Sir Robert Hart Collection

The Sir Robert Hart Collection at the University of Hong Kong's Hung On-To Memorial Library is a significant compilation of manuscripts and correspondence related to Sir Robert Hart (1835-1911), the Inspector General of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs Service during the period 1863 -1911. This collection serves as a valuable first-hand resource for researchers interested in the biographical study of Hart, the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, modern China, and Sino-British diplomacy at the time.

The collection contains more than a thousand original letters, including 492 letters from Hart to his wife, Hester, written predominantly on a weekly basis from 1866 to 1907 and those among other family members and friends of the Hart family. These letters provide useful insights into Hart’s character and his personal network while shedding light on his professional life and reactions to contemporary events in China. There are postcards and telegrams, too, amounting to some 130 and 100 respectively in the collection. A large portion of the latter are telegrams of condolence addressed to Lady Hart on the occasion of the death of Sir Robert Hart in 1911.