The Three-Character Classic of Archival Work: a brief overview of Chinese archival history and practice

Abstract

China is one of the world’s earliest civilisations with a written history extending back nearly five thousand years and an accompanying history of over three thousand six hundred years of archival work. The Three-Character Classic of Archival Work, a poem written in a traditional Chinese style, outlines this long history of the development of archival work in China. Through the presentation and analysis of an English translation of the newly revised version of this poem, the authors examine the archival history and practice of China from ancient times to the present day. In explanatory notes and a reflection examining the historical overview the poem provides, the authors consider the formation, change, transition, and development of Chinese archival traditions to demonstrate the multi-faceted impact on archival work today. The article establishes how, over time, some of these traditions have been incorporated into current practice, whereas others have been updated or rejected. Alongside this, the development of Chinese archival education over the past century is also detailed, to illustrate how this has been key to the professionalisation of archival work. The article concludes by arguing that, in the context of rapidly changing society and technology, the experience and tradition of the past will continue to provide a valuable reference point for the future development of archival work in China.