Work and Lives in China's Lighthouses (c. 1860s–1940s)

Ting Ruan’s thesis explores the construction of lighthouses along China's coast during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It examines the global context of this lighting project, the transfer of technology, the roles of personnel at various levels including engineers and lightkeepers, and the interaction between lighthouses and local communities. Here Ting would like to present the chapter on the lightkeepers. The construction and management of China's lighthouses during this period were overseen by the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, an institution with unique characteristics. While it was always a branch of the Chinese government, the Customs Service had a distinctly global dimension and was heavily dominated by Britain. It is widely recognised as the ‘cornerstone’ of the British Empire in China. On the other hand, its employees came from as many as 23 countries around the world, exemplifying its cosmopolitan nature. As such, through the analyses of lightkeepers, this chapter demonstrates how the Chinese Customs' lighthouse practice mirrored the vicissitudes at global, imperial, and national levels. The chapter is divided into four sections. The first one analyses the group profile of lightkeepers including the composition of their nationalities, their recruitment and promotion. In addition to demonstrating the multinational characteristic of the lightkeeper cohort, it explores how British imperial networks, through the Chinese Maritime Customs, facilitated the global movement of people. The second and third sections introduce the lightkeepers’ work and life. By examining the privileges enjoyed by foreign lightkeepers, including the stark differences in their positions and salaries compared to Chinese staff, these sections highlight the parallels between China, as Britain’s informal empire, and Britain’s formal colonies. The final section on the indigenisation process reflects the rise of nationalist sentiment in early 20th-century China and how the Customs, still under British influence, responded. Overall, this chapter analyses the Chinese and foreign employees who maintained China’s lighthouses from a social history perspective. It highlights how British imperial networks integrated China into the accelerating process of modern globalisation, while also exposing the stark inequalities that existed within these networks.

Ting Ruan is a third-year PhD student in the History Department at the University of Bristol. My doctoral thesis investigates maritime infrastructure construction along China’s coast during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through this case study, I aim to explore how modern China became incorporated into British imperial networks and consequently dragged into the ever-accelerating globalisation process. My research interests include global history, maritime history, modern Chinese history, and British imperial history.