The Chinese Maritime Customs Service was an arm of the Chinese Government. Originally it was titled the Imperial Maritime Customs. Under the leadership of successive Inspector-General's the organization gained a reputation for honesty and integrity through its impartial collection of customs tariffs and regular accounting of funds collected.

In 1912, with the demise of the Qing Dynasty and the formation of the Republic of China, it became the Chinese Maritime Customs. It's major mission was to collect customs duties from foreign flagged ships at treaty ports and was separate from the Chinese Native Customs. The CMS was managed and officered mainly by foreigners, chiefly British subjects, throughout most of its history.

In addition to operating the customs service and administering port facilities, after 1896 the Maritime Customs created and operated a comprehensive postal and telegraph service serving most regions in the developed and populated regions of China. Maritime Customs also provided aids to navigation, hydrographic surveys and lighthouse services at various points along China's coast as well as lifesaving and courier services in the Yangtze River Gorges. The appointment of a new inspector-general in 1928/1929 caused a crisis between the Chinese government and the British government. The Maritime Customs Service was folded into the Chinese Customs c. 1948-49 when the Republic of China relocted it's administration to Taiwan. Ex-patriate employees were allowed to remain until the advent of World War II between 1937 and 1941. The last foreign director-general retired about 1948.

The Inspector-General of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service was, without doubt, the highest-ranking foreigner in the pay of the Chinese Government. His position at the heart of China's fiscal, commercial and mercantile systems was crucial to the continued prosperity of the foreign business community in Shanghai and elsewhere in China.

Sir Robert Hart (born 1835 - died 1911), an Irishman, was the first Inspector-General. He served from 1863 until 1908. Under his administration the customs service grew to include, in 1895, approximately 700 foreigners and over 3,500 Chinese. His, and the customs service's reputation, was one of complete honesty. For many years the major portion of revenue accruing to the central government's treasury was from the Maritime Customs Service.

The flag itself is modeled from St. Andrews Cross, a Scottish and Russian symbol. Exact colors and porportions varied with time and location.

Informal Empire in Crisis, British Diplomacy and the Chinese Customs Succession, 1927-1929, Martyn Atkins

The Inspector-General of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service was, without doubt, the highest-ranking foreigner in the pay of the Chinese Government. His position at the heart of China's fiscal, commercial and mercantile systems was crucial to the continued prosperity of the foreign business community in Shanghai and elsewhere. This work draws on unpublished British Foreign Office records and other contemporary sources to support its examination of the issues surrounding the appointment of a new Inspector-General in 1928, and the bitterness and intrigue which these issues engendered. The underlying debate between the British Legation in Peking and the Foreign Office in London illustrates the dilemma of a diplomatic establishment no longer able to rely upon the use of force to defend British interests in China. 74 1995 142 p. Cloth ISBN 0-939657-79-1 $20.00 Paper ISBN 0-939657-74-0 $12.00