After we understand the basic concept of archives, I want to talk to you about the history of archives, so as to help you better understand the development and evolution of archives.
Archives have a history of thousands of years since they came into being today. As we all know, in ancient times, before writing appeared, human ancestors usually recorded hunting, labor, population reproduction and other things by means of "tying knots and carving deeds". In fact, this is the prototype of the file. As for the word "file", it has never been seen before in the Ming Dynasty, and the titles of different dynasties are different. Shang dynasty called it a book, Zhou dynasty called it a clock, Qin dynasty called it an ancient book, and Han and Wei dynasties later called it a document, a copy, a case and a book. According to the existing historical data, the word "archives" first appeared in Ju Ju Zhu in the 19th year of Qing Emperor Kangxi (1680). In Kangxi Dictionary, the word "file" is interpreted as "cross-frame file", which means wooden frame; The word "case" is interpreted as "several genera" in Shuo Wen Jie Zi, which is a bit like a small table. Therefore, the relevant documents dealing with an incident are called cases, and the official documents kept are collectively called "cases" or "files". "File" and "case" are used together, that is, files stored on the file shelf. The word archives has been used continuously for more than 300 years, and now it has become a scientific concept. Its definition is still the deepening and development of the original meaning.
The carrier forms of archives are also enriched with the changes of history and the development of science and technology. Everyone knows that "Oracle Bone Inscriptions" is an early hieroglyphic file carved on animal bones. Through the textual research and research on Oracle Bone Inscriptions, we can understand the society thousands of years ago.
I believe everyone has seen pictures of some characters reading documents and books written on bamboo and wood from some historical movies. Please note that this is what we usually call a "bamboo profile". As early as the Yin Dynasty, China began to use bamboo and wood as writing materials for documents and books. Until the Western Han Dynasty, state official documents and private writings were mainly written on bamboo slips and wooden slips. For more than 2,000 years, the files of bamboo slips have been found many times in China, but most of them have been lost. After liberation, many bamboo slips and records of the Warring States and the Han Dynasty were found in various places.
In the late Shang Dynasty, bronze wares made of copper-tin alloy appeared. At that time, people called the words engraved on objects "inscriptions", and later generations also called them "inscriptions" Bronzes were used until the Western Han Dynasty. These inscriptions vary in length, ranging from 400 to 500 words. Its contents are also very extensive, some of which record the political and military activities of various countries and the disputes between countries; Some record the titles of emperors and various ancestral teachings and proverbs that individuals have received; There are also laws. This bronze inscription, preserved as an archival document to record words and events, has great documentary value and provides first-hand archival historical materials for studying the social and historical situation at that time.
There is also a file carrier, which appeared in the Qin and Han Dynasties. At that time, the textile industry began to develop and produce thin silk. Because silk books have the characteristics of light texture, convenient writing, light transmission, easy folding, easy rolling and easy storage and readability, they make up for the shortcomings of bamboo slips, such as heavy weight and inconvenient transportation, reading and storage. Therefore, in the Qin and Han dynasties, the court documents that we often saw in the film and television works read the imperial edict were a kind of silk file. In ancient silk archives, calligraphy and painting all have wooden shafts on the left and right or up and down. After reading it, it is rolled up along the wooden shaft for preservation, and then files, books, calligraphy and painting are taken as storage units, which are still called "volumes" according to the ancient name.
As for the appearance of paper, it has naturally become a widely used document carrier. Since modern times, other forms of documents have appeared, such as movies and photos.
In recent 50 years, due to the rapid development of science and technology, electronic files have reappeared. The so-called electronic files are archived electronic files and corresponding supporting software products and software that can be recognized by computer systems, stored in a certain format on media such as tapes, disks or optical disks, and transmitted on the network.
I believe that with the continuous development of science and technology, there will be new materials for us to record all kinds of valuable information.
Of course, we are talking about various forms of historical records such as words, charts, audio and video, which are directly formed by state institutions, social groups and individuals engaged in political, military, economic, scientific and technological, cultural and religious activities, and are of preservation value to the country and society. Generally speaking, they are "national archives" that must be collected and preserved by law. According to the attributes of archives and the needs of scientific management, archives can be divided into different categories. For example, according to the source, it can be divided into state organ files, enterprise files, celebrity files, family files and so on. According to the content, it can be divided into administrative files, litigation files and scientific and technological files. According to the recording method, it can be divided into text files, graphic files, audio-visual files, physical files and electronic files; According to time, it can be divided into ancient archives, modern archives and modern archives.
So, does the file have little to do with the public? Actually, it is not. We are all familiar with the saying that society is composed of countless families, and each family is composed of each of us. It can be said that from the day of birth, each of us has forged a lifelong fate with the archives. For example, your birth certificate is your first file! No matter in the next few decades, it objectively records almost everything when you came to this world: birth time, gender, weight, health status, whether you gave birth naturally, parents' situation, the hospital where the baby was delivered, doctors, home address, and even your footprints. As for photos or DV, all kinds of academic certificates, diaries or work notes, all kinds of award-winning certificates, sick medical records, marriage certificates, bank passbook, work experience certificates, social insurance procedures, and even the procedures of buying a house, buying a car, shopping, IOUs and lending in business activities are your personal files, which can also be called family files. Therefore, in this sense, the composition of our national archives, the inheritance of our national culture and the writing of our national history are inseparable from the people of China and every citizen of our country.