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]: Those stamps are really precious. The Museum is ready to open and stamp-collecting enthusiasts will see them soon. Ms. Ni, just now we talked about many “firsts” of modern Customs. So, who was the first Minister of GACC after the founding of the People’s Republic of China? 03/27/2014 10:30:17
[Ni Yun]: The first Minister was Kong Yuan. Mr. Kong also chaired the preparation for the first Customs law of China. His letter of appointment signed by Chairman Mao is collected in the Museum. 03/27/2014 10:30:50
[Ni Yun]: There is a story about this letter of appointment. An old leader of GACC got acquainted with Minister Kong Yuan’s son Kong Dan at the National People’s Congress, and told him we were preparing for the construction of China Customs Museum, and we hoped to get some articles used by Minister Kong Yuan’s in the past. As a result, Kong Dan found this letter of appointment when he got home and donated it. So the public have the luck to see the letter signed by Chairman Mao. 03/27/2014 10:31:19
[Wang Hua]: Amazing! After hearing all those stories, I can’t wait to go to the Museum again and have a careful look at those collections. Well, Ms. Ni, I know you haven't told us about the largest and the grandest collection in the Museum. 03/27/2014 10:31:51
[Ni Yun]: It must be the “Customs 902” Vessel. It weighs 294 tons in clean status with length of 58 meters, width of 7.6 meters and depth of 4.3 meters. It is worth the title of the largest one. We made a lot of efforts to transport it to the Museum. At that time, the Museum was still under construction. So we disassembled it and transported it to Beijing. Then, we re-assembled it where the Museum was to stand. Finally, we built the current special exhibition hall to cover it. 03/27/2014 10:32:28
[Wang Hua]: A big creature nearly 300 tons! It must be one of the weightiest collections in the Museum. 03/27/2014 10:33:02
[Ni Yun]: Yes. “Customs 902” Vessel is the most advanced coastguard vessel in 1990s. It is designed and built independently by China. As the “hero boat” of China Customs, it successively identified nearly 1,000 seaborne smuggling cases valuing RMB 350 million in its service life of 20 years. It has made outstanding achievements in guarding the state interests and fighting against smugglings and illegal criminal activities. 03/27/2014 10:33:28
[Ni Yun]: it is also the “honor boat” of China Customs. In more than 20 years, it successively accomplished more than 50 missions to pick up Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Qiao Shi, Yang Shangkun, Wang Li and other Party and state leaders, and made significant contribution to their special zone visits and instructions on work. 03/27/2014 10:34:04
[Ni Yun]: However, all those things are not the most important. Above all, it is the “feat boat” of China Customs. On January 23, 1992, Comrade Deng Xiaoping, in his journey of inspecting the south China, went from Shenzhen to Zhuhai by the Vessel. During the 45-minute voyage, he delivered a part of the famous South Inspection Speech, indicating the direction for China's reform and opening up. “Customs 902” Vessel witnessed that great glorious moment, and was recorded in the epic of great rejuvenation of Chinese nation. 03/27/2014 10:34:40
[Ni Yun]: Therefore, we collected “Customs 902” Vessel as a collection after its retirement. We transported it to Beijing from Zhuhai, exhibited it and designed a set of methods integrating physical static display and sound, light and electric exhibition for it. Welcome to visit it! 03/27/2014 10:35:12