To capture a vanishing era: the development of the Maze Collection of Chinese Junk Models, 1929–1948

Abstract

While history of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service (CMCS) is most commonly linked to Sino-Western relations and the history of the treaty ports in Qing and Republican China, this article explores a less well-known facet of the CMCS, namely its contributions to the knowledge of the maritime history of China. The particular focus of this paper is the Maze Collection of Chinese Junk Models that was developed by the Inspector General of Customs, Sir Frederick Maze, and donated to the Science Museum in London in the 1930s. Through examining the origins of this model collection we are able to gain insights into how the study of Chinese ‘native’ shipping was conducted in the 1920s and 1930s. Moreover, by examining the origins of the Maze Collection of Chinese Junk Models we are able to make observations regarding Maze's motives for the creation of the collection; this paper argues that the collection of model junks was intended partly to provide an institutional legacy but was predominantly driven by personal ambitions. Through examining Maze's relationship with the Science Museum, this article also provides insights into the tensions between donor and curator as Maze sought to rescue and preserve Chinese maritime history.