Books by Robert Hart

These journal entries continue the sequence begun in Entering China's Service and cover the years when Hart was setting up Customs procedures, establishing a modus operandi with the Ch'ing bureaucracy, and inspecting the treaty ports. They culminate in Hart's return visit to Europe with the Pinch'un Mission and his marriage in Northern Ireland.

Hart's forty-five year administration of China's customs service was a unique achievement. In these letters Hart speaks to us directly from a time long past in China, but a time that may seem only yesterday to a Western reader. The result is a primary source for the history of modern China and the era of foreign privilege there.

The integration of tree and other farming can establish a sounder ecological balance and greater productivity of food and materials for clothing, fuel and shelter. The book suggests planting and cropping methods, and a range of potentially useful trees.

Forest gardening is a way of working with Nature which is not only productive, requiring minimal maintenance, but creates great environmental benefits. Robert created a magnificent garden which had a profound influence on the way people cultivated their land. It was a garden dedicated to human needs for fruit, nuts, vegetables and plant medicines.