Ancient texts and works housed at the Derge Printing House are mainly compendiums of classical Tibetan Buddhist texts, as well as the collected works of various scholars. All texts are block printed. Block printing at the Printing House has continued at least since 1703. The extant printing blocks consist of some 325,552 texts blocks, including 228,814 precious ancient blocks carved before 1958. There are also 550 image blocks, 752 illustrations on front pages and in texts of major classic series such as Kanjur, and 3,272 drawings in The Collection of Minature Drawings of Initiations (tsakalis) in the Treasury of Precious Termas. These texts comprehensively express people’s values, religious beliefs, culture, art, science and technology from different historical periods. Reflecting the excellent traditional culture inherited by Tibetan people from generation to generation, they have had an important impact on efforts by local community groups, inheritors of the legacy of the Printing House, and practitioners to maintain their cultural identity. These texts also embody the great creative spirit of the Chinese people and have made outstanding contributions to the development of human civilization.
Huizhou Genealogy Archives (2024)
The ancient Huizhou consisted of the present-day Huangshan City and its surrounding regions. The Huizhou Genealogy Archives focus on the genealogy origin, lineage, living environment, clan regulations, family rules, biographies of famous people, property rights, folk literature and other aspects of Huizhou folk society, spanning over 2,700 years from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (770-221 BC) to the Republic of China period (1912-1949). The nominated archives consist of 427 volumes (totalling 2,235 books), covering the genealogy archives of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as the Republic of China period. They not only give shape to the genealogy culture of countries and regions in the Confucian culture circle, but also are valuable archives for the studies on composition and development of ethnic groups all over the world. Based on the genealogy culture, a grassroots governance system of government, clans and gentries in traditional society was constructed. The archives historically bear witness to the close ties among bloodline continuation, spiritual inheritance, material creation and cultural creation.
Archives Relating to Chengdu Traditional Teahouses (2024)
Located in the southwest China (the main tea-producing region), Chengdu is one of the significant cradles of teahouse culture. Traditional teahouses in Chengdu can be found in both urban and rural areas, known for their distinctive use of covered bowls for serving tea. These teahouses serve as venues for public activities, information exchange, local product trading, folk-art performances and harmonious interactions among people from diverse backgrounds around the world. Archives relating to Chengdu Traditional Teahouses consist of documents related to almost all teahouses in Chengdu from 1903 to 1949, including manuscripts, business documents, charts, photographs, and printed materials, totalling 6,345 items. The content of these archives relates to various aspects of the daily operations of teahouses, industry administration, multifaceted functions, cultural exchanges, and the protection of women’s rights etc. The Archives offer a specific insight into mutual influences between teahouse culture and other aspects of society, representing a facet of the development process of cities in modern and contemporary China like Chengdu. Among similar archives, this collection stands out for its systematic and comprehensive documentation to serve as essential primary sources for studying traditional culture, particularly Chinese tea culture, embodying important academic value.
Archives of the Initial Dasheng Spinning Factory (1896-1907) (2022)
This archive, generated in the course of founding and managing of the spinning factory by a pioneering entrepreneur of his time, signifies significant aspects of social transition at the turn of 20th century. While the experiences themselves are not exclusive to China, but shared by neighbouring countries in East Asia, this archive appears to be rare if not unique in documenting these. It is noteworthy that the figure’s conversion from a top-ranking degree holder to a leading entrepreneur shows that era’s changes in cultural climate as well as in values.
Shui Character Documents, Guizhou Province (2022)
Written in pictographs and pictorial symbols by the Shui people in the southern mountainous region of Guizhou Province, items in this collection are used in religious rituals, interpreting the language and songs of the Shui ethnic group and are the original religious classics used by Shui character masters (wise men). The documents are unique, and in a very valuable array of formats, forming a rich cultural trove that feeds modern day communities of Shui, keeping alive this knowledge. This nomination is of particular relevance to be inscribed during the United Nations Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032).
International Conference on Safeguarding and Increasing Access to the Documentary Heritage of the Silk Routes
The International Conference on Safeguarding and Increasing Access to the Documentary Heritage of the Silk Routes has been held in Fuzhou, China, from the 6-8 November 2018. The meeting was organised by the National Archives of China, in cooperation with the East Asian Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (EASTICA), and hosted by the Fujian Provincial Archives.
The meeting brought together delegates from China, SAR Hong Kong, SAR Macau, Japan, Korea and Mongolia to share information the different documentary heritage relating to the Silk Road and Spice Routes held in their collections, and then discussing cooperation strategies for safeguarding and increasing access to them.
A number of MOWCAP Bureau members and Special Advisors were invited to participate and speak at the seminar, including: Misako Ito, who gave an overview of UNESCO’s Silk Road initiatives; Ray Edmondson, who shared an update on the current state of the MoW program; and Andrew Henderson, who outlined how MOWCAP acts to support regional cooperation for documentary heritage preservation/access.
