About 100 archives from the Tang, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties are open to public today at the Shanghai Archive.

Visitors will be able to view the imperial edict left by Emperor Kangxi to his son, Yongzheng, before his death and the exemption cards emperors gave to their meritorious officials to exempt them from beheading. The archives were collected from many provinces and Shanghai is the first city to hold the exhibition, said Liu Nanshan, Shanghai Archive Bureau director. The archives span 1,200 years from 714 AD to 1949.

A paper document from 714 AD is the oldest preserved in the country.

Liu said the archives will give visitors a deeper understanding of the history.

Liu yun, a guide at the exhibition, cited an imperial edict left by the Emperor Kangxi to Yongzheng as an example.

Many people have learned from folklore that Yongzheng distorted the content of the edict of his father to get the imperial throne. “But here, the edict was written clearly in three characters that Emperor Kangxi did designate Yongzheng as the new emperor," said the guide.

In the archive beside the edict is a billboard named "Golden Board." This was used to announce successful candidates in the royal examination. A famous official in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) named Li Hongzhang ranked 36th on the list.

And as early as 1855, there was an English map for foreigners.

The map, about the foreign settlement at Shanghai, displays the history of the city, ships in the harbor and a list of foreign residents in the city. The exhibition is scheduled to open for one month and is likely to be held over, Liu said.

(Shanghai Daily January 18, 2005)