Collection of private papers of Théophile Piry (fl. 1880-1915), Commissioner of Customs and first Postmaster General of the Imperial Postal Service, China, 1911-1915. This collection contains a range of material bearing on Piry’s later career in the Chinese administration including drafts, notes, copies of correspondence, memoranda, reports etc relating to customs affairs in Lappa and Macao and, later, the establishment of the modern postal service in China from 1911 until Piry’s retirement in 1915.
MS19/27/10 - Pale Group Portrait of Hart and Piry with European and Chinese Staff Members. Dated 22. VIII.’90. Signed with Hart’s Initial in Ink
MS/19/27/9B - Photograph of a Small Group in Hart’s Garden. Includes Hart and Piry Amongst Male Friends or Staff Members
Correspondence Relating to the Macao Junk Contraband Incident. Includes MS19/1/3, MS19/1/4, MS19/1/6
Correspondence from MS19/2. Includes Correspondence from Piry to Hart (MS19/2/46 and MS19/2/47) and a Letter from Percy R. Walsham (MS/19/2/56)
Collection of Correspondence from MS/19/3 Consisting of Letters Sent from Peking to Lappa. Includes MS19/3/1, MS19/3/2 and MS19/3/12
Collection of private papers of Théophile Piry (fl. 1880-1915), Commissioner of Customs and first Postmaster General of the Imperial Postal Service, China, 1911-1915. This collection contains a range of material bearing on Piry’s later career in the Chinese administration including drafts, notes, copies of correspondence, memoranda, reports etc relating to customs affairs in Lappa and Macao and, later, the establishment of the modern postal service in China from 1911 until Piry’s retirement in 1915. Of particular interest are the various papers concerning the development of the Imperial Postal Service, most notably in relation to arrangements with foreign counties (the so-called ‘Guest Post’ system) and the formalisation of relations with these countries both individually and through membership of the Universal Postal Union. Included can be found copies of postal agreements between China and France (1900), Germany (1905), Russia (1909) and Japan (1910), correspondence relating to China’s entry to the Universal Postal Union, 1913-1915 and two historical notes and analyses concerning the development of the postal service (U-Tchau) in China.
The Piry Collection is a significant research source for students of late 19th and early 20th century China, providing an important commentary on the emergence of Imperial China as a modern state, particularly in terms of the development of its postal system. The collection is also important for students interested in the career of Sir Robert Hart (1835-1911). Piry was one of Hart's protégé's in China in the Customs Service and the collection includes a number of official documents concerning Piry's official dealings with him.
The collection contains approx 7 folders/files of correspondence and memoranda, and 58 individual documents consisting of reports, petitions, agreements etc.
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Queen's University Belfast has legal ownership of this collection. Queen's does not hold copyright for the complete collection.
Purchased by Queen's University Belfast
