Described is a cellulose dope which is an aqueous alkali solution containing substantially at least 3% by weight of cellulose having a degree of polymerization of at least 100, wherein in the 13 C-NMR spectrum of the cellulose, the C 4 -position carbon peak is found at a magnetic field higher by at least 7 ppm than the magnetic field of the C 4 -position carbon peak of solid cellulose attributed to the strong intramolecular hydrogen bond. This dope is prepared by maintaining a mixture comprising 100 weight parts of cellulose, which may have any crystal form, and 10 to 1000 weight parts of a hydrogen bond-cleaving solution at 100°C to 350°C under a pressure of 10 to 250 atmospheres, promptly exposing the mixture to the ambient atmosphere, mixing the resulting cellulose with an aqueous alkali solution maintained at a temperature not higher than 50°C, and then stirring the mixture at a temperature not higher than 10°C to dissolve the cellulose in the aqueous alkali solution. The dope may be used for the manufacture of a shaped article or for coating.