Research on data and governance
FAU investigates China's data practices
A research project at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg is analyzing historical data practices in China over more than 2000 years. The focus is on early administrative and information systems and their significance for today's debates on AI, big data and digital control.
A new research project at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) is investigating the history of state data collection in China and drawing connections to current discussions about artificial intelligence, big data and digital power structures. The project "Towards a Chinese History of Data" is based at the Chair of Sinology with a focus on the intellectual and cultural history of China. It is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation with almost 325,000 euros. The research project will run from April 2026 to September 2027 and is led by Dr. Chun Xu and co-project leader Sijia Cheng. The focus is on the question of how data has been used to manage and control societies for centuries - long before the digital age.
Among other things, the project examines household registers, land surveys, tax lists and population censuses from various historical periods in China. According to the researchers, the sources show that states were already using complex information systems centuries ago. "Many debates about big data pretend that data-driven societies are a completely new phenomenon," says Dr. Chun Xu. "But states were already working with highly complex information systems centuries ago."
One focus is on the so-called Huji system, an early form of state household registration. As early as the Qin dynasty in the 3rd century BC, the administration recorded places of residence, household sizes, social status and the resulting obligations of the population. Among other things, the registers regulated tax obligations, military service and freedom of movement. According to the researchers, such systems not only served to describe social conditions, but also actively influenced them. The project therefore also examines how categories, statistical records and administrative techniques shaped political realities.
In addition to early administrative data, the team is analyzing large-scale surveying and statistics projects from the Song dynasty as well as modern forms of quantitative recording in the 19th and 20th centuries. The aim is to reveal historical parallels to today's digital administrative systems and algorithmic evaluations. Sijia Cheng refers in particular to the social character of data: "Data is made, not simply given."
According to the researchers, the historical comparison also shows that big data systems have always been confronted with problems such as confusing amounts of information, incorrect data sets and limited controllability. The project is therefore also intended to place current debates about AI, surveillance and digital administration in a historical context.
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