中国第一历史档案馆保管的明清历史档案约1000余万件（册），其中明代档案3000多件，其余绝大多数为清代档案。馆藏档案中，汉文档案约占80％，满文档案约占20％，蒙文档案5万多件（册），还有少量其他民族文字的档案以及英、法、德、俄、日等外国文字的档案。
    （一）明代档案
    由于明朝在灭亡时焚烧宫殿衙署，使大量明朝档案化为灰烬。以后清政府多次下令销毁明朝档案，各地架阁库和南明朝廷所存档案，都为之毁灭。清代历次大兴文字狱，也销毁了大量明代书籍和档案。综上原因，使留存在世的明代档案可谓屈指可数，寥寥无几。
    目前保存在中国第一历史档案馆的3000余件（册）明代档案，是清康熙以后修《明史》时为补文献之不足而下诏征集上来的，时间自明洪武四年至崇祯十七年，包括洪武、永乐、宣德、成化、正德、嘉靖、隆庆、万历、泰昌、天启、崇祯等11朝档案。现存最早的明代档案是洪武四年的户口单和卖田契。文种主要有：敕谕、诰命、题本、奏本、题行稿、揭帖、呈文、禀文、启本、手本、咨文、札付、舆图、契约、税票、户口单等。
    馆藏珍贵明代档案主要有：我馆现存最早的明代档案--《户口单》、《卖田契》（1371年），我馆现存最早的皇帝敕谕--《永乐敕谕》，我国目前保存尺寸最大、年代最久远、保存最完整、并由中国人自己绘制的古代世界地图--《大明混一图》等。
    （二）清代档案
    经过清末外国列强入侵劫掠焚毁，以及北洋军阀和国民党时期的政权更迭、战乱破坏等，清代档案损失也是相当严重的。据不完全统计，保存在国内外公立机构和私人手中的的清代档案，总数不到两千万件（册）。
    1、档案内容。中国第一历史档案馆保存的一千余万件清代档案，是清入关前天命前九年（1607）至宣统三年（1911）300多年时间里形成的文书档案。其中最晚的档案是宣统三年十二月二十五日（1911年2月12日）宣统皇帝的退位诏书。另外，还包括溥仪退位后于1921－1931年间形成的档案，如宣统十三年（1921）宣统小朝廷所修德宗《圣训》等。档案内容涵盖了清代政治、经济、军事、文化、艺术、民族、宗教、外交、科技、天文、地理、气象、重大事件、重要典章制度、重要历史人物等诸多方面，是研究和纂修清代历史的第一手宝贵资料。
    2、档案全宗。我馆保存的清代档案按档案形成的机构，划分为73个全宗。其中，内阁、内务府全宗档案数量各在100万件（册）以上，军机处、宫中、宗人府、刑部-法部档案也各在50万件（册）以上。以上六大全宗占全部馆藏清代档案的80％以上。其他全宗从十几万件（册）到几十件（册）不等。最小档案全宗是尚虞备用处档案，只有1件。
    3、档案文种。清代是封建集权专制制度的国家，皇权至上，国家庶政事无巨细，均由皇帝直接处理。所以，围绕皇帝的活动所形成的档案，就构成了国家档案的核心，文种多达100多个，大致可分为五个部分：一是皇帝的命令类文书（下行文）：制、诏、诰、敕、谕、旨、朱谕、廷寄、金榜等；二是臣工的奏报（上行文）：题、奏、表、笺、呈、启本、手本、册文、塘报、揭帖、黄册、乡会试录、电报、记事等；三是各衙门及国与国之间的往来文书（平行文）：咨、禀、移会、移付、知照、照会、国书、条约、合同、函、札、片、行、领、结、单等；四是史官记载及官修史籍：起居注、实录、圣训、会典、本纪、方略、纪略、史书等；五是皇室和皇族事务的档案：玉牒、星源集庆、黄册、皇册、清册、档簿等。
    馆藏珍贵清代档案主要有：《实录》、《圣训》、《会典》、《上谕档》、《起居注》、道光皇帝秘密立储匣、《金沙江全图》、《宝谱》、《金榜》、《洪秀全诏书》、《满文老档》等。
    联合国教科文组织发起的"世界记忆工程"，目的是保护世界文化遗产，特别是濒临消失的文献遗产。我馆馆藏《满文秘本档》、《清代金榜》分别于1999年和2005年，成功入选世界记忆工程，并被列为《世界记忆遗产名录》。

Archives Collections

The archives holds about a total of 10 million items (including some record books) of Ming and Qing dynasty documents, among which about 3000 items date back to the Ming, while the rest belong to the Qing. About 80% of the archives were written in Mandarin with 20% in Manchu language. In addition, there are over 50,000 items of Mongolian language archives, and a very small percentage of minority and foreign language archives.
