This collection contains documents pertaining to state department records in China, specifically the internal affairs of China.  The materials consist of instructions to and dispatches from diplomatic and consular officials, notes exchanged, pamphlets, pictures, and newspaper clippings.  The officials included are consulates and officials in China, as well as officials in the United States, such as William Jennings Bryan (who was Secretary State 1913-1915).  Also included are notes between the Department of State and foreign diplomatic representatives in China and in the U.S.; memoranda prepared by officials of the department of internal affairs; and correspondence with officials of other government departments and with private firms, companies, and persons.

The documents are arranged by subject in chronological order.  The subjects for these documents have been classified with the State Department decimal classification system.  For these documents, the number 893 represents the classification for Internal Affairs of China.  The number following 893 is the specific subtopic classification, and the number following the slant mark (/) describes the order of accumulation.  For example:   document number 893.912/1 is read, subject 912 (news-gathering agencies) and the first document in that specific series.

Valdosta State University holds reels 201-227.  These specific reels contain information on such topics as:  Chinese railways and the railroad industry, Chinese-language publications and English-language press published in China, scholarly endeavors, railway communication and transportation, and waterway navigation.  The Lists of Documents on rolls 1 – 6 (not held at VSU) provide brief abstracts of the documents and are a finding aid to the actual documents. The arrangement of the entries on the lists generally corresponds to the arrangement of the documents in the file. (Source)

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Indexed by:  Erin Abbott Blanton, V. Jake Graffeo, Alexandra A. Melick, and Phillip B. Williams for Dr. John P. Dunn’s HIST 7302, “Westerners in Shanghai, China.”

Erin Abbott Blanton is a Graduate Archives Assistant in the Valdosta State Archives and Special Collections, where she has managed the organization and preservation of the Arthur White Collection.  She is majoring in Modern American History and minoring in Early American History and Modern European History.  She became interested in this project as a result of a curiosity in Robert Dollar Company through her connection to Dollar genealogy and ancestry.  Mrs. Blanton graduated December 2011 and plans on remaining in Valdosta.

V. Jake Graffeo is currently a Graduate Assistant in the History Department of Valdosta State University.  His interests include Modern U.S. Military History and Middle Eastern History.  Currently, Jake is writing his thesis, tentatively titled “Analyzing the Efficiency of Using Special Operations Forces Against Guerrillas.”  His future plans include continuing his research at the Doctorate level and subsequently teaching.  Before starting his studies, he spent 5 years in United States Air Force and is veteran of Operation:  Iraqi Freedom.  He lives with his wife in Valdosta and travels frequently.

Alexandra A. Melick is a graduate student at Valdosta State University.  She is also a cadet in the Air Force ROTC program at VSU and upon her graduation with a M.A. in History in May 2013 she will also commission as a 2nd Lt in the United States Air Force.  Her tentative thesis topic is “The Military Influence on Twentieth Century Fashion:  How Military Uniforms Have Impacted and Molded Fashion Trends.”  She is originally from Miami, Florida but currently resides in Valdosta, Georgia.

Phillip Benton Williams is a graduate student at Valdosta State University.  He is also a member of the Valdosta chapter of Anime Aftermath, the Campus Pagan Union, and a member of the history honors society Phi Alpha Theta.  His tentative thesis topic is "The Weimar Republic:  American and British Citizens Gone Wild."  He has been a lifelong resident of Valdosta.