CBDB Online Interface User Guide

1. Introduction

1.1 Data Coverage

The development of CBDB is a joint project of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University, the Institute of History and Philology of Academia Sinica, and the Center for Research on Ancient Chinese History at Peking University. The original database system, designed by the late Robert Hartwell (1932-1996) of the University of Pennsylvania, was intended to analyze the composition of Song dynasty (960-1279) elites. He willed the database to the Harvard-Yenching Institute. Michael Fuller subsequently designed the current database structure.

The structure of this database differs from the conventional repository of digitized historical sources. Biographical data from each historical figure are extracted, collated, categorized, and evaluated for accuracy for the purpose of conducting prosopographical, spatial, and social network analysis. CBDB is not a biographical dictionary in digital form, but a relational database containing multiple tables for producing dynamic query outputs.

CBDB may be used as a reference database with advanced search functions, or as a tool for producing query outputs for statistical, network, and spatial analysis of Chinese history. Users will find duplications, mistakes, and inconsistencies. Nevertheless, the database as a whole is a reliable sampling of China’s political elite from Tang through Qing.

As of January 2011, the database contained 100,000 figures with 70,000 more in preparation. Over ninety percent of CBDB data pertains to the period from the Tang dynasty (618-907) into the early twentieth century.

1.2 Link

for more information on the project and to download the stand-alone MS Access database.

2. Overview of Features

2.1 Faceted Query

The CBDB online interface has five faceted query interfaces: search by name, search by address, search by office, keyword search, and advanced search. In a faceted query each subsequent search takes place within the results of the previous search. Thus you are narrowing search results according to the specified parameters. Those parameters can be controlled on the left panel of the search interface.

The shortcoming of faceted search is that you may not be aware of the constraints on subsequent searches. We recommend that you restart CBDB online if you wish to clear all previous selections.

2.1.1 Search by Name

Search by Name allows you to identify an individual or retrieve a list of individuals that share basic biographical attributes. By default, the query includes everyone in the database, and the list is refined according to the manipulation of parameter values on the left column. Read about “faceted search” in the CBDB Online Interface User Guide

Examples
The most common usage of this interface is to isolate and identify a single individual by keyword search of name. If you search for Wang Anshi in pinyin, that query should return a single record (as of February 2011) corresponding to Wang Anshi 王安石 in the eleventh century.

If the individual is only known by a part of a given name, adjusting the temporal range helps narrow the list of search results. For example, occurs commonly as part of a name (463 records as of February 2011), but delimiting the query to the Tang dynasty should narrow the search results to 5 records. Navigate to Dynastic Period and specify Tang from the dropdown list. Wang Wei 王維, whom we had in mind, appears in record #5.

Another possible use is to retrieve a list of individuals who share a surname. A search for the surname 獨孤 returns 55 records. This list can be refined so that it displayed those active only during the Northern Wei (5 records) or only during the Tang (32 records).

Click on the name of any person and the data in their CBDB file will be displayed.

NOTE: use “v” for “ü”. For example, enter lü 呂 as lv.

2.1.2 Search by Address

Search by Address allows you to retrieve a list of individuals by their associated addresses.

Does not query addresses of official appointments. To search appointments by location use the Search by Office interface.

Examples
To search for every individual in the database who was from Hangzhou, click on and run a keyword query with the term Hangzhou. At present places are listed by dynasty. In order to retrieve a list of individuals from Hangzhou in Song and Ming, you must select Hangzhou under Song and also select Hangzhou under Ming.

2.1.3 Search by Office

Search by Office allows you to retrieve a list of individuals on the basis of information pertaining to their official career. The query parameters include the mode of entry into office (examination, recommendation, etc.); office title by class and category, address of appointment (for local office), and year ranges for appointments.

NOTE: Because dates of appointments are often lacking for earlier periods entering year ranges may limit results.

Examples
Obtain a list of officials who entered officialdom via the yin privilege and served as local officials in Song-dynasty Kaifeng at one point of their official career. Navigate to Mode of Entry into Office and select Yin Privilege. This should result 1591 records (as of February 2011). Then, navigate to Address of Official Appointment and under Song dynasty select Kaifeng (this will include two entries). The results should now be refined to 13 records.

2.1.4 Keyword Search

Keyword Search allows you to retrieve a list of individuals based on Chinese or English terms used in the CBDB code table through the specified data fields. Code tables can be viewed through other search tabs or by looking at code tables in the downloadable MS Access version of the database.

Examples
1) Run a keyword search for physician on the field social distinction. This search retrieves every individual who was known as a physician at some point of their life. This list can be delimited by a temporal range, either by index year or years in office.

2) Run a keyword search for 孟子 on the field writings. This search retrieves every individual whose corpus includes 孟子 in the title. This list also can be delimited by a temporal range, either by index year or years in office.

2.1.5 Advanced Search

Advanced Search allows you to retrieve a list of individuals based on an extended set of parameters. Use this interface to run queries that cannot be done with other simpler interfaces. Read about “faceted search” in the CBDB Online Interface User Guide.

Sample Query
Retrieve a list of jinshi degree holders who passed the examination in the Southern Song dynasty. Navigate to Type of Entry, click on and expand the category Examination. Choose Examination: jinshi (general) and examination: jinshi (regular). The parameter should now be updated. Now specify 1127 and 1279 as Years of Entry. Click on on the top right corner of the left column to update the results. This query should retrieve a list of 5551 records (as of March 2011).

