical Chinese

Understanding old documents: - Literary Chinese - Abbreviated forms - Traditional characters

Character Variations

Historical vs modern: - Simplified vs traditional - Variant forms - Regional differences

Professional Help

When to hire help: - Translation needs - Complex documents - Uncertain meaning