China Customs Museum

China Customs Museum
中国海关博物馆

Address: No 2 Jianguomen Inner Street, Dongcheng district, Beijing
Opening hours: 9 am-4:30 pm (final ticket issued 3:45 pm; last entry 4 pm)
Closed Mondays
General admission: Free
Tel: (+86-10) 65194318

The China Customs Museum is located in a historically rich area of Beijing, with the Ancient Observatory to the east, the office building of the General Administration of Customs of China to the west, and in close proximity to East Chang'an Avenue and Liuguan Hutong.

The museum officially opened to the public on Mar 30, 2014, after an initial opening to customs staff on Sept 29, 2013.

As a national-level industry museum directly under the General Administration of Customs of China, it serves multiple purposes, including collecting and preserving customs artifacts, showcasing customs culture, conducting customs history research, and providing patriotic and professional education.

The museum’s exhibition area spans approximately 8,000 square meters, with permanent exhibitions on the first and second floors, divided into three sections: Ancient Customs, Modern Customs, and Customs of New China. There are specialized and temporary exhibition halls on the basement floor, including the "Customs 902" Vessel exhibition hall.

The museum houses over 32,000 artifacts, covering significant items spanning from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) to contemporary times. The collection includes historical relics, such as a tile end with Chinese character inscription "Guan" (Customs), a ten-tael silver ingot of the Guangdong Customs, the China Lighthouse Map of 1894, the Large Dragon Stamp, the mailbag used by Inspector General Sir Robert Hart (1835-1911), and a wooden plaque inscribed by Li Hongzhang (1823-1901) for the new Tianjin Customs building.

Contemporary exhibits feature an appointment letter for the first director-general of the General Administration of Customs of New China, the "Customs 902" Vessel, as well as smuggled items like snow leopard specimens and Siberian tiger pelts seized by China Customs.

The "Customs 902" Vessel, designed and built domestically, was among the most advanced vessels patrolling the Pearl River when it was commissioned by Gongbei Customs on July 20, 1989. Over its 20 years of service, the vessel was instrumental in intercepting over 1,000 smuggling cases with a total value of 350 million yuan ($49.12 million), earning it the title of a "heroic vessel". On Jan 23, 1992, comrade Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997) used the vessel for a 45-minute journey from Shenzhen to Zhuhai, during which he delivered part of his landmark Southern Tour speech, a key moment in China's reform and opening-up history. The boat's historical significance makes it a prized exhibit at the China Customs Museum.