An official document bearing the notes of a celebrated general in the 16th century has been included on China's list of ancient archives.

The document was drafted in 1554 and addressed to Qi Jiguang, a general who gained fame fighting Japanese pirates and later served as an imperial envoy for Emperor Jia Jing of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), said Zhao Yunpeng, deputy head of the Liaoning Provincial Archives where the paper is kept.

The letter was written on a sheet 77 cm long and 62 cm wide. On the right side of the paper is a complaint from its author, possibly a magistrate, about how gamblers and hooligans in his village had united to tyrannize the villagers.

"Qi took the complaint very seriously and remarked on the left side of the page that the suspects, as well as local officials who had tried to cover up their crimes, should all be brought to court," said Zhao.

Local officials had been submitting formal reports to their superiors for centuries, but very few documents of the Ming Dynasty had survived and this was the only one with Qi's writing.

"We can see from Qi's remarks that he was efficient and impartial," he said.

Little is known about Qi Jiguang's life as an imperial official, as history books have only recorded how he managed national defense and commanded his troops.

"The document provides evidence for scholars who want to further study the life and times of Qi Jiguang and social and public security under Emperor Jia Jing," he said.

China's list of ancient archives was initiated by the State Archives Administration in 2002 to include holdings and library collections that are either kept by museums or private collectors at home and abroad.
 
(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2003)