Successful nominations to MOWCAP are entered on the Asia/Pacific Regional Register.
The Register is a listing of those “documentary heritage of influence” in the Asia/Pacific Region approved for inclusion by MOWCAP.
As stipulated in the Memory of the World: General Guidelines to Safeguard Documentary Heritage (2002), the selection criteria of the Regional Registers should use the criteria adopted by the International Register as a template, make logical variations and may incorporate additional criteria appropriate to the regional context (paragraph 4.1.6). The basic selection criteria include: authenticity, uniqueness, significance in terms of time, place, people, subject and theme, form and style, integrity, threat and management plan.
MOWCAP is the authority that approves all inscriptions on the Memory of the World Asia/Pacific Regional Register. It does this by considering recommendations from its Asia/Pacific Register Subcommittee which are based on selection criteria listed in paragraph 1.2 of the MOWCAP Guidelines.
The call for nominations and inscriptions on the Asia Pacific Register is made every two years.
The following documentary heritage is listed on the Asia Pacific Regional Register:
Australia
F.E. Williams Collection of Photographs 1922-1943 (2012) - Glass plate photographs and negatives of Papuan society from 1922 to 1943, the period of ‘first contact’ with a culture hardly known to the West at the time.
Queensland Indentured Labour Records 1863-1908 (2014) - The indentured labour records 1863-1908 are uniqie government records documenting the arrival, employment and deportation or exemption from deportation of South Sea Islanders in Queensland.Landmark Constitutional Documents of the Commonwealth of Australia (2008) - A set of 17 documents from Australia that form the “Landmark Constitutional Documents of the Commonwealth of Australia.”
Cambodia
The Reamker by Takrut (2014) - The recordings of the Reamker epic by Trakrut are the only known audio materials of an oral Khmer tradition.
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Archive (2008) - The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Archive contains about 12,000 negatives and photos of the staff and 5,000 of the 15,000 prisoners held captive in the Tuol Sleng Prison and interrogation centre as well as prison documents.
China and Special Administrative Regions
Official Records of Macao During the Qing Dynasty (1693-1886) (2016) - Mainly records created and received by the Procuratura of the Leal Senado
(Office of the Procurator of the Loyal Senate of Macao) in the course of its official business
transaction with the Chinese Authorities from Guangdong from 1693 to 1886.Archives and Manuscripts of Macau Kong Tac Lam Temple (1645 – 1980) (2016) - The collection, comprises over 6,000 volumes of rare books in 2,000 titles, archives,
manuscripts, and Buddhist texts on palm leaves.
Archives of Confucius’ Family of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (2016) - The files cover all aspects of the social life, including politics, economy, culture, ideology and clan affairs, etc.
Archives of Suzhou Silk Samples (2016) - The Archives of the Suzhou Silk Samples have 302,814 silk sample archives in 28,650 volumes. These include samples, processing techniques and real objects gradually accumulated from the end of the 19th century to the end of 20th century.
The Double Stellar Hemisphere (2014) - The DOUBLE STELLAR HEMISPHERE (hereinafter referred to as the Map) was printed in the 7th year of Chong Zhen Emperor of the Ming dynasty (1634), xylographically printed in eight vertical sections of fine Chinese native paper, well mounted with blue palace silk for screen hanging.
Tibet Autonomous Region of China: Official Records of Tibet from the Yuan Dynasty China, 1304-1367 (2012) - The only records of their kind now extant, they are from the period of Mongol rule and are the oldest surviving written official records of China.
Qiaopi and Yinxin: Correspondence and Remittance Documents from Overseas (2012) - Some 170,000 items of personal correspondence tracing the fortunes of Chinese emigrants to South East Asia, Oceania and America in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Archives and materials of the Macao Diocese from the 1550s to 1800s (2010) - Records, correspondence, training materials and books documenting the development of Catholicism in the Far East, and influences on culture, economics and education in China and Europe.
