Weihai
Encyclopedia
Weihai is a city in eastern Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...

 Province, People's Republic of China. It is the easternmost prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...

 of the province and a major seaport. Between 1898 and 1930, the town was a British colony known as Weihaiwei or the Weihai Garrison , and sometimes as Port Edward. Weihai was not developed in the way that Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, the other British colony in the region, was developed, because Shandong Province of which Weihaiwei was part of, was inside Germany's sphere of influence and had only been obtained as a counterbalance to the Russian presence at Port Arthur 130 kilometres across the sea in Manchuria. It was largely used as a naval station and a sanatorium. Weihai borders Yantai
Yantai
Yantai is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Located on the southern coast of the Bohai Sea and the eastern coast of the Laizhou Bay, Yantai borders the cities of Qingdao and Weihai to the southwest and east respectively.The largest fishing...

 to the west and the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...

 to the east.

Its population is 2,804,800 at the 2010 census. 591,982 live in the built up area (Huancui urban district). One can notice that Rongcheng
Rongcheng
Rongcheng is a county-level city in Weihai prefecture-level city, Shandong province, in eastern China.-History:According to historical records, the Emperor Qinshihuang had visited Rongcheng twice, building bridges and temples...

, a county level city, has a built up area with 1,006,795 inhabitants.

Administrative divisions

The prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...

 of Weihai administers four county-level divisions, including one district and three county-level cities
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....

.
  • Huancui District
    Huancui District
    Huancui is a county-level district in Weihai, Shandong province, in eastern China.-External links:...

     (环翠区)
  • Wendeng
    Wendeng
    Wendeng is a county-level city in Weihai prefecture-level city, Shandong province, in North eastern China. Wendeng is primarily an industrial based city, with a large minority of citizens working as farmers.- Transport :* China National Highway 309...

     City (文登市)
  • Rongcheng City (荣成市)
  • Rushan City (乳山市)


These are further divided into 66 township-level divisions, including 52 towns and 14 subdistrict
Subdistrict
Subdistrict is a low level administrative division of a country. In Thailand it may refer to the King Amphoe or to the Tambon. In England and Wales it was part of a Registration district....

s.

History

The port was once the base for the Beiyang Fleet
Beiyang Fleet
The Beiyang Fleet was one of the four modernised Chinese navies in the late Qing Dynasty. Among the four, the Beiyang Fleet was particularly sponsored by Li Hongzhang, one of the most trusted vassals of Empress Dowager Cixi and the principal patron of the "self-strengthening movement" in northern...

 of China during the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

. During 1895, the Japanese captured it from the landward side
Battle of Weihaiwei
The Battle of Weihaiwei was a 23 day siege with a major land and naval component during the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place between 20 January and 12 February 1895 in Weihai, Shandong Province, China) between the forces of Meiji Japan and Qing China...

. It was evacuated during 1898.

After Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 leased Port Arthur
Lüshunkou
Lüshunkou is a district in the municipality of Dalian, Liaoning province, China. Also called Lüshun City or Lüshun Port, it was formerly known as both Port Arthur and Ryojun....

 (on the opposite coast) from China for 25 years during March, 1898, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 obtained a lease for Wei Hai Wei which was to exist for as long as the Russians leased Port Arthur. During 1905, when the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese defeated the Russians in the Russo-Japan War the Japanese took over Port Arthur, the British lease extended as long as the Japanese occupied Port Arthur. Thus the city was part of a territory (c.285 sq mi/740 km²) called "Weihaiwei", which was leased by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 from 1898 until October 1, 1930. It was a summer station for the British naval
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 China Station
China Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....

 and it was also used as a sanatorium. It became one of two major ports for ships of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 in the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...

 (the other being Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 in the south).

At the beginning of the lease the territory was administered by a Senior Naval Officer of the Royal Navy (Sir Edward Hobart Seymour
Edward Hobart Seymour
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Hobart Seymour, GCB, OM, GCVO , was a Royal Navy officer who became Commander-in-Chief, China Station.- Early life :...

