American Archivist/Vol. 45, No. 4/Fall 1982 385 Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/45/4/385/2746939/aarc_45_4_24q7467764463454.pdf by guest on 25 September 2021 Archives in the People's Republic of China WILLIAM W. MOSS Introduction BETWEEN 19 APRIL AND 9 MAY 1982 Guangdong Provincial Archives in members of the Society of American Ar- Guangzhou.' In addition, six museums, chivists' study tour to the People's seven tombs and excavations, five parks Republic of China, including two Cana- and public gardens, eighteen historic dian colleagues from Alberta, traveled sites or buildings, and assorted other in- from Beijing (Peking), in the north to stitutions and enterprises were visited. Guangzhou in the south, visiting ar- The latter included a paper mill, a jade- chives and touring museums, historic carving factory, a silk embroidery in- sites, and other attractions in nine cities. stitute, a silk-weaving factory, a Seven archives were visited: the First cloisonne factory, a social welfare Historical Archives of China (Di Yi house, a normal school, a hospital, and Lishi Danganguan) and the Imperial an agricultural production brigade.2 Records Storehouse (Huang Shi Cheng) Such a three-week whirlwind tour of in Beijing; the Kong Family Archives China has its own rewards, and all (Confucian Archives) in Qufu; the Shan- members of the group derived their own dong Provincial Archives in Jinan; the pleasures from it. But the time is too Second Historical Archives of China (Di short, the subject too new, the cultural Er Lishi Danganguan) in Nanjing; the adjustments too great, and the language Shanghai Municipal Archives; and the barrier too formidable for more than 'Pinyin romanization of Chinese names is used throughout this article (except for the following cases: Chiang Kai-shek, Sun Yat-sen, Yangtze, and Kuomintang), even though we discovered that the Chinese themselves are not meticulously consistent in its use. 2The variety is explained in part by the fact that the tour was jointly hosted by the State Archives Bureau and the China Travel Service, and was booked through Special Tours for Special People, Inc., in New York. The author is chief archivist at the John F. Kennedy Library. This article is an account of the Society of American Archivists' study tour of seven archives in the People's Republic of China in the spring of 1982. The author was linguistic and cultural adviser to the group. 386 American Archivist/Fall 1982 superficial impressions to be gained. It is briefings and discussions with Chinese hard to develop critical judgment under archivists. Although the State Archives such conditions, and it is difficult to Bureau is clearly the preeminent and pursue questions beyond the stage of predominant archival agency in the Peo- rudimentary understanding. ple's Republic for professional guidance Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/45/4/385/2746939/aarc_45_4_24q7467764463454.pdf by guest on 25 September 2021 Nevertheless, we know so little about and standards, and although its position Chinese archives, and there is so little directly subordinate to the State Council published on them in English language gives it great prestige and authority, it sources, that even fleeting impressions plays a much more limited direct ad- may be useful in preparing for more ministrative role than we expected to serious work in the future.3 In this in- find. It would appear that the State Ar- stance, international friendship and chives Bureau has administrative direc- cooperation among archivists were cer- tion and direct management control of tainly well served by our Chinese hosts. only the two national historical archives, Archives seldom visited by foreigners in Beijing and Nanjing (each of which is were opened to us. We asked many ques- described in detail later in this article). tions, and within the limits of transla- The State Archives Bureau, in addition tion and time available we received full to managing the two national historical and candid answers. Zhang Tianming archives, advises the State Council on and Shi Lin of the State Archives Bureau archival matters, recommends national (Guojia Dangan Ju) worked tirelessly to archival policies and programs for con- prepare our hosts at each archives to sideration by the State Council, provides meet our interests and to answer our archival and management advice to questions. Beyond this, we all developed various levels of government, and respect and affection for our two reports to the State Council on archival Chinese archival colleagues who trav- developments nationwide. It does not elled with us, and for Yin Guomei, the provide direct control, however, in a national travel service guide who did number of critical areas. splendid work in arranging all travel, The State Archives Bureau does not lodging, food services, and tours. They administer the Central Archives of the shared our professional concerns and People's Republic of China (Zhongyang travel problems, but