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Breaking the Ice: The establishment of overland winter postal routes in the late Qing China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2013

WEIPIN TSAI
WEIPIN TSAI*
Affiliation:
Department of History, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK Email: Weipin.Tsai@rhul.ac.uk
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Abstract

This paper looks at the establishment of experimental winter overland postal routes in the late 1870s and 1880s, which eventually led to the creation of the Great Qing Imperial Post Office in 1896. The history of this experiment sheds much light on important issues in the establishment of what was to become the country's most crucial information-bearing network, in particular those related to collaboration and negotiation between foreign and Chinese officials, and those between local interests and the central authorities. It also explores how foreign processes and management had to be adapted in order to function in a Chinese context.

In March 1878, Robert Hart, inspector general of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, instructed Gustav Detring, commissioner of Tianjin Port, to investigate the possibility of introducing overland public postal routes in China, beginning with Beijing to Tianijn, Niuzhuang, Yantai, and then to Zhenjiang, a treaty port on the lower Yangtze River.

The three main challenges involved were: to establish a reliable workforce, to design appropriate routes, and to win the cooperation of local governing officials. Although the winter service was initiated on time, problems repeatedly arose from each one of these challenges.

Type
Research Article
Information
Modern Asian Studies , Volume 47 , Issue 6 , November 2013 , pp. 1749 - 1781
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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References

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11 Stanley F. Wright, employee and the leading historian of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, wrote that Hart, on his first visit to Beijing in 1861 prior to taking up the role of inspector general, discussed with the Zongli Yamen the possibility of a national postal service being set up (among the many other issues). See Wright, Stanley F., Hart and the Chinese Customs (Belfast: William Mullan & Sons, 1950), p. 316Google Scholar. This view is adopted in an official publication of the Chinese Post Office: ‘Report on the Chinese Post Office in 1921’. Beside this, Hart is reported to have proposed a national postal service in his famous memorandum to the Zongli Yamen called ‘Juwai pangguanlun’ (Bystander's view) in 1865. Chen Tse-chuan, a highly respected philatelist and historian, strongly rejects both views and points out that although Hart emphasized the importance of communication in a modern state, and noted that China should pay attention to this subject, he did not specifically propose a national postal service. Tse-chuan, Chen, Zhongguo zaoqi youzhengde shiliao kaozheng (A Study of Early Chinese Postal History) (Taipei: Chen Tse-chuan, 1965), pp. 27–36Google Scholar.

12 Ying-wan Cheng, Postal Communication in China, pp. 64–65; see also Donovan, J.P., Yesterday and To-day in China (London: Drane's, 1923), pp. 135–36Google Scholar.

13 Wade was the British minister at the time. Like Hart, Wade arrived in China having been in the diplomat system for years. In many ways he was seen as part of the ‘English School’ camp as he was active in promoting the idea that domestic reform would result in a strong central Chinese government. Suzuki, Civilization and Empire, pp. 97–98.

14 According to the official stance of the Chinese Maritime Customs, the reason Wade did not have these two issues included in the Chefoo Convention was simply because he did not want more power to be placed in the hand of the inspector general. See the note of I.G. Circular No. 709, 30 April 1896, in Documents Illustrative of the Origin, Development and Activities of the Chinese Customs Service, Vol. ii, p. 55; see also Ying-wan Cheng, Postal Communication in China, pp. 70–72.

15 Hart to Campbell, letter 158, 11 November 1876, in Fairbank, John King, Bruner, Katherine Frost and Matheson, Elizabeth MacLeod (eds), The I.G. in Peking: Letters of Robert Hart Chinese Maritime Customs, 1868–1907 (Cambridge Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1975), Vol. i, p. 228Google Scholar; Ying-wan Cheng, Postal Communication in China, pp. 70–72; ‘Haiguan chengli zhi yange’ (The Development of [the] Customs’ Establishment), The Speech Draft of Wu Yaoqi (17 February 194?), SHAC 679 (9) 4432.

16 This was the phrase used by Hart to describe the failure to push ahead with the nationalization of the postal service during the negotiations for the Chefoo Convention in 1876; see I.G. Circular No. 709, 30 April 1896, Documents Illustrative of the Origin, Development and Activities of the Chinese Customs Service, Vol. ii, p. 55.

17 Donovan, Yesterday and To-day in China, p. 136. Also, according to Morse's observation, Hart wanted to take the establishment of the postal service very slowly: ‘his maxim was to assure his ground before he stepped, and then to move slowly’. See Morse, The International Relations of the Chinese Empire, Vol. iii, p. 63.

