The online system of the Archives of the Institute of Modern History (AIMH), Academia Sinica, provides readers with catalog search and digital image viewing functions. The documents housed in the Archives can be roughly grouped into five categories: Foreign Ministry Collection (1861-2009), Economic Ministry Collection (1903-1980), Personal Papers, Other Organizations, and Historical Maps. Half of them have been digitized; 60 percent of these digitized items can be directly viewed online through this system, while the rest can only be viewed in the on-site reading room. For those seeking to view items not yet digitized, applications to view original copies can also be made through this system.

Foreign Ministry Collection
    The Foreign Ministry Collection is the core of the Archives, and contains continuous foreign office records from the late Qing Dynasty through the Republic of China on Taiwan. These include files of the Office in Charge of Foreign Affairs (Zongli yamen) (1861-1900), the Ministry of External Affairs (1901-1911), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Northern Government (1912-1928), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government (1925-1948), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China on Taiwan (mainly 1949-2009, but also including documents from the mainland period of 1930-1948). This collection has been digitized in full. While the first three Office/Ministry archives can be viewed directly online, archival documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China can only be viewed in the on-site reading room.

Economic Ministry Collection
    The Economic Ministry Collection constitutes the largest single set of materials in the Archives, and includes the records of the Commerce Ministry (1903-1906), the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce (1913-1927), the Ministry of Industry (1930-1938), and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (1938-1980), as well as documents from various economic offices created before and after the Nationalist Government withdrew to Taiwan. Most of the collection has been digitized and can be viewed online; only some materials have to be viewed on-site in the reading room.

Personal Papers
    This Archives house personal documents of 26 leading figures in Chinese/Taiwanese modern history. According to their dates of opening to the public, they include K. T. Li李國鼎(1910-2001), Lei Chen 雷震(1897-1979), Fu Cheng傅正(1927-1991), Chao Heng-ti趙恆惕(1880-1971), K’ang Yu-Wei康有為 (1858-1927), Chen Chih-Mai陳之邁 (1908-1979), Wang Shu-ming王叔銘(1905-1998), Dr. Robert K.S. Lim林可勝(1897-1969), W. H. Fei費驊(1912-1984), Kuo Ting-yee郭廷以 (1904-1975), Dr. V. T. Ting丁文江 (1887-1936), Ma Chih-suh馬之驌(1923-2003), Hsu Pei-ke徐培根(1895-1991), Yin Fu-sheng (Hai-kuong)殷海光(1919-1969), Ma Hsin-yeh馬星野(1909-1991), Li-Jen Sun孫立人(1900-1990), Pao T’ien-hsiao 包公毅（天笑）(1876-1973), Lee Fay-monte李費蒙(1925-1997), Wang Chung-ping王中平 (1941-), Hsiung Shih-hui熊式輝(1893-1974), Soong Chang-chih宋長志(1916-2002), Dr. Chu Chia-hua 朱家驊 (1893-1963), Wang Shih-chieh王世杰 (1891-1981), Chien Shih-Liang錢思亮 (1908-1983) and Ta-you Wu吳大猷(1907-2000). This collection can only be viewed in the on-site reading room due to agreements with the contributors.

Other Organizations
    These are materials of semi-official organizations including The China Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Culture中華教育文化基金董事會(1924-2009), The Taiwan Development Corporation臺灣拓殖株式會社(1920-1960), The Board of Trustees for the Administration of the Indemnity Funds Remitted by the British Government管理中英庚款董事會(1926-1974), The Military News Agency國防部軍聞社(1950-1991), and The Sino-Ryukyuan Cultural Economic Association中琉文化經濟協會(1949-2010). Also in this category are the Special Collection of the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau 法務部調查局特藏資料(1919-1974) and the historical materials of Academia Sinica (1924-1949). This collection can only be viewed in the on-site reading room due to agreements with the contributing organizations.

Historical Map
    These are maps from the collections of Foreign Ministries and Economic Ministries. They have all been digitized and can be viewed online.

Updated on 2023/7/31