Page 127 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.47, 2021

126 Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.13, 2021

Dynasty promoted the use of archives in government affairs, cultural and academic activities; a
uniform style of writing was established in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties; the
system of Tie Huang to make corrections on official documents was initiated in the Tang Dynasty;
the earliest imperial archives were created in the Song Dynasty; the system of separate shelves
for different languages established in the Yuan Dynasty perfected the practice of the centralized
management of multi-ethnic archives; in the Ming Dynasty, the amount of archives reached a
historical peak; the document system of the Qing Dynasty covered new types of documents, such
as reports presented to the emperor, and hundreds of files, such as those on functional naming,
transliteration of Manchu scripts, and place naming, while the file management systems such as
the system of separate volume for each case and the system of cataloging and registration also
reached a new height; and the reform movement of document archives in the period of Republic
of China promoted the emergence and development of modern archival science. The heritage of
archives is true record of the birth and formation of the civilization and the historical evidence of
cross-civilization dialogue. The protection and utilization of the archives heritage is a major part of
the history of archives with Chinese characteristics, bearing the disciplinary mission of “promoting
mutual learning among civilizations”.

2.4 Discourse support

(1) Historic discourse
In the over 5, 000 years of written history in China, the unique archival science has been
created. The carriers, preservation techniques and management system of archives from the
ancient times, as well as the buildings of archives bearing the characteristics of previous dynasties,
are the embodiment of the historic discourse of archival science with Chinese characteristics.
Archives on the oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, maps, imperial edicts and records
reflect the history of political, economic, cultural, military and national development with
Chinese characteristics; the inheritance and protection of traditional archival materials and carrier
materials are proof of cherishing the precious achievements of historical development in China;
the construction of buildings for archives in ancient China from the Han Dynasty reflects the
distinctive governance of the ancient times and the ingenuity and wisdom of the people. With the
support of the historic discourse, it is easier to tell the story and voice the ideas of archival science
in China.
(2) Modern discourse
Guided by the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, the modern
discourse of the basic theories of archival science has gradually become more varied, multi-
dimensional and diversified, which is reflected in a number of ways. For example, China
has the largest number of archival institutions in the world; cultivated the largest number of
professionals; developed archival education and archival undertakings with distinctive features;