1) Ming dynasty archives
Since the royal palace and government buildings were set on fire in the warfare that ended the Ming dynasty, the vast majority of the tax records were reduced to ashes. After the Qing rulers came to power, they frequently ordered the destruction of the Ming documents preserved in local repositories and the Southern Ming court. To make things worse, the Qing government sponsored several literary inquisitions, causing the loss of many books and documents. Therefore The First Historical Archives possesses relatively few of the Ming Dynasty archives that have survived.
The time span of the existing Ming archives ranges from the 4th year of the Hongwu reign (1371) to the 17th year of the Chongzhen reign (1736), covering the periods of eleven Ming Emperors. By edict of the Emperor Kangxi. These archives were collected in order to compile the official Ming History. The earliest Ming documents to survive are a household register and a land deed. The documents are very diversified in form, but there are three principal types; imperial edicts, officials' reports to the emperor, and lateral communications between officials or offices. In addition to the ordinary edicts which announced an imperial directive, there were special forms which the monarch could use award an honor. As for reports to the throne, there were two main types: those for public affairs and those for personal matters. Another special from was used by the Heir Apparent. Lateral communications varied depending on whether the two parties to the correspondence were of equal or of differing ranks. There were also a few unofficial documents, such as land contracts.
The most treasured archives extant of the Ming dynasty:
The earliest Ming dynasty archives: Residence card and Land Deed (1371 AD)
The earliest edict: Edict of the Emperor Yongle
The largest, oldest and most complete map drawn by Chinese: World Map of the Great Ming.
2) Qing dynasty archives
The Qing dynasty archives also suffered severe losses due to foreign invasions during the final period of the empire, and frequent wars and changes of state powers in the time of the Northern Warlords and the Nationalist Party. Incomplete statistics show that the total number of Qing dynasty archives extant that are preserved at home and abroad, either in public institutions or private hands, is nearly 20 million items.
The First Historical Archives of China houses over 10 million items of Qing dynasty archives dating from 1607 to 1911 (the 3rd year of the Xuantong reign). The most recent ones are the Proclamation of Resignation of Emperor Xuantong on February 12, 1911, as well as the archives generated by Puyi between 1921-1931 after he gave up the throne, notably Dezong Holy Teachings compiled by the Xuantong Puppet Court. The archives are the primary sources for the study of politics, economy, military, culture, art, ethnic communities, religion, foreign relations, science, technology, astronomy, geography, meteorology, laws, regulations, and historical figures in the Qing dynasty.
The Qing dynasty archives are divided 73 record groups (fonds) based on the Qing government agencies that created them. The most voluminous record groups are those of the Grand Secretariat and the Imperial Household Department, containing over 1,000,000 items each. The record groups of the Grand Council, Palace Archives, the Imperial Clan Court, the Boards of Justice & Law each contain about 500,000 items. The archives of the above six record groups account for about 80% of the total. The rest are quite different in terms of size, and the smallest one, the record group of the Imperial Hunting Division, contains only one item.
As the ruler of a feudal autocratic country, the Qing Emperor enjoyed supreme power, and attended to all state and civil affairs. Thus the archives created surrounding his activities constituted the core of the state archives at that time. There were as many as over 100 types of documentary forms, falling into five categories. The first are the numerous kinds of edicts issued by the emperor. The second are reports from officials at the capital and in the provinces. The third are the lateral communications between government agencies as well as correspondence with foreign countries. The fourth are maintained by official recorders. These include imperial eyewitness records, imperial annals, and compilations of decrees. The fifth are the archives of the Royal family: Imperial Genealogy and the Registers of Nobles.
Among these archives, the most highly esteemed are: Veritable Records (annals), Compilations of Decrees, the administrative statutes, Imperial Edicts, records of the Emperor's Activities and Speech, the box where Emperor Daoguang secretly kept the name of the Heir Apparent in a testamentary edict, landscape of Jinsha River, Prints of Imperial seals, Golden List (of successful Examination Candidates), the Edict of Hong Xiuquan (Taiping rebels), and the old archives in Manchu Script.
The Secret Archives of the Grand Secretariat and the Golden List of successful Examination candidates have been inscribed in the UNESCO World Register, a program which aims to safeguard the world's endangered documentary heritage.