The new site of the First Historical Archives of China opened to the public recently, enabling visitors to access nearly 4.7 million archival documents.
An external view of the new site of the First Historical Archives of China [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Exhibitions of archival documents and containers of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), are currently on display.
Established in 1925, the First Historical Archives of China is a central-level national archive dedicated to managing the records of central agencies of the Ming and Qing dynasties and previous dynasties.
A view of the entrance hall of the First Historical Archives of China [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Located in No. 9 Qinian Street, Dongcheng District in Beijing, the new venue of the First Historical Archives of China has a total building area of 99,100 square meters and features 14 stories, 10 above ground and four below. It is a modern comprehensive archive platform for storage, protection, utilization, display, research and academic exchange of historical documents and plays a role in patriotic education.
The new venue includes four zones: two for exhibition and two for logistics.
The collection spans more than 550 years and contains over 10 million items, including political, military, economic, cultural and education archives.
A distant view of the First Historical Archives of China [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
In order to reduce land occupation, the main entrance was built in a concave shape, and the top part of the building is designed in a bracket system, which not only makes the main entrance easily found but also forms a facade with traditional Chinese symbols.
The project was constructed by China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Corp., Ltd.
(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)
