Academia Historica holdings
Academia Historica's holdings include records, historical materials, presidential and vice-presidential records, as well as artifacts transferred or donated by organizations and private individuals. The most famous of these are the so-called "Daxi Files," a collection of documents originally assembled and maintained by aides to former President Chiang Kai-shek. Also included are many important documents from the National Resources Commission and the Council of Agriculture that reflect the course of our nation's social and economic development.
Original copies of the "Japanese Instrument of Surrender," the "Documents Pertaining to Acceptance of the Japanese Surrender by the Republic of China," the "Provisional Constitution for the Period of Political Tutelage of the Republic of China," and the "Constitution of the Republic of China" have been declared National Treasures in accordance with the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, while the "Instrument of Surrender of the Japanese Forces in Hong Kong" and "Sun Yat-sen's Hand-drawn Illustration of the Principle of the People's Livelihood" have been declared Important Historic Artifacts.
Preservation and restoration of national treasures
The preservation of historical artifacts requires great expertise and skills. Due to Taiwan's humid climate, paper artifacts easily grow moldy and attract bookworms. Records and artifacts in the Academia Historica collection are managed in a manner appropriate to their physical characteristics. The process includes deinfestation, restoration, mounting, organizing, and digitization. The objective is to make the items available for public access.
To ensure that national treasures and other items put on display in this exhibit are in the best possible condition, Academia Historica has asked Assistant Professor Lin Huang-shen of the Department of Cultural Heritage Conservation at National Yunlin University of Science and Technology to personally inspect the original items in our collection and carry out professional restorations work .