APPENDIX N
Trial Procedures for Foreign Organizations and Individuals to Use Chinese Archives*
STATE ARCHIVES BUREAU ORDER #3
"Trial Procedures for Foreign Organizations and Individuals to Use Chinese Archives" is hereby published, and it is effective from 1 July 1992.
Feng Zizhi, Director-General, 26 December 1991
TRIAL PROCEDURES FOR FOREIGN ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO USE CHINESE ARCHIVES
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These procedures are established in accordance with the provision of "Implementation Procedures for the Archives Law of the People's Republic of China" that pertains to use of archives by foreign organizations and individuals.
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Foreign organizations and individuals may go in person, write, or telephone to archives at any level to read, copy, or excerpt from archives that are already opened to society.
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In accordance with relevant cultural exchange agreements concluded at each level of government or government departments in China for use of archives in archival repositories at each level, foreign organizations and individuals may, through introductions from the relevant Chinese authorities that have signed [such] agreements, submit an application to the pertinent archival repository. Using another approach, to use archives in state archival repositories at the central level
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Translated by W.W. Moss from Archives Science Bulletin [Danganxue Tongxun] Number 2 of 1992, 18 April 1992, page 3.
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or provincial (autonomous region or special municipality) level, submit an application to the State Archives Bureau or to the relevant archival repository; to use archives in state archival repositories at the district (municipal, prefectural, or league) level or at the county (town, district, or banner) level, submit an application to the State Archives Bureau or to the pertinent government administrative authorities at the provincial (autonomous district, or directly subordinate city) level. Applicants must clearly identify themselves, the subject and range of use [of the archives], and other relevant circumstances. Except for those seeking certificates of their own relatives, all applications must be delivered thirty days in advance.
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Only after considering the opinion of the depositor will a decision be made on whether or not to provide archives that have been deposited in an archival repository to be used by foreign organizations and individuals.
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Copying and letter or telephone use of archives by foreign organizations and individuals must be according to the regulations of the archival repository and payment according to its fee schedule.
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Foreign organizations and individuals [who wish to] copy archives must fill out a copying applications form, [have their request] approved by the archives repository director, and [the copying] must be carried out by responsible archival staff. The content and quantity of copying of archives is decided at the discretion of the archival repository.
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Foreign organizations and individuals [who wish to] extract from or copy archives, provided they do not violate our State regulations, may quote them in research work, but they may not publish them in any form without obtaining permission. All contents of archives cited in works should clearly indicate the unit of custody and the archives number. Archival repositories encourage users to favor [the repositories] with a gift of their writings or other research results that use the archives.
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When foreign organizations and individuals go to State archival repositories at any level to use archives, they must submit to the arrangements made by that repository, [must] abide by every item of pertinent regulations, and must not engage in any activity that is not already permitted.
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The State Archives Bureau is the interpreter of these procedures.
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These procedures are implemented beginning 1 July 1992.