Sir Robert Hart, 1st Baronet
British diplomat and official in the Qing Chinese government
Years: 1835 - 1911
Sir Robert Hart, 1st Baronet, GCMG (February 20, 1835 – September 20, 1911) is 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 arrives in China at the age of nineteen and resides there for fifty-four years, except for two short leaves in 1866 and 1874.
Hart is the most important and most influential Westerner in Qing dynasty China.
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."
Professor Rana Mitter of the University of Oxford writes that Hart "was honest and helped to generate a great deal of income for China."
Sun Yat-sen describes him as "the most trusted as he was the most efficient and influential of 'Chinese.'"