). During 1899, administration was transferred to a military and civil commissioner (Arthur Robert Ford Dorward 1899-1901 and John Dodson Daintree 1901-1902) appointed by the War Office in London. The territorial garrison consisted of 200 British troops and a specially constituted Chinese Regiment with British officers. During 1901, it was decided that this base should not be fortified, and administration was transferred to the U.K.'s Colonial Office. A Civil Commissioner was appointed during 1902 (the post was held by Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart
James Haldane Stewart Lockhart
Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart KCMG, LLD was a British colonial official in Hong Kong and China for more than 40 years. Born in Ardsheal, Argyllshire, Scotland to Anna R. C...

 until 1921) to manage the territory, and the Chinese Regiment was disbanded during 1903. In 1909, the Hong Kong governor Sir Frederick Lugard, raised the idea that the British would revert Weihai to Chinese rule, and receive perpetual rule of the 1898 leased territories of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 in return. This proposal was never adopted.

Although Weihaiwei was officially a colony like Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, and although it was normal for British colonies to be administered under the provisions of the British Settlements Act 1887, while the treaty ports
Treaty ports
The treaty ports was the name given to the port cities in China, Japan, and Korea that were opened to foreign trade by the Unequal Treaties.-Chinese treaty ports:...

 were administered under the provisions of the Foreign Jurisdiction Act 1890, Weihaiwei was actually administered under the Foreign Jurisdiction Act 1890 just like the treaty ports. The reason being that as a leased territory subject to rendition at any time, it was not considered appropriate to treat it as a colony.

In 1903, a High Court for Weihaiwei was established. For convenience reasons the judges of the court were chosen from individuals serving as a judge or crown advocate of the British Supreme Court for China
British Supreme Court for China and Japan
The British Supreme Court for China and Japan was a court established in the Shanghai International Settlement in 1865 to try cases against British subjects in China and Japan, and from 1883, Korea, under the principles of Extraterritoriality. The court also heard appeals from consular courts in...

. The three judges of the court from 1903 to 1930 were:
  • Frederick Samuel Augustus Bourne (1903-1916), Assistant Judge of the Supreme Court for China
  • Hiram Parkes Wilkinson (1916-1925), Crown Advocate of the Supreme Court for China
  • Peter Grain (1925-1930), Assistant Judge, and from 1927, Judge of the Supreme Court for China


No special postage stamps were ever issued for Weihaiwei. Just as in the case of the treaty ports
Treaty ports
The treaty ports was the name given to the port cities in China, Japan, and Korea that were opened to foreign trade by the Unequal Treaties.-Chinese treaty ports:...

, Hong Kong stamps were used and after the year 1917, these were overprinted with the word China. And there were never any special coins or banknotes issued for circulation in Weihaiwei. The currency in circulation would merely have reflected the complex state of affairs which existed generally in Hong Kong and the Treaty Ports during that era.

After several commissioners held the post of British commissioner of Weihaiwei (Arthur Powlett Blunt 1921-1923 and Walter Russell Brown 1923-1927), the outstanding sinologist Reginald Johnston
Reginald Johnston
Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston, KCMG, CBE, was a Scottish academic, diplomat and tutor to Puyi, the last emperor of China, and later appointed as the last Commissioner of Weihaiwei.-Early:...

 (previously tutor to the last Chinese emperor) was the last.
It was briefly a special administrative region
Special administrative region (Republic of China)
In the subdivision of the Republic of China , "special administrative regions" were historically used to designate special areas, most of which were eventually converted into provinces...

 after it was returned to the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

, the successor of the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

. During 1949, Weihaiwei City was established, and was renamed Weihai City after it was occupied by the People's Republic of China.

The nickname British sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...

s gave to this port was "Way High"; it was also sometimes referred to as Port Edward in English.

Geography and climate

Weihai is located on the north-eastern seashore of Shandong, and its administrative area includes Chengshantou (成山头), the eastern tip of the Shandong Peninsula. The city is surrounded by sea on three sides and its harbour is protected by Liugong Island
Liugong Island
Liugong Island is a small islandlocated on the northeastern edge of Shandong Peninsula, China at the mouth of Weihai Bay. It is known as the "birthplace of China's first modern navy".-Geography:...

.

Weihai lies in the transition zone between a Humid subtropical and humid continental climate
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....

 (Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...

 Cwa/Dwa), but as it is at the eastern end of the Shandong Peninsula, its climate is strongly influenced by the surrounding Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...

: springtime warming and autumn cooling are delayed by one month, and the average diurnal temperature throughout the year is small — at only 6.73 C-change. Winters are cold and dry, but still warmer than places further inland. Summers are very warm and humid, but the August high only averages 25.9 °C (78.6 °F). Precipitation is sparse in winter and is heavily concentrated in the summer months, totaling 665 millimetres (26.2 in).

