This project continues the work in digital archiving carried out by the Institute of History and Philology (IHP). It commenced with the launch of the Scripta Sinica Database in 1984 and grew into part of the National Digital Archives Project from 2001 to 2012. Over decades a considerable amount of digital data has been produced, while massive stocks of documents and objects preserved in the Fu Ssu-Nien Library and the Institute’s museum still remain untouched, awaiting digital treatment.

In order to better make use of these resources and sustainably maintain what has already been digitized, this project has been established in 2013 to seek the support of the Academia Sinica Center for Digital Cultures (ASCDC) to achieve these goals. The 2024-2026 project focuses on two topics: pre-historical Taiwan and Imperial China.

The project is divided into six subprojects:

1. Maintenance of Digital Resources & Knowledge Services

2. Digital Archives for Archaeological Data

3. Innovating the Digital Archive of Fu Ssu-Nien Library

4. The Scripta Sinica Database

5. Digitalization of Historical Information: People, Places and Official Titles

The project’s objectives can be summarized as follows:

1. Digitization: Keep expanding the digital archives to accommodate precious collections at the IHP

2. Integration: Interconnect and better coordinate the subprojects through sharing and cooperation

3. Innovation: Seek partnership with other institutions to develop research platforms and analytic tools across disciplines

4. Popularization: Advocate popular science and promote IHP’s contributions to the public
The “Academia Sinica Center for Digital Cultures” (ASCDC) was originally founded as the “Digital Archives Center” (2007-2013) in order to implement the “Taiwan e-Learning & Digital Archives Program” (TELDAP). On February 1, 2013, in order to promote Academia Sinica’s long-term digital humanities research and digital cultural innovation, the Center was reorganized into the cross-disciplinary, cross-institutional “Center for Digital Cultures.” In February 2020, at the directive of the President of Academia Sinica, Academia Sinica Center for Digital Cultures (ASCDC) implemented the Digital Humanities Research Project. 

ASCDC's primary mission towards assist the digital turn in humanities research. The main work objectives include: (1) Improve digital humanities research environments, build open and interlinked knowledge bases, develop access tools, and enable researchers to effectively synthesize large diverse quantities of text and image data; (2) Establish organic links between research and local society, and interact with related academic fields worldwide on a level playing field. 

To achieve the objectives mentioned above, ASCDC’s main project plans to conduct four major initiatives in 2024:

1. Linked Knowledge Bases for Digital Humanities: An integrated project carried out under Academia Sinica’s Humanities Division institutes. Through specific research subjects, digitized historical materials will be systematically integrated to enable scholars to carry out online analysis and application.

2. Innovative Cyberinfrastructure and Digital Tools: Digital core technologies and systems will be researched and developed in order to carry out data utilization via extraction and analysis from text and image sources.

3. Academic Research in the Digital Humanities: Academia Sinica scholars will be encouraged to launch individual experimental researchs based on the structured research materials of the digital humanities knowledge base and the digital tools developed by ASCDC or self-developed. 

4. Outreach Initiatives: Publication and Exhibition: Integrating both online and physical publishing, humanities research will be presented in a diverse fashion. 

Core work objectives include the development of text and image research platforms, digital technology and tools, Linked Open Data (LOD) research and practice, digital museums, publication and book fair operations, database and knowledge base operation and maintenance, strengthening of international connections and collaboration, etc. Open calls for proposals are also held for “Digital Humanities Research Project” subprojects. Through these proposals from both institutes and individual researchers, we jointly advance Academia Sinica’s research in the field of digital humanities and establish digital humanities knowledge bases.