AAS 2026 – Manchu Documents in the NCAM

Report from Jaymin Kim (Rice University), former president of the Manchu Studies Group.

In a Friday morning panel, SAINJARGAL Tumendemberel (director of the National Central Archive of Mongolia; [email protected]) gave a presentation on Manchu-language archival collection at the National Central Archive of Mongolia. Here were some of the major points that she raised:

1. The archive’s collection is divided into five historical eras (Qing, Bogd Khanate, People’s Government, Mongolian People’s Republic, and contemporary).
2. The Qing archive comprises 136,194 files of 267 units (M1–M224), which includes records from: the Uliastai military governor; the treasuries of Uliastai’s four aimag; twenty banners under Tüsheet Khan; twenty-three banners under Setsen Khan; nineteen banners under Zasagt Khan; twenty-three banners of the Sain Noyon aimag; local maps from 1881 onwards; the Altai Uriankhai, Khovsgol Lake Uriankhai, Tannu Uriankhai; postal stations and karun outposts; genealogies of Mongol princes 
3. Digitization has been in progress since 2006, but the Manchu collection is among the last to be digitized. Most of the archival documents remain undigitized and are only accessible on site at the National Central Archive of Mongolia (NCAM hereafter). 

The English-language brochure that I received from Ms. Sainjargal provides some additional information that may be of interest to the Manchu Studies Group members. A few Qing-period documents are highlighted in the brochure:

1. A 1674 Manchu-language letter from state commander-in-chief Beli to commander-in-chief Van about eliminating theft and keeping peace in the western boundary (NCAM, fond-1, file-1, unit-1a)
2. A 1727 letter from the Lifanyuan to Danjindorj about the defining the boundary between Mongolia and Russia (NCAM, fond-1, file-1, unit-1)
3. A 1758 letter from Russia about transferring the remains of Amursanaa (NCAM, fond-180).
4. The location scheme of relay stations of Mongolia during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (NCAM, fond-167, file-1, unit-173). 

Ms. Sainjargal joined the Manchu Studies Group meeting-in-conjunction for a Q&A session. Dotno Pount (Harvard Divinity School) was planning to serve as her interpreter, but in her absence, Christopher Atwood (University of Pennsylvania) kindly stepped in to facilitate the Q&A. Based on a lively discussion including contributions from our members, we learned a few things: 

1. The NCAM holds documents from Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and institutions of Mongolia as well.
2. The NCAM does not have a formal restriction against accessing maps and other graphic sources. The researchers should be able to access most of the archival holdings on-site. 
3. It may be difficult for the researchers without knowledge of modern Mongolian to navigate the archival collection at first. As one member pointed out, however, those who know the Cyrilic alphabet should be able to familiarize themselves with the database relatively soon. 
4. There are not many in Mongolia who can read Manchu documents for research. Most of these documents remain unused, with the exception of some notable documents studied by earlier generations of scholars and revisited by the current generation. 
5. Foreign researchers who wish to use the NCAM should email the archivists at least one week in advance, and a recommendation letter will be required.

Overall, it seems that the archivists at the NCAM are very enthusiastic about inviting the community of Manjurists to conduct archival research. We mention in conclusion a few earlier publications about the NCAM’s Manchu holdings, whose descriptions of the archival fonds might be of interest to prospective visitors. Please refer, however, to the official website of the NCAM for the most up-to-date information about location and access policies, as they may have changed since the publication of these articles.

• Wei-chieh Tsai. “Mongolian National Central Archives.” Dissertation Reviews. 2014.
• 二木博史, “モンゴル国立中央文書館所蔵の清代文書史料–フォンド目録.” 史資料ハブ. 2003.
• Junko Miyawaki-Okada. “Report on the Manchu Documents Stored at the Mongolian National Central Archives of History.” Saksaha. 1999.