HART AND THE CHINESE CUSTOMS people,and for the benefit of every nation of the earth having trade relations with that people.Here is the very heart of its uniqueness.For over eighty years the Service stood as a signpost on the road to inter- CHAPTER I national understanding and co-operation.It has been a powerful agent The coming of the traders of the West:Trading under monopoly at in helping to break down old prejudices and conservatisms,and in Canton in pre-treaty days. strengthening those human sympathies which rise superior to all ties of race,nationality,class,and creed.In a world to be purged from the evil What,then,was the origin of this unique Service,and what were aggressiveness of perverted nationalism the example and experience of the circumstances causing and attending its birth To answer that China's Customs Service indicate inspiring possibilities for the future. question we must first look backward at the conditions under which The Service has had its detractors both Chinese and foreign,but it stands China permitted foreign trade to be carried on in the days before she by its record."Do men gather grapes of thorns,or figs of thistles ? concluded trade treaties with the strangers from afar;days when China's ruling classes still believed that the proper policy to be adopted towards these strangers was one of self-satisfied isolationism. NOTES TO INTRODUCTION Macaulay's schoolboy knows,or ought to know,that the Portuguese 1.The Times,London,loth January,1899:No.35.723:p.5,cols.1-8. -the most daring seamen of their day-were the first of the maritime 2.Including Paris (1867.1878,1889,and 1goo).Vienna (1873).Philadelphia (1876). nations of the modern world to reach China by sea,and to enter into Melbourne (1880),Berlin (1880),Amsterdam (1883),London (1883,1884).Nuremberg commercial relations with her.It was early in the sixteenth century that (1885),Barcelona (1887),Brussels (1888 and 18g7),Madrid (18g2),Chicago (18g3). Lyons (18g4),Antwerp (1894),San Francisco (1894),Atlanta (895: Nashville(t8g7): they crushed Arab trade supremacy in the Indian Ocean,and made them- Omaha (1898),Glasgow (1go1),Hanoi (1g02),Osaka (1gog),St.Louis (1904),and selves the commercial intermediaries between India and Europe.Having Liege (1905). established themselves at Goa in 1510,it was inevitable that they should 3.T.R.BANISTER:The Coastwise Lights of China,Shanghai,1932. turn their eyes to Malacca,the gateway to the Pacific,and the great 高好Revee since the Reotution o时g1:grd cdition, entrepot on the straits of that name for the spices produced in Malaya 5.For detailed account,vide An Historical Survey of the Quarter Century and the East India islands.The much coveted trade in spices,so far as (18g6-1921),in the Report on the Chinese Post Office for the year 1921(Shanghai,1933). their carriage from India and Malacca was concerned had been for long 6 "I think something ought to be said about the part the Service played in the in the hands of the Arabs,who conveyed them in their ocean-going dhows Revolution.That marked a turning point so to speak,and I do niot think the to Egypt,whence they were carried to the European markets by the Service has ever had sufficient recognition,as a Service,for the very efficient manner in which China's foreign obligations were saved from disaster.The Blue Books,as Venetians.The Portuguese were determined to monopolize this is natural,dwell mainly on the hand the Legation had in the matter,but it was the enormously lucrative trade,and this,for a time,they succeeded in doing Commissioners who took hold and carried on to whom the credit is mainly due.If in 1511 when Albuquerque captured Malacca,and-after building a the Customs had gone to pieces,the change of regime would not have gone through so smoothly,and it was the Customs link that was never broken or seriously impaired strong fortress there-made the place a Portuguese trade depot.In doing that played an important,though unseen,part in those events.Chinese officials have so he accomplished much more than he had dreamed,for at Malacca he admitted so much to me.The Service was the one central organ that remained intact came in friendly contact with the Chinese traders who brought thither throughout China when the country was upside down."C.A.Aglen to King; grd February,1916;and C.A.I.G.S/O Circ.No.4,Aglen to Commissioners;14th in their junks the produce of south China,silks,satins,brocades,china- March,191;vide also China's Customs Revenue since the Revolution of 1911, ware,musk,rhubarb,pearls,and tin to be exchanged mainly for spices, op.cit.,pp.3 and 4. pepper,nutmegs,cloves,ginger,mace,incense,aloes,and gold thread. This contact gave the Portuguese the desired opportunity of becoming the discoverers of the all sea route to China,and the first Europeans to embark on direct sea-borne trade with that country.After a couple of pioneer trips from Malacca to south China purely for trading purposes,the King of Portugal,in 1515,despatched his first Ambassador to China Thome Pires,who,after numerous adventures,finally set sail from Malacca in June 1517,and reached Canton in September of that year. His mission,which began with great promise,-thanks largely to the tactful personality of Fernao d'Andrade,the commander of the squadron which had brought the mission to China-was doomed to end in tragic failure,due partly to the piratical activities of Simao d'Andrade, brother of Fernao,along the China coast,activities which naturally alarmed and prejudiced the Chinese,and partly to the evil reports from tributary Malay sultans on the doings of the Portuguese at Malacca and in the islands of the East Indies.After having been summoned to Peking 98 HART AND THE CHINESE CUSTOMS people, and for the benefit of every nation of the earth' having trade relations with that people. Here is the very heart of its uniqueness. For over eighty years the Service stood as a signpost on the road to inter￾national understanding and co-operation. It has been a powerful agent in helping to break down old prejudices and conservatisms, and in strengthening those human sympathies which rise superior to all ties of race, nationality, class, and creed. In a world to be purged from the evil aggressiveness of perverted nationalism the example and experience of China's Customs Service indicate inspiring possibilities for the future. The Service has had its detractors both Chinese and foreign, but it stands by its record. "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ?" NOTES TO INTRODUCTION 1. The Times, London, 10th January, 1899: No. 35, 722: p. 5, cols. 1-3. 