The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon (2010) - Originating in the second century BC, the theoretical foundation for the formation and development of traditional Chinese medicine.Cook Islands
The Proclamation (E Tutatua Akakite) of 1891 (2014) - A fragile and rare, one-paged document written in Maori, the language spoken by most of the population of the Cook Islands at that time, called the Proclamation (E Tutatua Akakite), signed by the Earl of Onslow, on 4th April, 1891, on behalf of the Queen of Great Britain & Ireland, placing a protectorate over the Cook Islands. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Mu Ye Do Bo Tong Ji, Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts (2016) - Mu Ye Do Bo Tong Ji was printed in April 1790 and is a comprehensive martial arts book that explains the Korean traditional martial arts which became the origin of Taekwon-do, the international marital arts of today.Fiji
Polynesian Immigrants Records 1876-1914 (2014) - The National Archives of Fiji's collection of records of the imported Pacific Islands Labourers who were indentured to work as plantation workers during the labour trade from 1876 - 1914. Constitutes important information for genealogical and historical information.
Documentary Heritage of the Indian Indentured Labourers (2010) - Records of colonially-induced labour migration from 1879 to the 1960s.Indonesia
Nāgarakrĕtāgama or Description of the Country (1365 AD) (2008) - The “Nagara Kertagama” is a 14th century Javanese text written on palm-leaves that gave an account of government and society in the Majapahit kingdom that covered most of the geographical area covering present-day Indonesia. The memory of this kingdom inspired the founders of Indonesia in their struggle against colonial rule.Iran
Arafāt al-Āshiqīn va Arasāt al-Arifīn (2016) - This is one of the most prominent and most comprehensive biographies in Farsi written by Taqi al-Din Muhammad Owḥadī Husseini Daqāqī Balīyānī (1565-1630 AD.). The book contains the biographies of about 3500 poets who are from Afghanistan, Iran and the Indian subcontinent from the past to the time of the author.
Vendidad (2014) - Avesta is the overall name given to Iranians most ancient collection of writings and composition. It is an Iranian encyclopedia and the holy scripture for followers of Zarathustra.
The Soul of the Reef (2014) - As one of the most important scientific documentaries, The Soul of the Reef, with its good rhythm and precise audio/video synchronization, has a poetic look at the reefs.
Collection of Documents and Images of Karbala (2014) - The “collection of documents and images of Karbala”, is a compilation of authentic and diverse documents, which includes official reports and documents obtained from the Qajar Dynasty (Iran), the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) and the eras of monarchical and republic regimes in Iraq.
Al-Masaalik Wa Al-Mamaalik (2014) - The Al-Masaalik Wa Al-Mamaalik, Istakhri’s invaluable work, is one of the most important geographical books from the 4th century AH/10 CE, which presents an accurate description of the then socio-economic, cultural and political conditions of the Islamic lands –from India to Africa- supplemented by maps.
Japan
Suiheisha and Hyeongpyengsa (records of cross border solidarity between the minorities that have been discriminated against) (2016) - The Suiheisha was created in 1922 in Japan and the Hyeongpyengsa in 1923 in Korea by the minorities in the respective countries.
Lao PDR
Neo Lao Hak Xath Film Collection (2014) - The Neo Lao Hak Xath Film Collection is a significant collection of 450 newsreel and documentary films, which were shot in Laos during the Indochina War.Malaysia
Kitab Ilmu Bedil (MS 101) or Book of Malay Traditional Weaponry (2016) - This is a Malay manuscript which is regarded as a traditional literary genre written in the mid-19th century containing the precious traditional knowledge on weaponry.Maldives
Loamaafaanu (2014) - Loamaafaanu(s), are the official records of land grants, written on copperplates, given to mosques built by Sultans after the Maldives converted to Islam.
Mongolia
Tibetan Dictionary of Definitions and Terms entitled as The Space for Attaining Wisdom (2016) - The Space for Attaining Wisdom is the only extant copy of well preserved wooden print blocks to illustrate the best traditions of publishing by Mongolians.Sutra of Great Diety Tara (2014) - This work is a unique piece of art where texts of Green and White Tara were written in 79 lines in less than 5 cm of space using very thin pen point.
