Abstract: 【Purpose/significance】High-quality archival data is an important foundation of government governance. Analyzing the mechanism and path of empowering government governance with high-quality archival data is helpful to better promote the moderniza⁃ tion of government governance system and governance capabilities.【Method/process】Using the content analysis method and case analysis method, this paper analyzes the mechanism of high-quality archival data enabling government governance from the three lev⁃ els of "foundation level-promotion level-higher level", explores the path of high-quality archival data enabling government gover⁃ nance from the three dimensions of consolidating the "data base", building the "data network", and mining the "data power". Taking the electronic health record data of the Shanghai "Medical Union Project" as an example, the mechanism and path of empowering gov⁃ ernment governance with high-quality archival data were verified.【 Result/conclusion】As a high-quality data resource, archival data can make the government governance work more "intelligent", and make the government and society more "wisdom". We should pay more attention to the "feedback" and "empowerment" of archival data to government governance, and constantly improve the data ac⁃ quisition, integration, processing and application capabilities of government governance to achieve good governance.【 Innovation/limi⁃ tation】The paper systematically combs the basis, mechanism and path of archival data enabling government governance, and carries out a certain degree of empirical analysis.