Primary Sources - HSTR 481/ 508B/ 608B - Global History of the Chinese Overseas - LibGuides at University of Victoria Libraries

Archival databases (subscriptions)

The following databases require a netlink ID to access, and contain digitized archives on China, Chinese History, and the Chinese disaspora.

China Daily Chinese and English language newspaper.
China Yearbook Full-Text Database 1912-2015 (CYFD) Almanac which records facts, statistics, activities, events and other national or regional conditions in an intensive, detailed, timely, comprehensive and systematic manner. Through yearbook, you can learn about a country, a specific industry or field, or a particular region from every aspect such as politics, economy, science and technology, culture and education.
China: Culture and Society Spanning three centuries (1750-1929), this resource makes available extremely rare pamphlets from Cornell University Library’s Charles W. Wason Collection on East Asia. The resource is full-text searchable, allowing for the collection to be comprehensively explored and studied.
China: Trade, Politics and Culture, 1793-1980 Unique manuscript material relating to the activities and observations of British and American diplomats, missionaries, business people and tourists in China from 1793 to 1980, together with rare periodicals, colour paintings, maps, photographs and drawings.
Foreign Office Files for China, 1949-1980 Available in three sections covering the periods 1949-1956; 1957-1966; and 1967-1980; this project addresses a crucial period in Chinese history, from the foundation of the People’s Republic, in 1949, to the death of Zhou Enlai and Mao, the arrest of the Gang of Four and the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976.

Chinese Canadian Collection - UVic Archives
This collection contains documents drawn from the fonds of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association held in the University of Victoria Archives. Most items are handwritten in traditional Chinese script with English translations but there are also documents in English.
City of Vancouver Archives - Photographs, records, etc
Photographs from the Vancouver Archives - including many of Victoria.
Ethno-Cultural Groups - Library and Archives Canada

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Globe and Mail Includes the full pages of The Globe and Mail from 1844 to 2012.

Multicultural Canada The Multicultural Canada digitization project grew from our conviction that the cultural groups that make up our country have little-known stories that need to be researched and told. Through newspapers, interviews, photographs, print and material culture people tell us who they are.The collection includes newspapers, oral histories, photographs, books, newsletters, legal documents, meeting minutes and other ephemeral materials.

Historical cartographic collections
VI History
Search over 100,000 nominal census records of Vancouver Island residents, native and non-native, for the period 1871 to 1901. You can also search directories for the cities of Nanaimo and Victoria, and property tax assessment rolls for the same period.
Cartographic Records - BC Archives
The BC Archives has over 63,000 maps, atlases, and architectural drawings relating to the exploration, discovery, and development of the province. The types of records include: published maps and the cartographic and architectural archives of the provincial government; maps of British Columbia supporting research in history, geography, cartography, genealogy, and the development of geographical knowledge of British Columbia; plans by important architects or plans representative of building types

1891 Census Returns for the City of Victoria
Victoria City Council commissioned this census in 1891, due to a dispute with the federal government over perceived bias, in favour of Vancouver, in the federal census. You can also search the data found herein on the VI History website (linked below).
1901 Census Victoria, British Columbia and Southern Vancouver Island
Includes Victoria, Port Renfrew, Sooke, Metchosin, Colwood, Langford, Oak Bay, Saanichton, Sidney and the southern Gulf Islands.
British Columbia City Directories 1860-1915
Provides information about BC communities: detailed street and name listings of individuals and businesses in Vancouver and Victoria; population figures; listings of government offices and officials; operating newspapers; schools, etc. Use to track the history of people's homes, find ancestors, and research the history of companies and institutions.
VI History
Search over 100,000 nominal census records of Vancouver Island residents, native and non-native, for the period 1871 to 1901. You can also search directories for the cities of Nanaimo and Victoria, and property tax assessment rolls for the same period.