Lu. “Altan Tobchi” (2010) - Written in 1651, covers the history of Mongolia and neighbouring countries from the 13th to 17th centuries, including the reach of the Mongol empire across Asia and Europe.
Myanmar
King Bayintnaung Bell Inscription (2016) - Donated by King Bayintnaung at Shwezegon Pagoda in Bagan in 1557 AD. It is written in three languages - Pali on the top part and Myanmar and Mon on each face of the half body
New Zealand
Western Pacific Archives (2014) - The Western Pacific Archives comprises the records of the Western Pacific High Commission, from 1875 until 1878, and the territorial records of the British Agent and Consul, Tonga, and the New Hebrides British Service.
The Tokyo War Crimes Trials 1946-1948 (2010) - Documents of the International Military Tribunal Far East, including the history of Japanese ambitions in the Pacific prior to World War II.Papua New Guinea
F.E. Williams Collection of Photographs 1922-1943 (2012) - Glass plate photographs and negatives of Papuan society from 1922 to 1943, the period of ‘first contact’ with a culture hardly known to the West at the time.
Philippines
The Presidential papers of Manuel Luis Quezon (2010) - Principal documentary source of Philippine history for the American colonial period 1898-1946.
Republic of Korea
Pyeon-aek : Hanging Wooden Plaques in Korea (2016) - These comprise the hand-carved woodblocks with meaningful letters for hanging at the center of a traditional building. Letters on the hanging wooden plaques implicitly reflect the moral values of building owners.
Samoa
Archives of German-Samoa Colonial Administration (2014) - The German Colonization period in Samoa from 1900 – 1914 is one of the most significant eras in the history of Samoa. The documents provide a record of a unique example of Germany’s colonial expansion in the Pacific, while also assuming a wider international significance.
Singapore
Asian Film Archive Collection Cathay-Keris Malay Classics (2014) - The 91 survivng titles represent a portion of Singapore's golden age of filmmaking (l950s and 1960s). The films tell the stories indigenous to the Malay peoples of Singapore and Malaysia, display disappearing traditions and music, while reflecting the social mores and attitudes of the time.Thailand
The Epigraphic Archives of Wat Pho (2008) - The Epigraphic Archives of Wat Pho in Bangkok is a unique collection of 1,360 Thai language inscriptions on marble plates made in the 1830’s on both religious and secular subjects, representing a wide range of Thai knowledge of Asian and local roots of the time.
Uzbekistan
Turkestan Collection (2016) - The “Turkestan Collection” is a collection of a variety of printed materials on diverse topics related to the history, culture, ethnography, geography, economics, social life and traditions of Turkestan and
Central Asian countries from the early 60s of the XIX century to 1939.Vietnam
Royal Literature on Hue Royal Architecture (1802-1945) (2016) - The art values of verse, character and picture panels are expressed in the form of one verse panel with one picture panel or one character panel with one picture panel creating a unique style of Hue royal architectural decoration.
Phuc Giang School Woodblocks (18th-20th Centuries) (2016) - The woodblocks created by the Nguyen Huy family during their cultural activities between the 18th–20th centuries were used for teaching and learning at Phuc Giang School, Truong Luu village.Imperial Records of Nguyen Dynasty (1802 – 1945) (2014) - Nguyen dynasty’s Imperial records are administrative records of the Nguyen dynasty, the last feudal dynasty in Vietnam which lasted from 1802 to 1945.
Stone Stele Records of Royal Examinations of the Le and Mac Dynasties 1442-1779 (2010) - Records the names and related information of doctoral laureates who passed the 82 royal examinations over this period and formed the core of Vietnam’s civil service.Woodblocks at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Bac Giang Province (2012) - Over 3,000 woodblocks, engraved from 1871 to 1932, containing Buddhist sutras and other documents of the Truc Lam Zen sect in the Nôm script. This distinctly Vietnamese Buddhist tradition has spread to many countries.