Economy

At present, Weihai is a commercial port and major fishing center
Fishing industry in China
The People's Republic of China, with one-fifth of the world's population, accounts for one-third of the world's reported fish production and two-thirds of the worlds reported aquaculture production....

 with some light industries
Light industry
Light industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...

. Due to its close proximity to South Korea, Weihai also has a large Korean business community and receives many Korean tourists. Weihai is also a key production area for peanuts and fruit.

Industrial Zone

  • Weihai Economic & Technological Development Zone

Weihai Economic and Technological Development Zone is a state-level development zone approved by the State Council on Oct 21, 1992. The administrative area has an area of 194km2, including the programmed area of 36km2 and an initial area of 11.88km2. Its nearest port is Weihai Port, and the airport closest to the zone is Wuhai Airport.
  • Weihai Export Processing Zone

Weihai Export & Processing Zone (EPZ) was set up by the approval of the State Council on April 27, 2000. Weihai EPZ is located in Weihai Economic & Technological Development Zone with programmed area of 2.6 km2. Weihai EPZ belongs to comprehensive export & processing zone. The EPZ is located 30 km to Weihai Airport, 3 km to Weihai Railway Station and 4 km to Weihai Harbor.
  • Weihai Torch Hi-Tech Science Park

Weihai Torch Hi-Tech Science Park is a state-level development zone approved by the State Council on March 1991. Located in Weihai's northwest zone of culture, education and science, the Park has the total area of 111.9 square kilometers, the coastal line of 30.5 kilometers and 150,000 residents. It is 3 kilometers away from the city center, 4 kilometers away from Weihai Port, 10 kilometers away from Weihai Railway Station, 30 kilometers away from Weihai Airport and 80 kilometers away from Yantai Airport.

Education

Campuses of Shandong University
Shandong University
Shandong University is a public comprehensive university in Shandong, China. It is one of the largest universities in China by student population and is supported directly by the national government....

 and Harbin Institute of Technology
Harbin Institute of Technology
The Harbin Institute of Technology , or HIT, is colloquially known as Hagongda . It is a research university in the city of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China....

 are located in Weihai.

Transportation

Weihai Airport
Weihai Airport
Weihai Airport is an airport in Weihai, Shandong, People's Republic of China.The airport is located in Dashuibo Town , part of the Wendeng City under the administration of Weihai, hence the airport's name.-Airlines and destinations:-See also:...

 serves the city with regular service to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

, Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

, Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...

 domestically and the Korean cities of Seoul and Pusan. The K8262 and K8264 trains depart everyday at 7:17AM and 9:52PM respectively for Jinan
Jinan
Jinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub...

, the provincial capital, the K412 goes directly to Beijing at 7:49PM, and the No. 1064 train leaves at 8:27AM for Hankou
Hankou
Hankou was one of the three cities whose merging formed modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers where the Han falls into the Yangtze...

, one of the two railway stations of Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...

, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...

. Internally, the city is served by about 50 bus routes.

Sister cities

Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...

, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 (since May 21, 1987) Ube, Yamaguchi
Ube, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan on the Seto Inland Sea.As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 179,000 and the density of 622 persons per km². The total area is 287.69 km².The city was founded on November 1, 1921....

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 (May 18, 1992) Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 (December 8, 1994) Yeosu
Yeosu
Yeosu is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Old Yeosu City, which was founded in 1949, Yeocheon City, founded in 1986, and Yeocheon County were merged into a new city in 1998....

, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

, (February 17, 1994) Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...

, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 (October 18, 1996) Biella
Biella
Biella is a town and comune in the northern Italian region of Piemonte, the capital of the province of the same name, with some 45,800 inhabitants as of 2009. It is located about 80 km northeast of Turin and about 80 km west-northwest of Milan.It lies in the foothills of the Alps,...

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 (October 22, 1996) Timaru
Timaru
TimaruUrban AreaPopulation:27,200Extent:Former Timaru City CouncilTerritorial AuthorityName:Timaru District CouncilPopulation:42,867 Land area:2,736.54 km² Mayor:Janie AnnearWebsite:...

, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 (July 30, 1998) Brazzaville
Brazzaville
-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...

, Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...

 (May 24, 2004) Novopolotsk, Republic of Belarus (April 25, 2006)

External links

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