Robert Hart And His Role In Four Loans In Later Qing Dynasty (1894-1898)

Robert Hart had assumed the office of general customs commissioner of China Customs for forty-five years. During this period , he controlled the customs absolutely ,and related to the field of politics, economy, and diplomacy of Chinese government, including participating in Chinese Imperial Government foreign loans.Qing Government had asked for a loan from Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Corporation four times durimg 1894-1898,and Hart's mediation service had a remarkable impact on the negotiation between China and bank. This paper intends to discuss Hart's activities in negotiation of four loans under the background of situation in far east after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, analyzes his motivations , multiple roals and way of act. Thereby to objectively find out the diffierent role of Hart who worked for Chinese government but was a British in big loans.This thesis includes five parts as follows:Part I:To supplement war expenditure,Qing government requested Hart to contacted with foreign bank for a loan .This part intends to expound the reasons of loans and Hart contributed to two loans from Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Corporation to summarize the effect of two loans and Hart's roal.Part II: This section mainly analyses Hart's activities and measures in the process of Chinese Imperial Government 5% Gold Loan of 1896. It focus on his particular role to improve the condition of the loan .At the same time,to discuss Hart and Britan's political gains is essential.Part III: Qing government decided to raise a loan from foreign bank to pay for the reparations to Japan and this was the backgrond of Chinese Imperial Government 4.5% Gold Loan of 1898. Hart thrown himself into negotiation as a accommodator and exerted positive effects on accommodation of the Loan's condition . According to analyses Hart's activities in the process of the Gold Loan and the causes that affected Qing Government chose which country's bank for a loan ,thereby to objectively evaluate his diplex functions.Part IV: From these discussions,the author points out following conclusions : Robert Hart involved in four loans as the representative of Qing government to contact loans, the defenders of British interests, the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Corporation Chinese advisor and a successful mediator between China and the bank.Multiple roles decide his motivations are complex;He played a different role in different stage of different loans.On the whole,Hart'action have diplex effects concurrently .Part V: According to the exposition, we can make evluations about the hazard of four loans to china and the relations of Hart and external debts overall.