The Imperial Archives City

The Imperial Archives City

Destination Introduction

The Imperial Archives City, also known as the "Tablet and Memorial Repository," served as the royal archives. It is located on the east side of Nanri Street in Nanchizi Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing, close to the eastern side of the Forbidden City. Originally built in the 13th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1534), it underwent renovations in the 2nd year of the Longqing reign (1568) and the 11th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1806). It is the most completely preserved imperial archives repository in China, with a history of over 460 years.

As early as the Qin and Han dynasties, China had the system of “golden chests and stone chambers.” The “Book of Han · Annals of Emperor Gaozu, Part 2” records: “Covenants were engraved with the meritorious officials, sealed in red ink on iron pledges, and stored in golden chests and stone chambers within ancestral temples.” The so-called “golden chests” were copper cabinets, and the “stone chambers” were houses built from stone—both designed to be fireproof to ensure the permanent preservation of precious archives. Later dynasties continued the Qin and Han traditions while developing their own systems to store imperial records such as “Veritable Records,” “Imperial Instructions,” and “Imperial Genealogical Records.” Historical archives repositories were built in various dynasties, but most have been destroyed. Few remain as completely preserved as the Imperial Archives City, which highlights the unique value of this architectural complex.

It is almost impossible to build a house without using any wood, and even more unbelievable to construct a grand hall without any timber. Yet the Imperial Archives City is a genuine stone palace, entirely built from bricks and stones, with not a single piece of wood used.

Address: No. 136, Nanchizi Avenue

Contact Number: 65289103

Fax: 65212646

Opening Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Open on Saturdays and Sundays)

Location: Situated on the east side of Nanri Street in Nanchizi Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing, close to the eastern side of the Forbidden City.

The entire structure of the Imperial Archives City is made of brick and stone, covering an area of over 2,000 square meters. Its main buildings include the Gate of the Imperial Archives City, the Main Hall, East and West Side Halls, and the Imperial Stele Pavilion, all enclosed by a vermilion wall. The Main Hall is built on a 2-meter-high stone platform, surrounded by white marble railings, with a width of nine bays. It features a yellow glazed tile hip-and-gable roof and is an arched vault-style beamless building. The beams, brackets, doors, and windows are all carved from white marble, with golden painted designs on the beams. The hall door has five bays, all double-layered. Inside, there is a 2-meter-high white marble Sumeru pedestal, upon which sit 152 gilded bronze-plated camphorwood cabinets adorned with carved cloud-and-dragon patterns. There are windows on the gable walls to allow air circulation. The structure is designed to be fireproof and moisture-resistant, making it an important cultural relic that combines artistic, scientific, and practical values. In the Ming Dynasty, in addition to storing “Veritable Records,” “Imperial Instructions,” and “Imperial Genealogical Records” from various reigns, it also housed a duplicate of the Yongle Encyclopedia and other important archives. In the Qing Dynasty, besides the “Veritable Records,” it also stored the “Collected Statutes of the Great Qing,” “Strategies of the Northern Campaigns,” internal cabinet duplicates, and even military seals. It is the most completely preserved imperial archives repository in China and a typical example of the study of “golden chests and stone chambers.” It is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Transportation Information

Take bus routes 2, 4, 10, 20, or 60 to Tiananmen, or get off at Nanchizi and walk north along the east side of the road.

Beijing Dongcheng District

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units