The Jianghan Customs House is one of the most representative landmark buildings in Wuhan, located at 129 Yanjiang Avenue. The building’s east-facing main entrance faces the Yangtze River, while its main structure runs parallel to Yanjiang Avenue.

Its history traces back to 1861. According to Article 10 of the Treaty of Tianjin between China and Britain, the British government compelled the Qing government to open Zhenjiang, Jiujiang, and Hankou as foreign trade ports and establish customs houses. The Hankou Customs House (i.e., Jianghan Customs) was officially established in November of the same year, with Thomas Dick serving as the first Commissioner of Customs.

On November 4, 1922, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Jianghan Customs, a grand groundbreaking ceremony for the new building was held, presided over by the then Inspector General of Customs, Sir Francis Aglen. After the groundbreaking, a stone tablet was erected to the left of the building’s main entrance, inscribed with: “November 4, Eleventh Year of the Republic of China, Inspected and Laid This Foundation Stone by Sir Francis Aglen, Inspector General of Customs.”

Designed and fully supervised by the British firm Smedley, See & Jardine and contracted by Shanghai Wei Ching Kee Construction Company, this four-story customs building took 20 months of intensive construction and was completed on January 21, 1924. The building was strategically located on a prominent point extending into the river, facilitating monitoring of river activities. It also cleverly serves as a focal point terminating the view down two important streets, Yanjiang Avenue and Jianghan Road. On the day of completion, Jianghan Customs Commissioner W. C. Merrill, Supervisor Chen Jie, and over 700 other attendees were present at the grand completion ceremony, marking a major event in Wuhan at the time.

The construction funds for the Jianghan Customs House came directly from customs revenue, approved by the Inspector General of Customs and paid directly from customs surplus. According to the review records of the relevant engineering department under the Inspector General’s Service, the main building’s construction cost was approximately 307,000 Shanghai taels, with an additional about 175,000 Shanghai taels for earthwork, road construction, and interior facilities installation, totaling 482,000 Shanghai taels. This converted to 531,100 Haikwan taels. Adding the land cost of 71,000 taels, the total construction cost was approximately 602,100 Haikwan taels.

The building’s functional layout is clear and logical:

  • Ground Floor (1019.66 sq m): Houses auxiliary and operational facilities such as waiting rooms for customs brokers, customs declaration box rooms, a chemical laboratory, bonded warehouse, storage for customs boat supplies, and rest rooms for field staff.
  • First Floor (1118.42 sq m): Primarily comprises office areas for customs staff, including a spacious customs declaration hall, as well as offices for the Deputy Commissioner, assistants, appraisers, tax collectors, chief and deputy inspectors.
  • Second Floor (1123.87 sq m): Contains offices for the Commissioner of Customs, secretary, river patrol affairs, accounting, archives, and reception.
  • Third Floor (781.72 sq m): Originally, the east side of this floor was the Commissioner’s residence, and the west side was the office of the Chinese Superintendent of Customs (江汉关监督). Later, the entire floor was used as the Commissioner’s residence.

Above the four stories of the main building stands the tall clock tower, a hallmark of typical British architecture. Notably, at the spire tip of the completed Jianghan Customs clock tower, there is a copper weather vane. Engraved on it are the initial letters of the four English directions: “E, W, S, N”. A gilded British-style sailboat is inlaid in the center of the letters. This weather vane rotates daily with the wind.

The main building, completed, faces east, directly towards the Yangtze River. The architecture follows a strict symmetrical layout along the central axis where the towering clock tower is located. The entire building consists of a four-story main block and a five-story clock tower on top, making it a total of nine levels (referring to the combined structure). The building occupies an area of 1499 square meters, with a total built area of 4359 square meters, and reaches a total height of 45.85 meters, making it the tallest building in Wuhan at the time.

The architectural style of the Jianghan Customs House is typical British Classicism. It incorporates fundamental elements of ancient Greek and Roman architecture while also absorbing the essence of Italian Renaissance and French Classicism styles. The exterior walls are constructed with large granite blocks, giving it a solid and imposing appearance. All four facades of the building are adorned with elegant colonnades. The walls, pediments, window lintels, and main entrance have all been meticulously treated with artistic detailing, giving the overall exterior a character that is solemn, elegant, and highly artistic. Particularly notable are its east, west, and north facades, which feature impressive Corinthian granite colonnades; the eight columns on the north facade alone have a diameter of 1.5 meters, presenting a magnificent presence.

In terms of architectural composition, the main building features a classic three-tiered design, with the centrally towering clock tower serving as its visual focal point. The clock tower houses clocks with a diameter of up to 4 meters on all four sides. The sound of its hourly chimes—playing the famous “Westminster Quarters”—has long been an indispensable part of Wuhan’s urban life.