A Culture of Kinship: Chinese Genealogies as a Source for Research in Demographic Economics

37 Pages Posted: 14 Nov 2016

See all articles by Carol H. Shiue

Carol H. Shiue

University of Colorado at Boulder - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Date Written: November 2016

Abstract

This paper discusses the use of Chinese genealogies for research on economic demography. I focus both on what is known about the genealogy as a data source, and what are the open questions for future research. Chinese genealogies contain individual level records at the individual level. With the publication of new catalogues and efforts to collect genealogies, the number of genealogies is even larger than previously thought, with most dating to the late Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties. These records contain information about the Chinese population history, over a period for which there is no alternative source of information. Yet the source still remains largely unexploited. Although the work of transcribing the data is significant, and selection biases need to be carefully considered, preliminary analysis of the data for a sample of married men for Tongcheng County in Anhui Province suggests these data are a rich source of information for demographic and economics research.

Keywords: Chinese historical demography, Genealogical data, intergenerational linked data, lineage population

JEL Classification: J10, N00

Suggested Citation

Shiue, Carol Hua, A Culture of Kinship: Chinese Genealogies as a Source for Research in Demographic Economics (November 2016). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP11614, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2869048

Carol Hua Shiue (Contact Author)

University of Colorado at Boulder - Department of Economics ( email )

Campus Box 256
Boulder, CO 80309
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

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