From 1825, the British road, invented the real instrument characteristics since the balance tank of water meter, water meter with the development of nearly two hundred years of history.

Water meter use and production of China starts relatively late. In 1879, li hongzhang, to operate a navy in lushun created the first plant in China.

The British colonialists in Shanghai in 1883 established a second water plant, water meter began to enter China. As some coastal cities have built water plant, to the s of the 20th century