To the best of his ability, Charles Darwin amassed materials on a wide spectrum of biological species from many regions, grounding his theory of evolution with a global perspective in mind. Although he did not personally conduct investigations in China, he collected and perused the China-related treatises available in European languages, particularly those written by sinologists. By means of these treatises, he made indirect citations of or reference to at least ten Chinese books, such as Qimin yaoshu 齊民要術 (Essential techniques for the peasantry), Bencao gangmu 本草綱目 (Compendium of materia medica), and Sancai tuhui 三才圖會 (Collected illustrations of the three realms), drawing especially from works on agriculture and medicine. Material drawn from these books bridged a gap in Darwin’s information on worldwide species and thus performed a vital role in his construction of the theory of evolution. Meanwhile, the investigations here help rectify and account for some factual errors that Darwin made.