Robert Hart and Sino-Foreign Disputes in Qing China, 1863-1908

This book investigates the role of Sir Robert Hart in China’s early engagement with Western international law, covering the period from Hart’s earliest days as Inspector General of the foreign-dominated Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs (CIMC) to his final years in China (1863-1908). Drawing on Hart’s personal records, particularly his diaries and correspondence with CIMC officials and various political figures, as well as Customs Service official publications, records of the British Foreign Off