Skip to Main Content

Sage Data: China Data Institute

This guide provides content support for using Sage Data resources for librarians, faculty, instructors, researchers, and students.

About

The China Data Institute datasets provide yearly historical indicators of social and economic characteristics of the People’s Republic of China. Included are national-level statistics dating in some cases to the 1950s. Premium subscriptions to Data Planet also include access to China Yearly Statistics (National/Subnational) datasets distributed by the China Data Institute, which provides data (as available) for all provinces, cities and counties within provinces, all cities, and all counties in China.

Statistics are provided on population; national accounts, including Gross Domestic Product and Balance of Payments; employment, labor, and wages; financial and banking data; price indices; government income and expenditures; agriculture; industry, construction, and transportation; domestic and foreign trade; education; health; and natural resources. The data are collected primarily by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, who is charged with the administration of the national statistical information system of China.

For "Explanatory Notes on Main Statistical Indicators of Macro-economy,” see https://www.china-data-online.com/acmr-cndata-pub/dictionary/explainentry.htm.

China Data Institute is one of the primary data providers for China data services. Its missions are: to support research in the human and natural components of local, regional and global change; to promote quantitative research on China; to promote collaborative research in spatial studies; and to promote the use and sharing of China data in teaching and research. The institute is partnering with All China Marketing Research Co., Ltd., as well as other organizations in distributing China statistical data and publications internationally.

China Data Institute: Browsing and Examples

In Sage Data, the many indicators included in the China Data Institute datasets can be viewed as stand-alone trends, charts, or maps. The listing of indicators can be viewed by opening the China Data Institute entries in the "Source" and "Subject" tabs. For example, the chart below shows change over time in the state- vs. collective-owned enterprises focused on construction in rural areas of China.

Screen grab shows a China Data Institute dataset, focusing on the indicator on "Construction." Selections made show the number of state- and collective-owned enterprises in China.


Note that you can learn more about the indicator, dataset, and source by viewing the statistical abstract that appears below the chart, as below. These summaries can be exported with the graph by clicking on the Export link in the menu bar above the chart. The Create DOI link allows you to create a DOI that ensures that each time you reference the data in a paper or elsewhere that the reader can view the exact view of the DataSheet at the time you created it. For more information on DOIs, click here. 

Screen grab shows the source, dataset, and indicator descriptions for a China Data Institute dataset shown on Data Planet.

The implementation of China Data Institute datasets in Sage Data allows you to compare indicators across provinces, cities, and counties so be sure to explore the many options available to do so. The chart below compares the output value of state- vs. collective-owned construction enterprises in Beijing and Shanghai. To select multiple indicators, hold down the control (Ctrl) key when clicking on the second (or third) item on the indicator tree. For more information on selecting data for viewing, see sagepub.libguides.com/data.

Screen grab shows a line graph from a China Data Institute dataset, showing the total output of state- and collective-owned enterprises in Beijing and Shanghai over the years.

Try it yourself with other indicators and geographies.

Remember This! Keep in mind that the graphs you create do not necessarily imply causality: the results may suggest a potential relationship between the variables you select, which may be an interesting line of inquiry for your own research.

 

Click on the links below to view sample DataSheets created in Sage Data that provide statistical abstracts complete with infographics of indicators included in the China Data Center datasets. From the infographic, you can also enter to further manipulate the data and explore relationships between these metrics and other indicators in the vast Data Planet repository. 

The examples below are just a sampling of China Data Institute statistics to give you an idea of the granularity of the available data. There are many more indicators on this topics in the repository—add search terms for agriculture, social and economic development, government, etc. Contact your library staff for help in formulating your search strategy.

  • Divisions of Administrative Areas - Shows the number of town and township governments in China.
  • Natural Conditions and Resources - Shows the increase over time in the area of cultivated land in the province of Hainan.
  • National Accounts - Shows the trend in the GDP of the province of Guangxi.
  • Balance of Payments - Shows the position of goods in the current accounts balance of China.
  • Population - Shows the trend in the registered household population of Hohhot City, the capital of Inner Mongolia.
  • Employment- What might account for the drop in employment in Suining City districts of Sichuan province in 1998?
  • Price Indices - Shows the trend over time in the Consumer Price Index of China.
  • People's Livelihood - Compares per capita consumption expenditures of the urban vs rural population in Beijing Province.
  • Agriculture - Shows the amount of hectares impacted by natural disaster in the province of Guizhou.
  • Industry - Tracks the gross industrial output of Guangdong province. From the DataSheet, click through to Data Planet Statistical Datasets to compare how much of this value comes from light vs. heavy industry, or from state- vs. collective-owned enterprises.
  • Construction - Construction is booming in Ningxia province in recent years.
  • Transport - The number of private private passenger vehicles in Beijing and Shanghai show a continued upward trend. What does this mean for roadways and traffic?
  • Post and Telecommunication Services - Shows the number of letters sent by post in Hunan province. What might account for the spike in 2003 and subsequent drop?
  • Domestic Trade - Tracks the increase in domestic sales of consumer goods in China.
  • Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation - View the total value of international trade in Liaoning province.
  • International Tourism - Tracks the trend in the value of international tourism in China.
  • Banking and Insurance - Shows liabilities to international financial institutions for the nation as a whole. What happened in 2017 to cause such a steep drop?
  • Culture - Displays statistics on the number of volumes held in the collections of public libraries in Qinghai province.
  • Health - The number of health institutions in Tianjin province spiked in Tianjin province in 2003. Why?
  • Environmental Protection - Tracks the volume of sulphur dioxide emissions across three provinces: Anhui, Fujian, and Shaanxi; the volumes appear to be declining over the years. Does this trend hold with other provinces?
  • Social Welfare and Insurance - Shows the number of beds in homes providing social welfare services in Shanghai province.
  • City Infrastructure - Shows tap water production capacity of the rural province of Yunnan.
  • Financial Indexes - Tracks the trend in sales revenue of industrial enterprises in China.
  • Finance Yearbook - Displays the total government revenue as well as the total government expenditures over the years.
  • Education Yearbook - What might explain the drop off in the number of primary schools in Yunnan province since 1990?

Example DataSheet: College Graduates by Province of China