18 Hart to H. Kopsch, ‘I.G./576/13, 911/Ningbo’, 17 March 1886, SHAC 679 (1) 14907. Kopsch was the main person to draw up the plan for the Chinese National Post Office. As Robert Hart put it in this despatch to Kopsch, ‘I think it due to yourself to thank you for the very painstaking manner in which you have handled the question from both Chinese and non-Chinese officials for the establishment of a Chinese National Post Office.’

19 Ibid.

20 Ying-wan Cheng, Postal Communication in China, p. 6.

21 Ying-wan Cheng, Postal Communication in China, pp. 79–80. See also Morse, The International Relations of the Chinese Empire, Vol. iii, p. 58; and Zuyi, Lou, Zhongguo youyi fadashi (The Development of Chinese Postal Service) (Shanghai: Zhonghua shuju youxian gongsi, 1940), p. 338Google Scholar.

22 Ying-wan Cheng, Postal Communication in China, pp. 45–46.

23 Kirkhope, H. (ed.), ‘Note on the Shanghai (Municipal) Local Post’ in Report on the Chinese Post Office: for the Tenth Year of Chung-Hua Min-Kuo (1921) (Shanghai: Ministry of Communications Directorate General of Posts, 1922), Appendix C, p. 107Google Scholar.

24 Morse, The International Relations of the Chinese Empire, Vol. iii, pp. 60–61.

25 Ying-wan Cheng, Postal Communication in China, pp. 67–68.

26 Wenpeng, Liu, Qingdai yichuan ji qi yu jiangyu xingcheng guanxi zhi yanjiu (Study of the Military Mail Service of the Qing Dynasty, and its Relationship with Imperial Boundaries) (Beijing: Zhongguo renmin daxue chubanshe, 2004), pp. 275–80Google Scholar.

27 Kirkhope (ed.), ‘A Historical Survey of the Quarter-Century 1896–1921’ in Report on the Chinese Post Office, p. 6.

28 Hart to Detring, no. 186 Customs/Tientsin No. 3404, 26 September 1877, SHAC 679 (2) 189.

29 Hart was in Europe between March 1878 and May 1879 on a European business trip, which included a visit to the Paris Exhibition, so during this period the work of the Inspectorate General was jointly overseen by Robert E. Bredon, the chief secretary, and William Cartwright, the Chinese secretary. See I.G. Circular No. 49 (Second Series), 28 February 1878, Documents Illustrative of the Origin, Development and Activities of the Chinese Customs Service, Vol. i, p. 391.

30 ‘Memorandum-Courier relay line Tientsin-Peking’, Enclosed to No.39/I/G, 26 March 1878, SHAC 679 (2) 1930.

31 bianxiezu, Tianjin shehui kexueyuan lishi yanjiusuo tianjin jianshi (ed.), Tianjin jianshi (The Abridged History of Tianjin) (Tianjin: Tianjin renmin chubanshe, 1987), pp. 27 and 57–59Google Scholar.

32 Li Shimian (1374–1450, Ming Dynasty), ‘Yong Yang cung I’ (In Praise of the Imperial Relay Service in Yang village). In Xinxia, Lai (ed.), Tianjin de youyi yu youzheng (Tianjin's Postal Relay and Postal Service) (Tianjin: Tianjin guji chubanshe, 2004), p. 70Google Scholar.

33 ‘Memorandum-Courier relay line Tientsin-Peking’, Enclosed to No.39/I/G, 26 March 1878, SHAC 679 (2) 1930.

34 Detring to the I.G., 29 May 1878, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-2.

35 Detring to the I.G., despatch no. 64, 7 June 1878, SHAC 672 (2) 1930.

36 Detring to the I.G., 29 May 1878, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-2.

37 Ibid.

38 See Detring to J. Hughes, the Commissioner of Newchwang, 13 November 1878, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-2.

39 ‘Memorandum for the guidance of the Postal Department, Custom House, Newchwang’, Detring to the Custom Commissioner at Newchwang, 1 November 1878, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-2.

40 ‘Overland Mail Service 1879–80, Organisation, Estimated Expenditure, i.e’. See Detring to the I.G., 15 January 1880, SHAC 679 (2) 1931.

41 ‘Memorandum for the guidance of the Postal Department, Customs House, Chefoo’, Detring to Chefoo Custom House, 1 November 1878, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-2.

42 When the couriers for the Tianjin to Yantai service wanted to set up a station in Jinan, where the Shandong governor resided, the proposal was rejected and they moved to Qihe instead, 50 li northwest of Jinan, on the other side of the Yellow River (though still in Shandong Province). See Detring to I.G., despatch no. 15, 15 February 1879, SHAC 679 (2) 1931.

43 Ibid.

44 The Compliance Committee of the Qing History, Qingshi (The Qing History) (Taipei: Guofang yanjiuyuan, 1961), Vol. 2, p. 870.

