Second Historical Archives of China, National archives in Nanjing, China.
The Second Historical Archives of China is an archive in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, that holds records from the Republic of China period, spanning from 1912 to 1949. The collection covers official files, photographs, and correspondence produced by government agencies during those decades.
The archive was founded in 1951, shortly after the end of the Republic of China, to safeguard the records left behind by government agencies of that era. Nanjing was chosen as its home because the city had served as the national capital for much of the republican period.
Many of the stored documents carry stamps, handwritten notes, and official seals that show how government offices actually worked during the Republic of China period. Walking through the reading rooms gives a sense of how much daily administration was recorded on paper.
The building sits on Zhongshan East Road in Nanjing and is easy to reach by public transport. Visitors planning to consult documents should check access conditions in advance, as some collections may require researcher accreditation.
The archive holds documents that were meant to leave with the Nationalist government when it retreated to Taiwan in 1949 but ended up staying on the mainland. These records form an unexpected link between the histories of both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
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