On the afternoon of June 1st, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited the Central Headquarter of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) situated at the foot of the Yanshan Mountains in Changping District of Beijing.
Established in July 2022, the CNAPC, which also has three branch museums in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou besides the Central Headquarter, is mainly home to Chinese publications of different eras and relevant data, including ancient classics, important publications as well as digital files. Several original volumes of "the Complete Library in Four Sections", or "Siku Quanshu", a collection of Chinese classical works compiled in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) are available there. Important modern publications such as "The Communist Manifesto" are also part of its collection. Therefore, it serves as a "seed bank" of Chinese civilization in many aspects.
After he entered the Wenhua Hall, Xi Jinping listened to the introduction of the planning and construction of the archives, and stayed in the National Study, watching the exhibition of ancient Chinese book classics and the exhibition of contemporary Chinese top quality and feature publications.
At the Wenhan Shelf, Xi Jinping scrutinized the exhibition of classic versions of Marxism's sinicization and modernization, occasionally inquiring about the collection and organization of versions, and then climbed onto a five-story terrace to overlook the full view of the archives.
Later, Xi Jinping came to the Lantai (another Chinese saying for archives) Storecave to visit the "Han Tibetan Mongolian Manchu Tibetan Sutra Carving Combination" and "Si Ku Quan Shu Combination" exhibition, and to have a detailed understanding of the preservation of the high-quality versions in the library's collection.
“I am very concerned about the valuable versions of ancient Chinese civilization that have been passed down through the vicissitudes of life. The construction of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture is a project that I am very concerned about and personally approved. The original intention is to collect and protect all the ancient materials that can be collected at this stage of our history, and continue to inherit the only uninterrupted civilization in the world. Collecting historical documents has been a longstanding tradition deeply rooted in the Chinese nation and it is usual practice to revise classics especially in the prosperous era. In the new era of national prosperity and social stability, we have the will and capacity to carry forward Chinese culture, and we should accomplish this great undertaking well. I am certain and satisfied with the construction and management of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture. Its main task is to strengthen the collection of historical and classic versions, which should be protected well according to classes and categories. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen research on collections in order to better carry out the collection of ancient book versions. On the premise of doing a good job in collection, it should assist all parties in researching and excavating versions of historical classics. In short, the construction of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture is a fundamental project for the construction of a civilized country, and a landmark cultural project that benefits both the present and the future,” said Xi Jinping.
(Source: CCTV)