they also shared Danganguan). This archives, which we our laughter and on occasion our dis- were not allowed to visit, is directly tress in a spirit of comraderie and can- under the management and direction of dor that greatly contributed to the suc- the State Council. It is the principal cess of the tour. repository for the records of the central organs of the Chinese Communist Par- Archives and Administration in the Peo- ty, certain records of various people's ple's Republic of China governments established in "liberated We went to China assuming that the areas" prior to 1949, records of various State Archives Bureau simply runs all revolutionary groups prior to 1949, and, the archives in China. In fact, the reality of course, records of the government of is much more complicated and diverse, the People's Republic after 1949. Accor- as we came to realize through the many ding to the current policy promulgated 'The only English-language article that I have come across dealing with Chinese archives in depth is Beatrice Bartlett's "An Archival Revival: The Qing Central Government Archives in Peking Today," found in Ch'ing-shih Wen-t'i (Topics in Ch'ing History) 4.6 (December 1981): 81-110. Bartlett is currently prepar- ing a research guide to several Chinese archives. Archives in the PRC 387 Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/45/4/385/2746939/aarc_45_4_24q7467764463454.pdf by guest on 25 September 2021 388 American Archivist/Fall 1982 by the State Council, records are to be local levels, the State Archives Bureau transferred to central archives at various does not manage or administer the local levels when they become 30 years old; archives. Further down the line, archives actually this transfer is slow in getting of counties, districts, cities, and towns underway, and the holdings of post-1949 have the same relation to their superior Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/45/4/385/2746939/aarc_45_4_24q7467764463454.pdf by guest on 25 September 2021 records by the Central Archives is said to provincial, regional, or municipal ar- be quite small. In China, just as in the chives as the latter have to the State Ar- United States, we discovered that lack of chives Bureau in Beijing. Moreover, proper storage space and the reluctance many institutions, factories, communes, of operating agencies to part with files and commercial enterprises are owned make for less than prompt and total and operated by the government, so compliance with scheduled transfers to their records, too, are potential acces- archives. This is true not only at the sions for government archives at each center but also at the provincial and level. Some of these enterprises are municipal levels. directly subordinate to central govern- There are archives of a sort (what we ment ministries, and others to provincial might call records offices) in each staff or municipal departments. To date there office, ministry, or other organ of the does not seem to have been a great effort central government and Communist on the part of the Chinese to deal with Party apparatus. Although these receive the potential explosion of archives advice and archival guidance from the management should these myriad "ar- State Archives Bureau (by what chives" be transferred to central mechanism is not entirely clear), and repositories in accordance with the although their regulations for records 30-year rule. For the most part these retention and disposal originate in State records remain with operating units. Archives Bureau recommendations, American readers need to remember each records office is managed by and is that in China a Communist Party struc- primarily responsible to and responsive ture operates parallel to the ad- to the needs and policies of its operating ministrative government structure. Each principal. central government ministry and office, A similar relationship exists between and each provincial government or the State Archives Bureau and archives district or county government, has its of government organs below the na- own Party committee, with its own tional level. Provincial archives and ar- records and its own "archives" or chives for the autonomous regions and records office. Once again, the State Ar- special municipalities (Beijing, chives Bureau offers advice, through the Shanghai, and Tianjin) are subordinate State Council and the Party Central to and take their direction from the Committee, for the management of Par- respective provincial, regional, or ty records, but it does not itself manage municipal government councils. While or control Party records. the State Archives Bureau offers advice, Within each repository the local ad- while regulations governing local ar- ministration is about what one might ex- chives are consistent with those pro- pect when practical needs begin to take mulgated by the State Council for ar- over from general policies, governmen- chives nationwide, and while it is clear tal structure, and political ideology.