Our aim
For a long time now, there has been a real lack of historical data on the economy and society of China. Recently, some volumes have appeared dealing with, for example, price series as well as with some other isolated topics, but a systematic overview of long-run data is still lacking. This lack becomes increasingly problematic due to increasing reliance of various disciplines in social sciences such as history, economy, political studies on the availability of long-run data. Therefore, in a combined effort of several Western and Chinese scholars and research institutions, a statistics project, hosted at the IISH, was set up to collect data for the compilation of a Chinese historical statistics from ca. 960 AD to the present
Persons involved
Involved at the IISH
Dr Bas van Leeuwen (IISH senior researcher and project leader)
Prof. Dr Xuyi (Guangxi Normal University)
Prof. Dr Christine Moll-Murata
Prof. Dr Ni Yuping
Zhang Zipeng, MA
Visiting fellows
Prof dr. Yuan Weipeng (CASS), visiting fellow 2016
Dr. Guo Yongqin (Fudan University), visiting fellow 2016-2017
China data publications
The IISH will be publishing the 'Quantitative History of China' book series (link is external). This will be a series of monographs with historical data on certain times and topics within the long Chinese history. Forthcoming publications:
1. Shi Zhihong (2015), Central Government Silver Treasury: Revenue, Expenditure and Inventory Statistics, ca. 1667-1899 (link is external), Brill.
2. Ni Yuping (2016), Customs duties in the Qing dynasty, ca. 1644-1911 (link is external), Brill.
3. Shi Zhihong (2017, forthcoming), Qing dynasty agricultural production, Brill.
4. Xu Yi, Zhang Zipeng, and Bas van Leeuwen (2017, forthcoming), Regional industrial production in Republican China, Brill.
5. Chen Zhengping (2017, forthcoming), International Trade in Modern China, Brill.
6. Cao Shuji (2017, forthcoming), Chinese Population, ca. 1368-1980, Brill.
Other publications
- Xu,Yi, Shi,Zhihong, Bas, van Leeuwen, Ni, Yuping, Zhang,Zhipeng and Ye Ma (2016), "Chinese National Income, ca. 1661-1933" Australian Economic History Review, forthcoming.
- Bas van Leeuwen and Xuyi, 'Zhongguo Gongye de Changqi Biaoxian jiqi Quanqiu Bijiao:1850-2010Nian-Yi Zengjiazhi Hesuan wei Zhongxin (The performance of Chinese Industry in a World Perspective, ca. 1850-2012: a value added approach)', Zhongguo Jingjishi Yanjiu (Journal of Chinese Economic history research) , Vol. 5 2016, pp. 39-50.
- Bas van Leeuwen, Dmitry Didenko and Péter Földvári, 'Inspiration vs. Perspiration in Economic Development of the Former Soviet Union and China (ca. 1920–2010) (link is external), Economics of Transition , Vol. 23 (1) 2015, pp. 213-246.
- Bas van Leeuwen, 'Nongye Geming De Lianghua: Ping Shi Zhihong (The Quantification of The Agricultural Revolution: A Review of Shi Zhihong's ', Zhongguo Jingjishi Yanjiu (Journal of Chinese Economic history research) , Vol. 5 2015, pp. 31-37.
- Yuping Ni and Yi Xu, and Bas van Leeuwen, 'Zhongguo Lishi Shiqi Jingji Zongliang Guzhi Yanjiu: Yi GDP De Cesuan Wei Zhongxin (An overview of research on the historical size of the Chinese economy: focusing on estimation of historical GDP)', Zhongguo Shehui Kexue (Social Science in China) , Vol. 5 2015, pp. 187-202.
- Bas van Leeuwen, Reinhard Pirgruber, and Jieli van Leeuwen-Li, 'The standard of living in ancient societies: a comparison between the Han Empire, the Roman Empire, and Babylonia (link is external),' Working Papers 0045, Utrecht University, Centre for Global Economic History. The global and long-term development of real wages: methods, problems and possibilities, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Version 2, March 2013. (pdf, 24 pp, 1071Kb).
- Xu Yi and Bas van Leeuwen, 'A re-estimation of mass literacy in China in the 19th century,’ Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of History: Qing Forum, (2012). (with Xuyi) (in Chinese)
- Xu Yi, Péter Földvári and Bas van Leeuwen, 2013, 'Human capital in Qing China: economic determinism or a history of failed opportunities? (link is external),' MPRA Paper 43525, University Library of Munich, Germany.
- Bas van Leeuwen, Jieli van Leeuwen-Li, and Péter Földvári, 2011,'Regional human capital in Republican and New China: Its spread, quality and effects on economic growth (link is external),' MPRA Paper 43582, University Library of Munich, Germany.
Related Research projects
- ERC project on regional industrialisation in 19th and 20th century China and northwestern Europe. This project will reconstruct output, labour force and various other indicators by province as well as for a sample of counties.
- Quantitative history of China (externe link) (link is external) (externe link) (link is external)
- Labour relations project on quantifying the nature of labour between 1500 and the present (externe link) (link is external). Within this project, a sub-project will be devoted to 19th and 20th century China on a regional basis.
- Private account books in the 18th century (Yuan Weipeng)
- Regional land and head tax data in 17th and 18th century China (GuoYongqin)
Some highlights of the IISH collections:
IISH has a large collection of books, posters, archives on China:
- Search for archives, books, brochures and image documents on China in the IISH catalogue
- Sneevliet/Maring collection at the IISH
- Search the Chinese poster collection of Stefan Landsberger (link is external)
The IISH also preserves the Papers of Marx and Engels:
