The British and French consulates of old Suzhou

The Suzhou Customs Office was located in the Qingyang land of the French Concession at Miedu Bridge, which was the former British and French Consulates in Suzhou. It was established in August of the 22nd year of the Guangxu reign (1896), with jurisdiction ranging from north of Jiaxing to south of Danyang, and west of Kunshan. The office was headed by a Commissioner of Customs, with the first Commissioner being the British Mr. Montague William Meyer. At that time, there were internal and external divisions handling customs declaration, tax payment, and anti-smuggling operations. In March 1913, the Commissioner-General of Customs, citing frequent changes in customs affairs and discrepancies between names and realities, gradually unified the internal organization of customs at various ports. The Suzhou Customs Office had two departments: the Taxation Department, responsible for tax collection, with sections for general affairs, secretarial work, accounting, and assessment; and the Public Works Department, which was not established until the 11th year of the Republic of China (1922), responsible for the construction and maintenance of customs facilities. In the 25th year of the Republic of China (1936), an Inspection Division was added to oversee anti-smuggling efforts. In November 1937, after the Japanese army occupied Suzhou, 'customs activities' were immediately suspended, and the buildings began to be used as civilian residences. Until the renovation, there were still 15 households living in the three buildings. Suzhou Customs Office Former Site Open 07:30-17:00 Free Admission Address: About 40 meters northwest of Cuiting Road, Miedu Cuiting, Gusu District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province