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Former Site of Old Wuhu Customs

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The Old Wuhu Customs is located on Binjiang North Road, Xinwu District, Wuhu City. It was one of the forty customs stations in old China. Established in accordance with the provisions of the Sino-British Yantai Treaty, construction began in 1876. On February 18, 1877, Wuhu Customs was officially set up as a third-class customs office, and it commenced operations on April 1. It was specifically tasked with collecting taxes on import and export goods transported by steamships. The customs was managed by the British Consul’s Office through the Inspector General of Customs, who also oversaw port and shipping administration, handled postal services, meteorological observations, and other duties, in addition to conducting inspections. English was the working language at Wuhu Customs. The Inspector General reported to the foreign Inspector General stationed in China, whose office was located within the British Consulate on Fanluo Mountain. All successive Inspectors General were foreigners, responsible for recruiting, assigning, promoting, and dismissing customs personnel. The first Inspector General was a German named Wude Lu, and the first Customs Commissioner was Liu Chuanzhen.

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The Former Site of Old Wuhu Customs is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Old Wuhu Customs is located on Binjiang North Road, Xinwu District, Wuhu City.

The Old Wuhu Customs was one of the forty customs stations in old China. It was established in accordance with the provisions of the Sino-British Yantai Treaty, with construction beginning in 1876. On February 18, 1877, Wuhu Customs was established as a third-class customs office and officially opened for business on April 1. It was specifically responsible for collecting taxes on goods imported and exported by steamship. The customs was administered by the British Consul’s Office through the Inspector General of Customs, who also managed port and shipping affairs, postal services, meteorological observations, and other functions, in addition to conducting inspections. English was the official language used. The Inspector General answered to the foreign Inspector General, whose office was located in the British Consulate on Fanluo Mountain. All past Inspectors General were foreign nationals, overseeing the recruitment, deployment, promotion, and dismissal of customs staff. The first Inspector General was a German named Wude Lu, and the first Customs Commissioner was Liu Chuanzhen.

In addition to handling regular duties, the customs also secretly gathered intelligence on politics, economy, military affairs, culture, social customs, and more from various regions—referred to as the customs’ secret administrative function. Each year, the “Miscellaneous” section of the Wuhu Customs annual report primarily documented developments across various aspects in different parts of Anhui. At the same time, the customs extensively collected information on the distribution of mineral resources such as coal, iron, copper, and tin in the areas surrounding Wuhu, as well as details about the traditional craftsmanship involved in making Xuan paper. In short, the Old Wuhu Customs served the economic aggression of European and American imperialists by any means necessary.

On October 7, 2019, the Former Site of Old Wuhu Customs was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.