When examining records from government sources, a family jiapu, or inscriptions on older Chinese tombstones, most dates will follow a Chinese dating system. The Chinese dating system utilized the sovereign's year of reign and will need to be converted to the Western or Gregorian calendar.
The websites below are helpful in translating the Chinese dating system to the Western calendar.
- US Department of Labor Chinese American Calendar, Washington: U.S. G.P.O. 1928. Commencing January 24, 1849 and ending February 5, 1951. Harvard University Library.
- Chinese Heritage Date System used by Chinese Pioneers- 1821-1911.
- Republic of China Calendar to convert dates from 1912 to present.
