Digital Projects of Chinese Historical Local Private Documents: Database Development and Exploring of Text Mining

Abstract

Abstract:This article examines methods to develop database and text mining tools of local Chinese private documents at Shanghai Jiao Tong University under collaboration between historians and librarians and intends to contribute to discussions of digital humanities. Local private documents are crucial sources for studying the social and economic history of early modern China. In the database project, metadata creation and database development are under the direction of historical philology, and the metadata elements—type, guihu, administrative units—are defined by historical philology. The database structure successfully copes with the heterogeneous sources of local private documents. Text mining tools developed by librarians allow historians to explore social networks, trade types, and contract formats in socioeconomic history.