# The retained record, over HTTP.

Search Chinese publications, follow public attention and add economic context—with retained history and traceable sources.

## What you can build
China Snapshot is a searchable archive and API for research, strategy and policy teams—and their AI agents. Retrieve retained records without operating your own collectors. A collected corpus is not a complete register of everything published.

## Three datasets
| Dataset | Unit of analysis | Start here |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Documents and publications | One retained record per source URL; current extraction and source metadata | [Find records](/docs/guides/find-records) |
| Public attention | One sampled hot-list appearance; repeated observations over time | [Track attention](/docs/guides/public-attention) |
| Economic indicators | A collection observation, or one release per series and period | [Use indicators](/docs/guides/indicators) |

## Make your first request
No key is needed for the public datasets. Start with one retained document, then add filters or a key.

```curl
curl --fail-with-body --silent --show-error --max-time 30 "https://china-snapshot.com/api/datasets?dataset=documents&limit=1"
```

```python
import json
from urllib.request import Request, urlopen
request = Request('https://china-snapshot.com/api/datasets?dataset=documents&limit=1')
with urlopen(request, timeout=30) as response:
    data = json.load(response)
print(json.dumps(data, ensure_ascii=False))
```

```typescript
const response = await fetch("https://china-snapshot.com/api/datasets?dataset=documents&limit=1");
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}`);
console.log(await response.json());
```

## Onboard your agent
Give your coding agent the [setup prompt](/docs/getting-started/onboard-your-agent). It checks the live contract, makes an anonymous request and explains key setup when needed. MCP research tools require an eligible credential; a Free key is for the public data API.

## Choose your access
Use REST for application code, [CSV](/docs/guides/export-csv) for analysis, [MCP](/docs/mcp/overview) for entitled research clients, or the [browser](/search) to explore. [Plans and limits](/docs/plans/limits) come directly from the tier configuration.

## Know what is retained
Publication time, collection time and reference period are different clocks. Documents expose current extraction, not immutable body revisions. Platform heat is not public opinion. Read the [data contract](/docs/data/documents) before comparing periods.