Online Interview
Topic: The Past & the Present of China Customs – about a Close Look into China Customs Museum
Time:10:00 AM (Thu) March 27, 2014
Special Guests: Ni Yun, Curator of China Customs Museum
Online Interview Photos
The Past & the Present of China Customs – about a Close Look into China Customs Museum
[Wang Hua]: They also bring a sense of primitive simplicity and an in-depth insight of history to the Museum. When we talk about the modern customs, there is one person we can’t ignore. It is Robert Hart. It is said that he had been in charge of the Customs of Qing Dynasty for 48 years. Ms. Ni, can you tell us something about him? 03/27/2014 10:25:02
[Ni Yun]: Hart was the second Inspector General of Customs of modern customs in China, which is like the current Minister of GACC. He was from Britain, and took the post of the Inspector General of Customs of Qing Dynasty at the age of 28 and held the post for 48 years. He has a great influence on modern China Customs, as he introduced the management mode of British Customs, conducted relatively standard management of modern China Customs and engaged in business such as marine and harbor service, postal service, School of Combined Learning, exhibition on World Expo, and warship purchasing under commission of Qing Government. 03/27/2014 10:25:46
[Ni Yun]: There is a Hart’s mailbag collected in the Museum. It was bought from overseas by a collector. However, the collector failed to sell it out for a long time. Upon hearing this news, we contacted the collector and proposed to buy this collection at its original price. At first, the local historical relic identification department sent its experts to identify it. They considered that the mailbag was genuine but its price shouldn’t be so high. 03/27/2014 10:26:23
[Ni Yun]: Later, when the experts knew the mailbag was Hart’s, they were excited and said without hesitation, “With such a background, this mailbag is an invaluable collection, and it can be rated as Grade II cultural relics at least. You should buy it immediately even at 100 times the original price.” Finally, we were very lucky to buy it at its original price from the collector. 03/27/2014 10:26:52
[Wang Hua]: What you did saved a lot of money for the Museum. 03/27/2014 10:27:10
[Ni Yun]: The Museum has limited funds to buy collections. We expect to get the best and the most cultural relics and collections with as few funds as possible. Of course, we thank all sectors of the society very much, especially for the supports from those collectors! 03/27/2014 10:27:37
[Wang Hua]: You just mentioned that Hart also participated in establishment of modern postal service in China. Did this have something to do with the legendary “Dragon Stamp”? 03/27/2014 10:28:07
[Ni Yun]: Yes. As the first set of stamps printed and issued by the Customs in Chinese history in 1878, “Dragon Stamp” marks the beginning of modern postal service in China, and was included in 73 earliest stamps in the world by International Society of Postmasters. 03/27/2014 10:28:50
[Ni Yun]: According to records, at the beginning, the foreign designers designed a pattern of a naked woman for the stamp. However, when the design was delivered to Hart, the Inspector General who was familiar with Chinese culture, he denied it and instructed the designers to design the current five-claw golden dragon pattern symbolizing imperial power, which became the first set of stamp in China. The dragon stamps were printed in one million, and now there are less than 100,000 stamps, making them quite precious. The wide-margin 5ca complete dragon stamp auctioned in 1991 at a price of GBP374,000 . 03/27/2014 10:29:13
[Ni Yun]: We also have little dragon stamps in our collections. They were the first set of anti-fake stamps in the modern times. And the Long Life stamps, the first set of commemorative stamps in modern times issued for commemoration of Empress Dowager Cixi’s 60th birthday. There were three sets of stamps issued when the modern China Customs were in charge of the postal service, which had all been collected by the Museum. 03/27/2014 10:29:49