Our subscription to the China Local Gazetteers database has been activated. Here is the bibliographic record:  http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn5751501 . It is available for remote access. Log in using the National Library card number and user's last name to start research. Please be aware, to get offsite access, users need a library card. Registration is available to anyone who resides in Australia, free of charge. Please see our 'Get a Library Card' page www.nla.gov.au/getalibrarycard  for more information.

Local gazetteers (地方志) “embrace all types of information concerning the historical, geographical, economic, administrative, biographical, touristic, etc., aspects of a locality in China. Local gazetteers are usually subdivided into provincial gazetteers (通志), prefectural gazetteers (府志), and district gazetteers (县志). The provincial gazetteers were usually compiled by summarizing the information in the prefectural gazetteers which were, in turn, abridged from previous editions and form the individual district gazetteers”. (--- Harriet T. Zurndorfer, China bibliography: a research guide to reference works about China past and present, Leiden; New York : E.J. Brill, 1995.)

The online ‘China local gazetteers’ currently contains over 20,000 volumes of Chinese chorographic books, covering 31 provinces and autonomous regions. The coverage starts from 1949. The database provides detailed geographic and historical records of provinces, prefectures, cities, and smaller district administration units. The contents cover historical as well as contemporary facts related to the geographical areas, concerning general surveys, economy, public finance, governance, public security, urban and rural development, agriculture, industry, transportation, business, natural science, social science, education, culture and sports, public health, etc.  

If academics and researchers have any specific research needs or enquiries, please contact the Chinese Unit of the National Library. We are more than happy to provide them with assistance.

Our contact details:
Ms Di Pin Ouyang [歐陽迪頻]
Phone: 02 6262 1613
Fax: 02 6273 4327
Email: chinese@nla.gov.au
Web: www.nla.gov.au/asian/chinese