After 1842, foreign powers like Britain and France established many so-called “treaty ports”, allowing foreigners to conduct trade and missionary activities in Chinese cities. Among them， the British ports were highest in numbers and most influential. To facilitate urban construction, the British Royal Engineers established the “Office of Works for the Treaty Ports of China, Japan, Korea, and Siam”, the first official institution to introduce modern British land surveying and architectural design to China. The article explores this famous Office of Works, its personnel and its projects, and analyses characteristics and changes of setting throughout the Office’s history. To do so, the article analyzes the architectural characteristics of the consulates in China designed by the Office in different periods. Additionally, it analyzes the mobility of British architects and their impact on the modernization process of Chinese port cities. This will demonstrate the following. First, the establishment of branches reflects the growing British influence on the construction of Far Eastern port cities, focusing on Shanghai as the center that radiated outwards. Second, a gradual process of job specialization from surveyor to architect/designer took place. Third, the evolution of consulate architecture illustrates how British architects adapted to the local situation (climate, geography) while interacting with Chinese culture (s).