NOTE:There is a bug in the English version of the interface. This sample query works fine in the Chinese version but returns no records in the English one.—javiercha

To narrow the scope of this extensive list by geographic location, navigate to Address Type and check the boxes for Basic Affiliation, Moved To, and Actual Residence. Click on the above the check-boxes; the parameter should now be updated. Now navigate to Address. Under Song dynasty, choose Zhedong circuit and run the search. The refined list should have 1418 individuals (as of March 2011).

To further refine this query to only include known authors of historical studies, navigate to Genre of Writing, click on , and choose History. Click on on the top right corner of the left column to update the results. We now have a list of 28 individuals with geographic association with Zhedong (as of March 2011).

NOTE: many titles refer to lost works; not all book titles have been categorized.

This list of Zhedong historians in the Southern Song may be compared to a list of historians who served as regional officials in Zhedong. To make this modification to the query, navigate to Address and clear Zhedong circuit. Then navigate to Office Location and click on . Under Song dynasty, choose Zhedong circuit. The modified list should contain 19 individuals who served as officials in Zhedong and also produced at least one historical text.

2.2 Kinship and Social Associations Queries

Kinship and Social Associations Queries -- a special query interface for retrieving lists of individuals who are associated with one another by kinship or social relationships.

Examples
a - To retrieve a list of Zhu Xi’s kin Kinship Relations: Target Person(s) and click on . Enter Zhu Xi as your search term and click . Choose the desired Zhu Xi entry and click on and this should retrieve a list of 19 individuals who are related to Zhu Xi.

b - This interface is also able to run queries on the basis of their social relationships. To retrieve a list of Lü Zuqian’s political affiliates (associates as well as opponents), navigate to Search by Name and retrieve a list of individuals whose index years fall between 1000 and 1500. As was the case with the above example involving Zhu Xi, this should retrieve 30322 individuals (as of February 2011). Then, navigate to Relational Query and under Social Relations: Target Person(s) click on . Type Lv Zuqian under keyword lookup and click . Click on and this should retrieve a list of 246 individuals who are linked to Lü Zuqian by political ties.

2.3 Social Network Analysis

This is a special query interface for retrieving a list of individuals who are associated with one another by social relationships. The query can be executed at up to five reiterations.

Examples
To map out the network of a minister’s political associates in the Southern Song, go to Search by Name and look up Qin Gui 秦檜. Then go to Social Network Analysis and under First-order Social Network click on . Under Politics, select Supportive Political Association and Recommendation and Sponsorship. Click on Same as Above to establish the same parameters Second-order Social Network and Third-order Social Network. Click Execute and this should retrieve a list of Qin Gui’s political associates in the Southern Song court (6395 records as of February 2011). This can be downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet and ported to computational social network analysis tools. A visualization of Qin Gui’s network of political associates, based on this example, is shown below.

Multiple degrees of association can be searched. The biographical subject is Node 1 in a network, those connected to him are Node 2.

NOTE: due to the richness of CBDB data, and search beyond Node 3 (second order associations) may be very extensive.

Select the kinds of associations to be included in the search at every level.

The output includes the following fields:

Click on the run analysis button to start the search and analysis To save output choose between:
save all data
save associates’ system IDs

2.5 Export Search Results

Export Search Results enables you to export the results of a query in spreadsheet or text formats and to add further queries to that data.

Click on one of the export configurations. Once the data is displayed choose between:

Save All Data exports data included in the particular configuration in an Excel spreadsheet
Save System IDs exports the IDs of the persons as a text file for import into another search.

2.5.1 Individual Data

This produces a list with the following data points on each individual:

Examples
Under Search by Place select all the people who are associated with a certain type of address. On the Export Search Results page select the export configuration Individual Data. Select or .

2.5.2 Individual data + office postings

Examples
Under Search by Name (for an individual) or Advanced Search (for more than one person) select persons. On the Export Search Results page select the export configuration Individual Data+office postings. or .

2.5.3 individual data+kin+kin social associations

NOTE: In this query the kin of the individual are only those listed in that person’s CBDB file (what you see when you search for the person’s basic data). In order to create a larger kin group to search with you must first generate that group, see items 2.5.6 and 2.5.7 below. You would save their system IDs as a text file on your computer, browse for it in Advanced Search and open it, and then navigate to the Export Search Results page, and choose the desired export configuration.

The output includes the following fields:

2.5.4 individual data+kin+kin office postings

NOTE: In this query the kin of the individual are only those listed in that person’s CBDB file (what you see when you search for the person’s basic data). In order to create a larger kin group to search with you must first generate that group, see items 2.5.6 and 2.5.7 below. You would save their system IDs as a text file on your computer, browse for it in Advanced Search and open it, and then navigate to the Export Search Results page, and choose the desired export configuration.

The output includes the following fields:

2.5.5 individual data+kin+kin mode of entry

NOTE:In this query the kin of the individual are only those listed in that person’s CBDB file (what you see when you search for the person’s basic data). In order to create a larger kin group to search with you must first generate that group, see items 2.4.6 and 2.4.7 below. You would save their system IDs as a text file on your computer, browse for it in Advanced Search and open it, and then navigate to the Export Search Results page, and choose the desired export configuration.

The output includes the following fields:

2.5.6 kin within five degrees of mourning

Discovers all kin in the database who fall within the five degrees of mourning of the individual(s) you have selected as the biographical subject(s).

2.5.7 Defining degrees of kinship for kin search

Choose the form of analytic table in which you wish to see the kinship

Click on the analyze kinship button to start the search and analysis
Choose between
save kin system IDs
save all data

The output includes the following fields:

When these are used in combination, all kin the fall within these parameters will be included. This may quickly become a very large number of kin.

For CBDB kinship abbreviations see the CBDB Notation of Chinese Kinship Terms.