Whispers of emperors and echoes of revolution reside within these walls. We stand before the new home of the Beijing Municipal Archives, or 北京市档案馆新馆. This impressive structure, opened on June 9, 2019, guards the city’s memory. The Beijing Municipal Archives isn’t just a building. It’s a time capsule, a guardian of Beijing’s stories, spanning from the Ming Dynasty to the modern era.
The previous location, on Puhuangyu Road, served the city well. But this new building on Nanmofang Road offers a modern, spacious home for Beijing’s ever-growing collection. Imagine holding a Ming Dynasty grant from 1533. Here, at the Beijing Municipal Archives, such treasures exist. The collection even boasts documents from the Republic of China era, making up almost half of the archive’s holdings.
The architecture itself speaks volumes. Ten stories above ground and two below house not only archives but also exhibition halls, academic report halls with simultaneous interpretation in eight languages, and spacious archive reading rooms. The sheer size of the building, over 11,500 square meters, is a testament to the importance of preserving history. A massive mural, “京华韵,” graces the central hall. This artwork depicts the city’s evolution through time and space, a visual representation of the very history housed within these walls. Ancient landmarks like the Lugou Bridge and the Forbidden City share space with modern icons like the China Zun and the Beijing Daxing International Airport.
The Beijing Municipal Archives is more than a repository. It’s a living testament to the city’s vibrant past and a promise to its future. Within these walls, whispers of emperors mingle with the echoes of revolution, creating a symphony of history that waits to be explored. The archive holds over 954 fonds, including 246.4 million paper documents, 34,000 audio and video recordings, and 75 million digitized pages, a testament to Beijing’s rich tapestry of history. The Beijing Municipal Archives is a treasure trove of Beijing’s past, waiting to be discovered.