Sir Robert Hart | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 2nd Inspector-General of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service | |
| In office 15 November 1863 – 20 September 1911 | |
| Monarchs | Tongzhi Emperor Guangxu Emperor Xuantong Emperor |
| Preceded by | Horatio Nelson Lay |
| Succeeded by | Francis Aglen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Walter Hart 20 February 1835 Portadown, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland |
| Died | 20 September 1911 (aged 76) Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Resting place | Bisham, Berkshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Queen's College, Belfast |
Sir Robert Hart, 1st Baronet, GCMG (20 February 1835 – 20 September 1911) was a British diplomat and official in the Qing Chinese government, serving as the second Inspector-General of China's Imperial Maritime Custom Service (IMCS) from 1863 to 1911. Beginning as a student interpreter in the consular service, he arrived in China at the age of 19 and resided there for 54 years, except for two short leaves in 1866 and 1874.[1]
Hart was the most important and most influential Westerner in Qing dynasty China.[2][3] According to Jung Chang, he transformed Chinese Customs "from an antiquated set-up, anarchical and prone to corruption, into a well-regulated modern organisation, which contributed enormously to China's economy."[4] Professor Rana Mitter of the University of Oxford writes that Hart "was honest and helped to generate a great deal of income for China."[5] Sun Yat-sen described him as "the most trusted as he was the most efficient and influential of 'Chinese.'"[6]
- ^ King, Frank H. H.. "Hart, Sir Robert, first baronet". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004 ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/33739.
- ^ Thompson, Larry Clinton (2009). William Scott Ament and the Boxer Rebellion. McFarland. p. 37. ISBN 9780786440085.
- ^ Heaver, Stuart (9 November 2013). "Affairs of Our Hart". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ Chang, p. 78
- ^ Mitter, Prof Rana (20 April 2018). "Five ways China's past has shaped its present". BBC News – via bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Cantlie, James; Jones, C. Sheridan (1912). Sun Yat Sen and the Awakening of China. New York: Fleming H. Revell Company. p. 248.