Page 116 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.47, 2021

Historical development and contemporary construction

of the basic theoretical system of archival science with
Chinese characteristics

ZHANG Bin & YIN Xin 〇a ∗

School of Information Resource Management, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China

Abstract
The historical development of the basic theoretical system of archival science in China has gone through
three major stages: the initial stage, the development stage and the formation stage. It has distinctive
characteristics in different historical periods. The basic features of the system are reflected in the
essential attributes, objects and scope, and methodology.
The core concepts in the construction of the system can be summarized into four categories: 1)
leadership of the Communist Party of China; 2) evidence of national conditions; 3) imprints on the
civilization; and 4) discourse support. The contemporary construction of the system is helpful in keeping
and promoting the Chinese characteristics in the basic theories of archival science, so that we are able
to focus on building the archival value theory of the new era, and develop the pillar theories of archival
science suited to the national conditions in China, the theory of digital humanities for the cultural
renaissance in China, the archival information theory in view of the Long-Range Objectives through the
Year 2035, as well as the archival management theory based on the governance of China in the new era.

Keywords
Archival science, Fundamental theory, Theoretical framework, Historical development, Theoretical
construction

0 Introduction

Just like the history of the Chinese civilization, the history of archives and archival work in China
can also be traced back thousands of years. In the thousands of years’ development, Chinese people
have accumulated rich practical experience, which provides fertile soil for the birth and growing
of the basic theoretical system of archival science with Chinese characteristics. After the founding
of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, several generations of archivists such as WU Baokang
established and developed the discipline of archival science based on the practice and conditions in
China, and condensed their practical experience into basic theories of the discipline.
The basic theories of archival science mainly cover the fundamental and universal issues of
the discipline, including the definition, nature, categories, functions, value, and law of movement

* Correspondence should be addressed to YIN Xin, Email:yinxin@ruc.edu.cn, ORCID:0000-0003-1450-6726.