Business and Commerce Collections (Special Collections)
SOAS library's Business and Commerce Collections are particularly strong in relation to British commercial activity in China during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. They include the records of John Swire and Sons, the parent company of the modern transnational Swire Group, who were involved in shipping, trade and related enterprises in China and East Asia. They also include the papers of individuals involved in the China Maritime Customs Service, a tax collection agency serving the Chinese Government largely run by foreign consuls.
These collections provide first-hand accounts, by some of the key figures of the period, of the historical and political developments in nineteenth and early twentieth century China. Find out more about it here. It is part of the library's Archives & Special Collections, which are housed on Level F of the Library. For enquiries, please contact special.collections@soas.ac.uk.