Chu Ko-Chen (Co-Ching Chu), 1973: A Preliminary Study on the Climatic Flucuations during the last 5000 Years in China. cnki:ISSN:1006-9283.0.1973-02-005. pages 243-261.
This paper is interesting because of its politcal perspective as it was published while Mao was still leading China, but also, of more importance to climate, its statement about temperature trends in China. I have a complete English version of the paper which was republished from Scientia Sinica, Vol XIV, No. 2 May 1973 in a jounral called Cycles. If someone has the url for that journal please e-mail to me and I will add to this post.
The abstract reads [highlight added)
“The world climate during the historical times fluctuated. The numerous Chinese historical writings provide us excellent references in studying the ancient climate of China. The present author testifies, by the materials got from the histories and excavations, that during Yin-Hsu at Anyang, the annual temperature was about 2℃ higher than that of the, present in most of the time. After that came a series of up and down swings of 2—3℃ with minimum temperatures occurring at approximately 100 B. C. (about the end of the Yin Dynasty and the beginning of the Chou Dynasty), 400 A. D. (the Six Dynasties), 1200 A. D. (the South Snug Dynasty), and 1700 A. D. (abont the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Ching Dynasty). In the Han and the Tang Dynasties (200 B. C.—220 A. D. and 600—900 A. D.) the climate was rather warm. When the world climate turned colder than usual, it tended to begin at the Pacific coast of Eastern Asia, propagating as a wave westward, through Japan and China, to the Atlantic coast of Europe and Africa. When the world temperature recovered, it tended to propagate eastward from the west. A fuller knowledge of lhe climatic fluctuations in historical times and a good grasp of their laws would render better service to the long-range forecasting in climate.”
Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr. 
