Announcing CHCD 2.0
The second version of the China Historical Christian Database was released in the fall of 2023. It includes significant technical updates as well as new data. Highlights of this new …
The China Historical Christian Database is a new digital tool for the study of Chinese Christianity from 1550 to 1950.
The China Historical Christian Database (CHCD) quantifies and visualizes the place of Christianity in modern China (1550-1950). It provides users the tools to discover where every Christian church, school, hospital, orphanage, publishing house, and the like were located in China, and it documents who worked inside those buildings, both foreign and Chinese. Collectively, this information creates spatial maps and generates relational networks that reveal where, when, and how Western ideas, technologies, and practices entered China. Simultaneously, it uncovers how and through whom Chinese ideas, technologies, and practices were conveyed to the West.
This project breaks new ground in providing quantifiable data about modern Sino-Western relations. Its intuitive interface generates visualizations, lists, and maps for use by the general public, students and teachers in secondary education and colleges, in the US and globally, with English and Chinese navigation. Advanced DH users have open access to its data for elaboration. BU’s digital infrastructure guarantees long-term sustainability, and CHCD’s international collaborations in the USA, Asia, and Europe help promote historical understanding between China and the rest of the world.
The CHCD is hosted by the Center for Global Christianity and Mission at Boston University.
The CHCD is built using the Neo4j platform. This cutting-edge technology allows the data to be more flexible and easy to integrate with other data sets.
The CHCD is the product of historical researchers, expert archivists, and passionate students from around the world.
The CHCD is not just a database. To help non-technical users access the historical data, the project team has created an intuitive online educational platform.
The CHCD documents where its data comes from, helping researchers build their own bibliographies and find new sources of information.
The second version of the China Historical Christian Database was released in the fall of 2023. It includes significant technical updates as well as new data. Highlights of this new …
On September 11th, Dr. Aleksandrs Dmitrenko gave a lecture entitled “The Stories Behind the Names of the Orthodox Christians in the China Historical Christian Database” sponsored by the Center for …
On May 6 2023, the China Historical Christian Database team released the fifth issue of the Gazetteer, the project’s quarterly newsletter. This issue features spring updates, information about our lecture …
On April 4th, Dr. Daryl R. Ireland (Boston University) and Dr. Alex R. Mayfield (Asbury University) gave the third CHCD lecture series of Spring 2023 entitled “Testing the Claim: The …