Nichigai MagazinePlus Subscription Cancellation

The access to Nichigai MagazinePlus, Japanese periodical citation index database, is only valid until October 20, 2009. From October 21, 2009, please use the National Diet Library’s Zasshi Kiji Sakuin (雑誌記事索引) as an alternative. The Zasshi Kiji Sakuin is accessible at:

http://opac.ndl.go.jp/index.html

If you have any questions regarding the use of Zasshi Kiji Sakuin, please contact Fabiano Takashi Rocha, Japan Studies Librarian, at fabiano.rocha@utoronto.ca

Chinese Newspapers in Canada

The Chinese-Canadian Genealogy project lists a list of major Chinese newspapers published in Canada. These might be useful resources for Chinese diaspora studies.

References Related to Chinese Newspaper Publication in Canada:

Yang, Tao. (2009). Press, community, and library: A study of the Chinese-language newspapers in North America. Chinese Librarianship: An International Electronic Journal, no. 27, 2009.

Ma, Yan. (1989). Chinese American newspapers and periodicals in the United States. Ethnic Forum, 9(1-2), 100-121.

Ma, Yan. (1999). Chinese-American newspapers and periodicals in the United States: An analysis of a national survey. The Serial Librarian, 35(4), 63-69.

Ma, Yan. (2003). Chinese American newspapers and periodicals in the United States and their web presence. Serial Review, 29(3), 179-198.

Princeton's East Asian Library Digitizes Rare Books on Chinese Medicine

The East Asian Library of Princeton University is in the process to digitize a collection of rare books on Chinese Medicine (URL: http://eastasianlib.princeton.edu/diglib.php) . Full functionality and enhanced navigation of the e-books will only be possible when the project finishes. However, the library gives users preliminary access to the digitized medical texts already available.

The texts are in PDF format. Please also notice that the titles are provided only for personal scholarly use. Any publication, reprint or reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Also, several other relevant online resource:

- Contagion, part of Harvard University's Open Collection Program;

- Yale University's Peter Parker Collection which contains paintings of Chinese patients with large tumors or other major deformities;

- and, the UCSF Library’s collection of Japanese woodblock prints that illustrate a variety of health-related topics.

Online Videos on the Art of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy

Fan Zeng (范曾), a renowned Chinese artist specializing in traditional painting (国画) and calligraphy (书法), talked about how to appreciate the "beauty" of the traditional Chinese arts in a TV program of CCTV (China Central Television) .

In the talks, Mr. Fan compared the oriental artistic 'spirit' with that of the western culture and led the audience to appreciate Chinese arts from the perspective of an artist. His passionate presentations were informative as well as philosophical ....

Fan Zeng: On the Beauty of Chinese Calligraphy -- part 1
Fan Zeng: On the Beauty of Chinese Calligraphy -- part 2

Fan Zeng: On the Beauty of Chinese Traditional Painting -- part 1
Fan Zeng: On the Beauty of Chinese Traditional Painting -- part 2



A Brief Bio of Fan Zeng:

Fan Zeng (1938-) is a master of the "pure-line-drawing" technique. He considers that the "sounds of nature" can only be caught by a spontaneous reaction to what is observed, not a redrawing or a contour outline. He also specializes in "splashed ink" and figure painting. Fan Zeng followed the great painters of the Song dynasty in using simple and vigorous strokes of the brush and dynamic delineation of form.

Elder John Lai's Archives -- 賴永祥長老史料庫

Elder John Lai's Archives (http://www.laijohn.com/Index.htm) is dedicated to the study of the history of Christianity in Taiwan with special emphasis attached to the Presbysterian Church. The resource is of significant research value for the study of early history of Christianity in Taiwan.

Currently, the Archives consist of three parts:

• the full text of Prof. John Lai’s “Kau-hoe-su-oe” 《教會史話》, a collection of articles on the history of Christianity in Taiwan;
  
• scrapbook files compiled by Prof. Lai, which are valuable primary sources used for his writings; and
  
• Prof. Lai’s personal bio and family history.

To facilitate user access, the website makes available a search engine at http://www.laijohn.com/contents.htm

Also, the letter of Martha Smalley, a Yale faculty member, helps to shed some light on the background of Prof. Lai's archives project.

Chinese TV lectures explaining "The Three-Character Classic (三字经)"

The Three-Character Classic (san zi jing, 三字经) is a Chinese classic text that has traditionally been used for the education of children. Written in triplets of characters, the text enbodies Confucian thoughts and is easy for memorization. For centuries, it had served as the textbook for young children picking up learning and had thus played an important role in maintaining the Confucian tradition in China.

In 百家讲坛 (bai jia jiang tan), a TV program of China Central Television (CCTV), Prof. Qian Wenzhong of Fudan University explains the classic text sentence by sentence. The online vedios of the TV lectures are available here.

References:
Wikipedia: The Three-Character Classic
San zi jing (with the fulltext of San zi jing and its English translation)
San zi jing (text and audio files)
.......

Also, a biography of Prof. Qian Wenzhong:
http://baike.baidu.com/view/855133.html?fromTaglist

Free Trial for Japan Knowledge+NR (August 1 to 31, 2009)

We currently have a subscription to Japan Knowledge Classic that includes valuable sources such as Nihon Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, Daihyakka Zensho (Encyclopedia Nipponica), Nihon Jinmei Daijiten, among others.

Japan Knowledge Plus, the new version of Japan Knowledge, will have additional features such as Nihon Kokugo Daijiten 日本国語大辞典 (Nikkoku Online ; standard Japanese language dictionary with over 500.000 entries), as well as Rekishi Chimei Taikei (historical place name dictionary with 200.000 entries) The trial period expires on August 31, 2009 and it can be accessible on-campus at: http://www.jkn21.com/

It would be extremely helpful if you could give us some feedback on this database. Let us know which resources you find most useful. Please feel free to contact Fabiano Takashi Rocha, Japan Studies Librarian by either phone: 416-978-2300 or by email: fabiano.rocha@utoronto.ca with your comments, or if you need any assistance with using the database.

Enjoy the free trial!!