On September 9, 1853, the British Consul in Shanghai declared that the customs tax was subject to a consular collection system, which was actually an aggressive system for the British to seize Chinese tariffs.

After the Xiaodaohui Uprising in Shanghai in China in September 1853, the Shanghai Customs Office located in the concession was destroyed, and foreign invaders immediately sent troops to occupy it. British Consul in Shanghai Arliguo colluded with U.S. Minister R.Alcock and regarded this as a good opportunity to implement his former plan to improve tariff administration."He quickly negotiated with U.S. Vice-Consul E. Cunninghan, and promulgated the" Interim Rules for Customs Clearance of Ships During the Suspension of Customs Administration "(Articles 6) on August 7 (September 9).
The rule announced that: British and American businesspeople should go through all customs declaration and tax formalities with the British and American consulates respectively, and all import and export taxes should be paid to the British and American consulates, either in cash or with a 40-day insurance policy. Declares that the British and American consulates levy customs duties on behalf of the Qing government. This is the so-called "consular collection system", which is actually an aggressive system for the British to seize Chinese customs duties. In October, Shanghai Province and Customs Supervisor Wu Jianzhang lodged representations with the British Consul, and the United Kingdom and the United States agreed to cancel the method of consular collection of customs duties from October 24th.