45 Ying-wen Cheng, Postal Communication in China, p. 65.

46 Detring to the I. G., 7 June 1878, SHAC 672 (2) 1930. During the winter season, letters from other Yangtze river ports were also instructed to be sent to Chinkiang for transmitting to the north. See ‘To Commissioners of Custom Ningbo, Hankow, Wuhu, Kiukiang’, Detring, 23 November 1878, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-2.

47 Kirkhope, ‘A Historical Survey’, p. 5.

48 Ibid., p. 6.

49 Detring to the Shanghai Local Post-Master, 15 May 1878, SHAC 679 (2) 1943.

50 Detring to I.G., despatch no. 107, 30 September 1878, SHAC 679 (2) 1930. See also ‘Xinshe Huayang shuxinguan’ (Newly established Chinese-Foreign Postal Agency), Shenbao, 21 July 1878.

51 Ibid.

52 ‘Yi she shuxinguan’ (On establishing the Chinese-Foreign Postal Agency), Shenbao, 21 May 1878. See also ‘Huayang shuxinguan zhangchengxu’ (The rules and procedures of the Chinese-Foreign Postal Agency), Shenbao, 4 September 1878; and ‘Lun chuangshe huayang shuxinguang zhi li’ (On the benefits of establishing the Chinese-Foreign Postal Agency), Shenbao, 11 September 1878.

53 Tsai, Wei pin, Reading Shenbao: Nationalism, Consumerism and Individuality in China 1919–37 (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), p. 165CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

54 Detring to I.G., despatch no. 15, 15 February 1879, SHAC 679 (2) 1931.

55 Detring to R. Bredon (Acting I.G.), 4 January 1879, in Runxi, Chou (ed.), Tianjin youzheng shiliao (The Historical Materials of Tianjin Post) 5 volumes (Beijing: Beijing hangkong xueyuan chubanshe, 1988), Vol. i, pp. 240–41Google Scholar.

56 Detring to Bredon, 31 December, 1878, in Chou Runxi (ed.), Tianjin youzheng shiliao, Vol. i, p. 239.

57 Detring to Zhenjiang Commissioner James Twinem, 17 January 1879, SHAC 693 (2) 1931; Detring to Bredon, 5 January 1879, in Chou Runxi (ed.), Tianjin youzheng shiliao, Vol. i, pp. 241–42.

58 An Cha Shih 按察使 or Nieh Ssu 臬司.

59 Detring to Zhenjiang Commissioner James Twinem, 23 January 1879; Detring to Bredon, 24 January 1879, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-2. Detring to Hart, 15 February 1879, SHAC 693 (2) 1931.

60 Detring to Li Hongzhang, Emperor Guangxu, year 4th (1879) month 12th day 19th, in danganguan, Tianjinshi and Haiguan, Tianjin (eds), Jinhaiguan midang jieyi (Disclosure and Translation of the Secret Documents of Tianjin Maritime Customs) (Beijing: Zhongguo haiguan chubanshe, 2006), pp. 7–8Google Scholar; Detring to Zhenjiang Commissioner James Twinem, 17 January, 1879, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-2.

61 Detring to the Customs Superintendent Zheng Zaoru, Emperor Guangxu, year 4th (1879) month 12th day 21st, in Tianjinshi danganguan and Tianjin Haiguan (eds), Jinhaiguan midang jieyi, pp. 9–10.

62 Detring to I.G., despatch no. 15, 15 February 1879, SHAC 679 (2) 1931.

63 Li Hongzhang to Detring, Emperor Guangxu year 4th (1879) month 12th day 15th, in Tianjinshi danganguan and Tianjin Haiguan (eds), Jinhaiguan midang jieyi, pp. 10–11.

64 Detring to Li Hongzhang, Emperor Guangxu year 4th (1879) month 12th day 19th, in Tianjinshi danganguan and Tianjin Haiguan (eds), Jinhaiguan midang jieyi, pp. 7–8.

65 Detring to I.G., despatch no. 15, 15 February 1879, SHAC 679 (2) 1931.

66 Detring to Bredon, 5 January 1879, in Chou Runxi (ed.), Tianjin youzheng shiliao, Vol. i, pp. 241–42.

67 Detring to I.G., despatch no. 15, 15 February 1879, SHAC 679 (2) 1931.

68 Detring to Zhenjiang Commissioner James Twinem, 23 January 1879, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-2.

69 Detring to I.G., despatch no. 15, 15 February 1879, SHAC 679 (2) 1931.

70 Hart wrote: ‘Do you know anyone well up in general acquaintance with postal work in England—not a mere letter sorter, though knowing details, and yet not very old or very high up though acquainted with the superior kind of work. I may want such a man.’ See Hart to Campbell, 27 July 1879, letter 252, in Fairbank et al., The I.G. in Peking, Vol. i, p. 298.

