A literature review is a summary or report of the scholarship written in a specific topic. The review should describe, summarize, and evaluate what was previously written by the top scholars in the field. This is the basis upon which you will develop your own ideas.
There are numerous excellent websites that can help you develop your literature review by providing you with resources (links, citations, etc.). The following two websites are your best bets.
Literature reviews are a particularly useful kind of article when doing research. They address the issues involved in a particular question and the debates among scholars. They map out the intellectual terrain succinctly and give you the major landmarks in terms of key authors and significant titles.
The Oxford Bibliographies Online 
provides literature reviews for a variety of fields including Asian Studies (they specify the following subject areas: Chinese Studies, Buddhism, International Relations, etc. You can take a look at their subjects and complete a few searches to find what you are interested in). The essays take the form of an annotated bibliography. It gives you the benefit of expert advice when identifying what to read for your research.
Relevant articles that might interest you:
History Compass is technically a journal, but all of the articles are written in the form of literature reviews. Specialists analyze the issues involved in a particular question and discuss individual books, journal articles, and other scholarship that are essential for research in that area. Browse or search the journal website for overviews related to your research topic. The bibliographies accompanying articles in History Compass will lead you to relevant sources for further reading. Other Compass titles, like Religion Compass and Literature Compass , may have useful articles as well.
