Academia Historica

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

Following the 1911 Revolution, 97 revolutionary leaders wrote to the acting president, Sun Yat-sen, recommending the establishment of a national historical institution to document the revolution's history. In response, Academia Historica was founded in Beijing in 1914 under President Yuan Shikai. However, the institution faced significant challenges after 1915 due to director Wang Kaiyun's advocacy for a monarchy, which disrupted its operations. In 1917, the Duan Qirui administration shut it down, merging it into Peking University as the National History Compilation Office, headed by Cai Yuanpei. This office was elevated to a national institution in 1919, with Tu Fengshu [zh] as director, When it was renamed Academia Historica in 1927, Ke Shaomin was named its director. It was subsequently dissolved in 1928 with the fall of the Beiyang government during the Northern Expedition.^[2][3]

In August 1931, the ministries of the Interior and Education submitted a proposal to the Executive Yuan to establish the Preparatory Office for Academia Historica under the two ministries.^[2] This office was eventually established in February 1940 in Chongqing, which was relocated to Nanjing in 1946, following the Japanese surrender. The legislation of the institution was passed in 1947 and the office was formally established in 1947. In 1948, due to the Chinese Civil War, the institution relocated its files and documents first to Shanghai, and then Guangzhou, Guilin and Chongqing, before the institution dissolved in 1949. Based on Academia Historica documents, the Communist government founded Second Historical Archives of China.^[2][4]

Most members and resources of Academia Historica were unable to retreat to Taiwan in 1949, and between 1947 and 1951, three presidents of the institution–Zhang Ji, Dai Jitao, and Ju Zheng–died in office, leading to a suspension of operations due to poor leadership. From 1950, the institution's functions were temporarily managed by the Kuomintang (KMT)'s History Compilation Office until Academia Historica was re-established in Taipei.^[5]

In 1956, the Legislative Yuan amended the governing authority of Academia Historica, transferring oversight from the Nationalist Government to the President, in line with constitutional changes. In 1957, following the Legislative Yuan's recommendation and under President Chiang Kai-shek's directive, Academia Historica was reopened in Taipei, with construction of archival warehouses beginning in Xindian. Government agencies started transferring documents to Academia Historica. In 1973, the Executive Yuan mandated that all central and local government agencies annually transfer their outdated or mainland-era documents to Academia Historica.^[5]

In 2002, a presidential decree changed the affiliation of Taiwan Historica, placing it under the jurisdiction of Academia Historica instead of the Taiwan Provincial Government. In 2004, the institution became responsible for conserving the relics of Presidents and vice-presidents of the Republic of China. In 2007, the institution moved into the former Ministry of Transportation and Communications building, with its old building becoming Presidential and Vice-Presidential Artifacts Museum in 2010.^[5]