The name of the memorial was first seen in the 13th year of Shunzhi (1656). Because it is an isolated evidence, the real thing has not been found so far, and historians have doubts about it. More precisely, it started from the Kangxi dynasty. Because Emperor Kangxi often asked his trusted officials and some princes to read stories in secret, so as to supervise each other and listen to people's feelings, there were secret documents. Secret imperial edict is a kind of memorial, so most historians believe that the memorial system originated from Kangxi dynasty. At present, the earliest memorial in the world is "Thanks for Peace" written by Isana, a great scholar, on February 27th, the 28th year of Kangxi (1689). Forty years after Kangxi, memorials were widely used. About 50 years ago, the throne could be used by internal princes and ministers as well as external governors and towns. After Yong Zhengdi acceded to the throne, he further expanded the scope of use of the memorial, stipulating that all officials at home and abroad can play the newspaper with secret folding first, and then formally call for instructions to follow with the inscription. Therefore, the memorial is widely used as a confidential document and becomes a customized document. In the 13th year of Qianlong reign (1784), the Qing court ordered to stop using regular script, so as to pay equal attention to playing sparse and title. But in fact, many secret tasks are first achieved through commemoration, and the problem has become a routine. Thus, in the twenty-seventh year of Guangxu (190 1), the inscription book was finally cancelled and dedicated to the commemoration.

The document system in the early Qing dynasty was basically inherited from the Ming dynasty. The title book was used for business and the private book was used for playing things. However, the title of this chapter can not reach the emperor directly, which is time-consuming and laborious, easy to leak, and is not conducive to the strengthening of imperial power. The memorial will sweep away this drawback, and the performer can send someone to the inner palace directly or through the post station, which will be read by the emperor himself and instructed by calligraphy, and then handed over to himself or returned to the original player through the post station for compliance without any institution or individual changing hands. Fast and dense, it is beneficial to the emperor's personal dictatorship, so it is widely used.