2. Including Paris (1867, 1878, 1889, and 1900), Vienn,a (1873), Philadelphia (1876), Melbourne (1880), Berlin (1880), Amsterdam (1883), London (1883, 1884), Nuremberg {1885), Barcelona (1887), Brussels (1888 and 1897), Madrid (1892), Chicago (1893), Lyons (1894), Antwerp (1894), San Francisco (1894), Atlanta (1895), Nashville (1897), Omaba (1898), Glasgow (1901), Hanoi (1902), Osaka (1903), St. Louis (1904), and Liege (1905). '3., T. R. BANISTER: The Coastwise Lights of China, Sbanghai, 1932. 4. S. F. VVAIGHT: China's Customs Revenue since the Revolution of 1911: 3rd edition, Shanghai, 1935: pp. 47-59. 5. For detailed account, vide An Historical Survey Of the Quarter Century (1896-1921), in the Report on the Chinese Post Office for the year 1921 (Shanghai, 1922). 6. ' .. I think something ought to be said about the part the Service played in the Revolution. That marked a turning point so to speak, and I, do not think the Service has ever had sufficient recognition, as a Service, for the very efficient manner in which China's foreign obligations were saved from disaster. The Blue Books, as is natural, dwell mainly on the hand the Legation had in the matter, but it was the Commissioners who took hold and carried on to whom the credit is mainly due. If the Customs had gone to pieces, the mange of regime would not have gone through so smoothly, and it was the Customs link that was never broken or seriously impaired that ,played an important, though unseen, part in those events. Chinese officials have admitted so mum to me. The Service was the one central organ that remained intact throughout China when the country was upside down."-C. A. Aglen to King; 3rd February, 1916; and C.A.I.G. S/O Circ. No. 4, Aglen to Commissioners; 14th March, 1912; vide also China's Customs Revenue since the Revolution of 1911, op. cit., pp. 3 and 4. CHAPTER I The coming ot the traders ot the West: Trading under monopoly at Canton in pre-treaty days. What, then, was the origin of this unique Service, and what were the circumstances causing and attending its birth? To answer that question we I)lUSt first look backward at the conditions under which China permitted foreign trade to be carried on in the days before she concluded trade treaties with the strangers from afar; days when China's ruling classes still believed that the proper policy to be adopted towards these strangers was one of self-satisfied isolationism. Macaulay's schoolboy knows, or ought to know, that the Portuguese -the most daring seamen of their day-were the first of the maritime nations of the modern world to reach China by sea, and to enter into commercial relations with her. It was early in the sixteenth century tlut they crushed Arab trade supremacy in the Indian Ocean, and made them￾selves the commercial intermediaries between India and Europe. Having established themselves at Goa in 1510, it was inevitable that they should turn their eyes to Malacca, the gateway to the Pacific, and the great entrepot on the straits of that name for the spices produced in Malaya and the East India islands. The much coveted trade in spices, so far ;:.s their carriage from India and Malacca was concerned had been for long in the hands of the Arabs, who conveyed them in their ocean-going dhows to Egypt, whence they were carried to the European markets by the Venetians. The Portuguese were determined to monopolize this enormously lucrative trade, and this, for a time, they succeeded in doing in 1511 when Albuquerque captured Malacca, and-after building a strong fortress there-made the place a Portuguese trade depot. In doing so he accomplished much more than he had dreamed, for at Malacca he came in friendly contact with the Chinese traders who brought thither in their junks the produce of south China, silks, satins, brocades, china￾ware, musk; rhubarb, pearls, and tin to be exchanged mainly for spices, pepper, nutmegs, cloves, ginger, mace, incense, aloes, and gold thread. This contact gave the Portuguese the desired opportunity of becoming the discoverers of the all sea route to China, and the first Europeans to embark on direct sea-borne trade with that country. After a couple of pioneer trips from Malacca to south China purely for trading purposes, the King of Portugal, in 1515, despatched his first Ambassador to China Thome Pires, who, after numerous adventures, finally set sail from Malacca in June 1517, and reached Canton in September of that year. His mission, which began with great promise,-th~mks largely to the tactful personality of Fernao d'Andrade, the commander of the squadron which had brought the mission to China-was doomed to end in tragic failure, due partly to the piratical activities of Simao d'Andrade, brother of Fernao, along the China coast, activities which naturally alarmed and prejudiced the Chinese, and partly to the evil reports from tributary Malay sultans on the doings of the Portuguese at Malacca and in the islands of the East Indies. After having been summoned to Peking 9