Documents in National Palace Museum, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of documents from the Qing dynasty! Here, you can explore a variety of different documents from this period, including Archives in Old Manchu, Archives of the Diary-keeper, Tripitaka in Tibetan and Manchu, Palace Memorials, Manuscripts and Packets from the Historiography Institute, Map of Taiwan and Illustration of Victory: Archives of the Grand Council. These documents are all important pieces of Chinese history that tell us about how people interacted with each other during this time period. Come take a look at these fascinating artifacts today!

1. Archives in Old Manchu

In the 1500s, the Manchu leader Nurhaci needed a way to send written messages and keep records. He ordered scholars to create a written language for the Manchu people, based on the Mongolian alphabet and combined with Jurchen phonetics. This early form of Manchu was called Old Manchu.

2. Archives of the Diary-keeper

The "Ch'i-chu chu" was an official in imperial China whose duty was to record the daily actions and sayings of the emperor into what was known as the "Archives of the Diary-keeper." This system has ancient origins in China, extending as far as the Zhou dynasty ca.

3. Tripitaka in Tibetan / Tripitaka in Manchu

Buddhism has been a major world religion for over 2000 years. The Buddhist scriptures, known as Sutras, were translated into Tibetan and Manchu in order to preserve the language and history of China. The Sutras are a crucial source of historical material.

4. Palace Memorials

The way documents were submitted to the court during the early Qing dynasty followed the system used during the Ming dynasty. However, starting from the middle of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the system was changed. Now, the contents of these confidential memorials included both public and private matters.

5. Manuscripts and Packets from the Historiography Institute

The Qing Historiography Institute was established in 1914. The National Palace Museum archives manuscripts and final drafts of many documents from the Institue, which reveal important aspects of society at the time.

6. Map of Taiwan

The "Map of Taiwan" is a long and skinny map that stretches from Shamajitou in the south to the City of Dajilong in the north, and from mountains in the east to seas in the west.

7. Illustration of Victory: Archives of the Grand Council

"Poem and Illustration on 'Battle Breaking the Defense of Hei-shui'" is the first type of copperplate print-based war painting to be produced during the Qianlong era.