I recently published a piece in Guangdong Social Science discussing the need to create a community and develop infrastructure for researchers building Chinese historical databases. The quantitative study of Chinese history is entering a new era characterized by the construction and release of large, general purpose databases. This is an evolution from the earlier era of smaller databases constructed specifically for single studies. This transition requires building networks of researchers who construct and use these databases, training sessions, standards for documentation and release of data, and other public goods.
The article is available here via Overseas CNKI.The text is also available via a Weixin post.
康文林 (Cameron Campbell). 2025. 构建中国量化历史数据库学术共同体 (Building a Community for Chinese Quantitative Historical Databases). 广东社会科学 (Guangdong Social Science). 2025(1):150-156