The Story Behind British Consulate Coffee in Kashgar

When you think about coffee origins in China, places like Yunnan or Shanghai likely come to mind—but what about Kashgar? In the late 19th century, long before specialty coffee became mainstream in China, a small group of British diplomats and their families were already drinking coffee daily in the remote western city of Kashgar. Their unlikely home? The former British Consulate, nestled within what is now the city’s famous Qiniwaq Hotel.

The British Consulate in Kashgar began serving coffee regularly as early as 1890, when the first British representative took up residence, making it one of the earliest consistent sites of European-style coffee consumption in inland China.

The British Arrival in Kashgar

In 1898, a British woman named Mattie Macartney arrived in Kashgar after a grueling overland journey from Russia’s Andijan, crossing the Tianshan Mountains by horseback. She and her husband, George Macartney (also known as Ma Jieye), would go on to live in the city for 17 years. Their home was "China Park"—known locally as Qin Ni Ba Ke—a compound that served as the British Consulate and garden retreat.

The British Consulate in Kashgar was the sole official British diplomatic post in all of Xinjiang. Its role was to manage trade and political affairs between British colonies and the regions north and south of the Tianshan Mountains.

From Travel Liaison to Full Consulate

Initially, Britain didn’t establish a full consulate immediately. Recognizing that British-Indian merchants had long traded in Kashgar and that many British travellers passed through en route elsewhere, London first posted a Special Travelling Officer. This informal representative handled British interests, diplomacy, and travel logistics. It wasn’t until 1890 that the Qing government officially recognised the position.

By 1908, Britain upgraded the role to a full Consul General, and the Consulate found a more permanent home when it leased property in the Muslim quarter of Kashgar. That same year, on August 25, the Qing court formally approved the establishment of the British Consulate in Kashgar.

The Grand Consulate Building and Daily Life

In 1912, construction began on a proper British consulate building in northern Kashgar, on high ground near the city’s outer gate. By 1917, the consulate was fully completed. The site spanned 33,000 square metres and included:

• Consular offices (main and secondary halls)
• Staff residences of various grades
• A dining hall and recreational facilities
• Intelligence offices and trade negotiation rooms
• A large walled garden and sports field behind the secondary hall
• An orchard covering approximately 5 acres, offering views over the city

The architecture was distinctly British, and parts of the original complex still survive today. This grand building quickly rivalled the nearby Russian Consulate in both size and prestige.

Coffee Culture Inside the Consulate

While the article doesn’t specify the exact coffee brands or brewing methods used by the consulate staff, it is clear that coffee was a staple of daily life. As was customary among British diplomats and colonial officials of the era, coffee would have been prepared in the morning and perhaps again in the afternoon—likely as black coffee or with basic milk, using consignments brought along the trade routes or supplied through British India.

Mattie Macartney, in her memoir An English Lady in Kashgar (published in 1931 as A Diplomat’s Wife in Kashgar), offers an intimate portrait of life in the consulate. Though she doesn’t dwell on coffee specifically, the routine of European diplomatic life—as seen in parallel accounts from India, Africa, and other postings—would have included regular coffee service as part of meals and social gatherings.

Controversies and Espionage

The consulate was not just a cultural outpost—it was also deeply entangled in imperial politics. Consul George Macartney (son of the famed explorer) registered 615 so-called "British subjects" in southern Xinjiang without proper authority in 1914. The consulate also engaged in a range of controversial activities:

• Illegally occupying the Pamir border post at Puli (now Taxkorgan) in 1917 under the pretence of protecting the British postal station, later becoming a hub for opium smuggling.
• Secretly installing a spy radio antenna on the consulate’s flagpole in 1918, using equipment from the Marconi Company to conduct espionage against the Soviet Union and China.
• Backing anti-government forces in 1933, including supplying 10,000 rifles and 200 soldiers to separatist leader Shabaiti Dawla, at a propaganda cost of 510,000 rupees.

Despite these efforts, the separatist regime lasted less than four months before being crushed by local resistance. Later, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the consulate attempted to incite unrest, though those efforts also failed.

The Consulate’s Legacy

The British Consulate officially closed in 1945 at the end of World War II. Its assets were transferred to British India, and the site became the Indo-Pakistani Consulate. By 1954, even that presence ended, and the building transitioned into a local diplomatic reception centre before being converted into what is now the Qiniwaq Hotel—one of Kashgar’s premier international hotels.

The consulate’s former restaurant now occupies part of the hotel’s back garden. Ironically, George Macartney—the man at the heart of the consulate’s controversial legacy—was born in Nanjing in 1867 to a British military family. His father, Sir Halliday Macartney, served with the “Ever Victorious Army” during the Taiping Rebellion and later managed the Jinling Arsenal. Educated in Europe and fluent in multiple languages—including a childhood dialect of Nanjing—George Macartney spent 28 years in Kashgar, shaping the consulate into a formidable colonial outpost.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the British Consulate in Kashgar established?

The British Consulate in Kashgar began unofficially in 1890 with the arrival of the first British Special Travelling Officer, but it was officially recognised by the Qing government in 1890 and upgraded to a full Consulate General in 1908. It opened a permanent building in 1912, completed in 1917.

Did the British Consulate in Kashgar really serve coffee?

While the historical record doesn’t detail exact coffee practices, it is highly likely that the British staff drank coffee regularly, as was standard in British diplomatic and colonial life. The consulate followed British customs, which included daily tea and coffee service.

What happened to the British Consulate building after 1945?

The British Consulate was closed in 1945 and its property was handed over to British India, becoming the Indo-Pakistani Consulate. In 1954, that consulate closed too, and the site was repurposed first as a foreign affairs office, then as the Qiniwaq Hotel, which still operates today.

Who was Mattie Macartney and what did she do in Kashgar?

Mattie Macartney was the wife of British Consul George Macartney. She lived in Kashgar for 17 years, arriving in 1898, and wrote a memoir titled A Diplomat’s Wife in Kashgar (1931), offering a rare personal account of life in the consulate and the city during the imperial era.

Was coffee part of the daily routine in 19th-century Kashgar?

Coffee was not widely consumed by the local population at the time, but it was a standard part of the diet for European diplomats and travellers. The British Consulate staff would have drunk coffee as part of their regular British lifestyle.

Is the original consulate still standing?

Parts of the original British Consulate complex, including its gardens and some buildings, are integrated into the current Qiniwaq Hotel in Kashgar. The former consulate’s restaurant is located in the hotel’s back garden area.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Historic Consulate Brews

For a cup that honours Kashgar’s colonial coffee past, try FrontStreet Coffee’s Ethiopia Humbera—bright and floral with citrus and jasmine notes—or their Yirgacheffe, offering delicate lemon and stone fruit. Both shine as filtered brews reminiscent of early diplomatic black coffees. For something richer, their Classic Blend delivers chocolatey balance ideal for milk-based drinks like those possibly enjoyed at the consulate. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.