71 Inspector General's Circulars, Postal Series, no. 1, 22 December 1879, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-1-8.

72 Detring to the I.G., 15 January 1880, ‘Overland Mail Service 1879–80, Organisation, Estimated Expenditure, i.e.’, SHAC 679 (2) 1931.

73 Ibid.

74 Detring to I.G., despatch no. 69, 19 July 1879, SHAC 679 (2) 1931.

75 Detring to I.G., despatch no. 107, 30 September 1878, SHAC 679 (2) 1930.

76 Colin Jamieson to Hart, despatch no. 100, 26 July 1882, SHAC 679 (2) 1931.

77 Detring to the I.G., despatch no. 64, 7 June 1878, SHAC 672 (2) 1930.

78 ‘Reply to Queries concerning Postal Service’, Acting Commissioner James Twinem of the Chinkiang Custom House to I.G., 14 July 1879, SHAC 679 (2) 674.

79 Detring to Wu Huan (Zhitian), Emperor Guangxu year 6th (1880) month 5th day 2nd, in Tianjinshi danganguan and Tianjin Haiguan (eds), Jinhaiguan midang jieyi, p. 12.

80 Detring to Wu Huan (Zhitian), Emperor Guangxu year 6th (1880) month 5th day 9th, in Tianjinshi danganguan and Tianjin Haiguan (eds), Jinhaiguan midang jieyi, p. 13.

81 Detring to Hart, Postal no. 10, 17 January 1880, SHAC 679 (2) 1931.

82 Hart to Campbell, letter 345, 6 November 1881, in Fairbank et al., The I.G. in Peking, Vol. i, p. 392.

83 Wu Huan to Detring, Emperor Guangxu year 7th (1880) month 3rd day 13th, Tianjin Municipal Archives W1-9-2138; see also ‘Huayang shuxinguan’ (The Chinese-Foreign Postal Agency) in Chou Runxi (ed.), Tianjin youzheng shiliao, Vol. i, pp. 333–34.

84 Hart to H.E. Hobson, no. 631, 4 October 1882, in weiyuanhui, Zhongguo jindai jingqi shiliao congkan bianji (ed.), Zhongguo haiguan yu youzheng (Chinese Maritime Customs Service and Postal Matters) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1983), p. 25Google Scholar; H.E. Hobson to Hart, No. 160, 8 November 1882, SHAC 679 (2) 1931.

85 J. Mackey to Hart, Ningbo/88/I.G., 2 August 1882, SHAC 679 (1) 14907.

86 Inspector General's Circulars, Postal Series no. 3, 21 November 1882, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-1-8.

87 Inspector General's Circulars, Postal Series no. 5, 22 December 1882, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-1-8.

88 Hart to Detring, despatch no. 307, 22 December 1879, in Chou Runxi (ed.), Tianjin youzheng shiliao, Vol. i, p. 314.

89 Hart to Campbell, letter 336, 8 August 1881, in Fairbank et al., The I.G. in Peking, Vol. i, p. 381. For Hart's relationship with Detring afterwards, see van de Ven, Hans, ‘Robert Hart and Gustav Detring during the Boxer Rebellion’, Modern Asian Studies, 40:3 (July 2006), pp. 631–62CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

90 H. Kopsch to I.G., despatch No. 24, 4 February 1885, SHAC 679 (1) 14907.

91 Hart to Campbell, letter 427, 24 July 1883, in Fairbank et al., The I.G. in Peking, Vol. i, p. 478.

92 Hart to Campbell, letter 477, 27 April 1884, in Fairbank et al., The I.G. in Peking, Vol. i, p. 541.

93 Hart to Campbell, letter 483, 4 June 1884, in Fairbank et al., The I.G. in Peking, Vol. i, p. 550.

94 Hart to Campbell, letter 499, 17 October 1884, in Fairbank et al., The I.G. in Peking, Vol. i, p. 571.

95 Confidential letter from Hart to S. Rendel, 20 February 1883, Tyne and Wear Archives: 31/3876–3952 ‘Letters and papers concerning Chinese affairs, August 1879–January 1911’.

96 ‘Enclosure’, Postal Circular No. 7/I.G. Circular 706, 9 April 1896, Tianjin Municipal Archives W2-1-8. See also Pratt FRPSL, Major Richard, Imperial China: History of the Posts to 1897 (London: Sahara Publications Ltd., 1998), p. 10Google Scholar.

97 Postal Circular No. 7, ibid.

98 Hart wrote: ‘This is hanging fire—as far as I am concerned. The high officials would willingly see my experiment succeed and then father it: but they will not help it with either Orders or funds.’ Hart to Campbell, letter 336, 8 August 1881, in Fairbank et al., The I.G. in Peking, Vol. i, pp. 380–81.