An exhibition on Documentary Heritage Along the Silk Road was also held in conjunction with the seminar at the Fujian Provincial Archives. The exhibition featured documents from the National Archives of Chine, some of which had never been exhibited before.
The program from the seminar can be found here.
The Four Treatises of Tibetan Medicine (2018)
The Four Treatises contain the sowa rigpa theoretical system and practice of Tibetan medicine developed since the 8th century AD combining the pre-Buddhist Bon knowledge and practices with Chinese, Indian and Persian medical traditions. It was further advanced in the 12th century to become more detailed and complete. Over the years it was translated into English, German, Mongolian, Japanese, Russian and other languages.
The texts consist of four xylograph versions, known as Drathang (1546), Tadan (1640), Chagpori (1892), and Gadan Phuntsok Ling (1662) and one gold-ink handwritten version (1942), all stored at the Mentseekhang Traditional Tibetan Hospital in Lhasa. The wood blocks of all except Chagpori were completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Among the five versions, the four xylograph versions of the Four Treatises, which were handed down from generation to generation, were the greatest treasure among all the ancient sowa rigpa texts collected by the Chagpori Sowa Rigpa School from all over Tibet in 1698. They were kept there until 1916, and have been well preserved in the Mentseekhang Traditional Tibetan Hospital since then.
It is noted that if other alternate versions or related documents are identified, they could be eligible for addition to the inscription at a later date.
The Archives of Nanyang Volunteer Drivers and Mechanics (Nanqiao Jigong)(2018)
The Archives of Nanyang Volunteer Drivers and Mechanics (Nanqiao Jigong) focus on more than 3,000 drivers and mechanics residing in Nanyang (an old Chinese name for Southeast Asia) who provided international material transportation during the Sino-Japanese War and World War II. The nominated archives consist of original, mostly hand-written documents generated in the process of recruitment, deployment and repatriation of overseas chinese volunteers as truck drivers during 1937-1947.
The documents are not only a record of wartime support by civilian volunteers from the overseas chinese community but also a testimony of the distinctive bonds between Chinese homeland and emigrant society in Southeast Asian countries.
Official Records of Macao During the Qing Dynasty (1693-1886) (2016)
The official records consist of 3,600 documents mainly from the mid eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries. They are the official correspondence between the Chinese authorities in the Guangdong region of China and the Portuguese authorities in Macau, and are written in both Chinese characters and Portuguese. Some non-government records are also included in the collection.
The port of Macau was the gateway to China and of strategic international importance for the development of EastWest trade and the exchange of ideas and knowledge between China and the rest of the world. The records are evidence of this importance and the topics covered include, economic and trade issues, Christian missionary activity, shipping and diplomatic relations between Macau and Asian and European countries. The records also include activities within Macau such as urban development, industrial and agricultural growth and trade. They are a major original source for understanding the Qing dynasty’s policies during the period of Western colonial expansion in China.
The collection was transferred to the care of the Senhora da Graça Convent in Lisbon, Portugal, in the late 19th century and then transferred to the National Archive of Torre do Tombo (Portuguese National Archives). It is likely that the collection was first transferred from Macau to Portugal by missionaries who recognised its importance and the need for more secure storage. In 2015, a memorandum of understanding between Macau and Portugal was signed for the management of the records and includes agreement for collaboration on the conservation and digitization of the collection.
Archives and Manuscripts of Macau Kong Tac Lam Temple (1645 – 1980) (2016)
The collection consists of documentary heritage from the late Ming Dynasty to the mid-20th century and was started in 1925 when Zhang Shou Bo (18681946), also known as Kung Bun Master, returned to Macau, built the Temple Kong Tac Lam, supported by community leaders and charitable donations. They organised the Macau Buddhist College and started collecting Buddhist documents. There are now over 6,000 items in the collection they started, including rare books, old photos, celebrity letters, manuscripts, painting and calligraphy, and Buddhist texts in different types of formats. The collection also includes documentation of the activities of the Buddhist Masters and intellectuals associated with the Temple after its establishment.
Prior to establishing the Temple, Zhang Shou Bo had established schools, advocated for the abolition of opium and for improving the status of women. The archives and manuscripts are evidence of the continuation of this work by the Masters and intellectuals and the role they played in spreading Buddhist teaching and ideology in Macau, China and neighbouring regions. Those associated with the Temple provided education for women and promoted the link between education and social status for women. Their activities also influenced similar activities in Hong Kong and China. During the Second World War Macau was a neutral city and the documentation is evidence that during this time it became a haven for intellectuals who continued to progress and advocate for their social causes.
The collection includes documentary heritage on palm leaves, manuscripts, fine silk, wood engraving and photographs. Most of the items are unique, although other copies of the rare books may exist in other repositories. A comprehensive catalogue which uses the ‘Professional Classification Scheme on Buddhist Literature’ is available for public use at the Temple.