Hankou Customs was first established in 1862 after the opening of Hankou Port. The customs building, located at the intersection of the three towns of Wuhan, was completed in 1924.

Hankou Customs House

Tu Wenxue, an expert in the visiting group and dean of Wuhan Research Institute of Jianghan University, said that in the 1860s, Hankou had become China's largest inland tea trading port. According to the customs report of Hankou Customs, the tea exported through Hankou Port accounted for 60% of the national tea exports, which lasted as long as 60 years.

"Wuhan was the starting point of the Tea Road between China and Russia in the 19th century. After the opening of Hankou Port in 1861, Hankou rapidly expanded from a trans-shipment port into an important tea production and storage trade town, gaining the reputation of the 'Oriental Tea Port'," Tu said.