The Digital China Initiative (DCI) has launched the Digital China Worldwide (DCW) chatbot, a groundbreaking aid for finding digital resources related to Chinese studies. The platform offers a centralized repository and directory of diverse digital resources related to Chinese Studies, from databases and datasets to online archives, digitalized academic journals and research papers, and multimedia materials. The chatbot, designed for scholars, researchers, and students, uses a generative AI model to improve accuracy and reduces errors, with a knowledge base curated by DCI and the Luce/ACLS Mapping Archive project. Users can ask questions in multiple languages, explore resources, and suggest new ones.
The DCI was established at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies in the mid 2010s and is led by historians Peter K. Bol, Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and Michael A. Szonyi, Frank Wen-Hsiung Wu Professor of Chinese History and former Director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies (2016 – 2022). The initiative is designed to develop and disseminate new research tools and methods, convene experts, train students and faculty, and coordinate activities in digital Chinese scholarship at Harvard.
Read the full press release from the Digital China Initiative’s website below. The Digital China Worldwide platform is now live: start searching!
The Digital China Initiative (DCI) is pleased to introduce Digital China Worldwide (DCW), a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)-based chatbot designed to recommend digital resources. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is a widely used approach in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) that enhances accuracy and minimizes hallucinations. The DCW chatbot features an expandable knowledge base curated by the Digital China Initiative team and the Luce/ACLS Mapping Archive project. We continuously update and expand this knowledge base to ensure it remains comprehensive and up-to-date.
You can start a conversation with Digital China Worldwide on the Chat page of our website. Try using one of the following starter queries:
• “What are the major biographical databases in Chinese studies?”
• “請問有哪些與近代中國相關的資料庫？”
You can also ask questions in your preferred language. To enhance the chatbot’s quality, conversations are recorded, but we do not collect any personally identifiable information, such as IP addresses. Additionally, you can provide feedback by clicking the thumbs up or thumbs down icons to evaluate responses.
The Directory page lists all resources included in the knowledge base. If you would like to suggest additional resources, you can use the form on the Suggestion page. We also welcome general feedback through the Feedback page.
Experimental Stage & Limitations
Digital China Worldwide is currently in an experimental stage. As a result, its user experience may not yet match that of state-of-the-art chatbots. You may experience unexpected downtime, latency, or other service disruptions. Additionally, responses may not always be accurate.
Unlike traditional digital platforms, hosting a GenAI application incurs a cost per query in terms of computational tokens and monetary expenses. We will assess these costs over time and determine the best path forward.
The Digital China Worldwide chatbot reflects the commitment of the Digital China Initiative and the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies to serving the Chinese studies community by providing accessible and evolving digital resources.