Directory_and_Chronicle_1926 — Page 720

WEIHAIWEI

衞海威 Weihaiwei

Weihaiwei is situated on the south side of the Gulf of Pechili near the extremity of the Shantung Promontory, and about 115 miles distant from Port Arthur on the north-west and the same from the port of Kiaochau on the south-west. Formerly a strongly-fortified Chinese naval station, it was captured by the Japanese on 30th January, 1895, and was held by them pending the payment of the indemnity, which was finally liquidated in 1898. Before the evacuation by the Japanese an agreement was arrived at between Great Britain and China that the former should take over the territory on lease from the latter, and, accordingly, on the 24th May, 1898, the British flag was formally hoisted, the Commissioners representing their respective countries at the ceremony being Consul Hopkins, of Chefoo, and Captain King-Hall, of H.M.S. Narcissus, for Great Britain, and Taotai Yen and Captain Lin, of the Chinese war vessel Foochi, for China. Weihaiwei was leased to Great Britain "for so long a period as Port Arthur shall remain in the occupation of Russia," and was regarded by the British Government as a sanatorium for the British squadron on the China station. At the Washington Conference in 1921 Great Britain offered to return the territory to China, and during the latter part of 1922 an Anglo-Chinese Commission met to deal with the questions arising out of this. These questions included arrangements for the use of the port by the British Fleet as a summer station, provisions for the safety of foreign residents, and the representation of foreign residents in the administration of the territory. In the latter part of 1923, the conditions under which H.B.M. Government were prepared to hand back the territory to China were published, but up to the end of 1924 agreement had not been reached.

The leased territory, which lies in latitude 37 deg. 30 min. N, longitude 122 deg. 10 min. E, comprises the Island of Liu Kung, all the islands in the Bay of Weihaiwei, and a belt of land 10 English miles wide along the entire coastline, and consists of ranges of rugged mountains and rocky hills up to 1,500 feet high, dividing the plains into valleys and river beds. The island of Liu Kung, once barren and nearly treeless but now verdant and picturesque as the result of a system of afforestation inaugurated in 1910, is formed by a backbone of hills rising to some 500 feet. The hillsides on the main- land, of which Port Edward is the chief port, are either barren rock or planted with dwarf pine and scrub oak trees. The valleys are mostly undulating country full of gullies and mountain river-beds; the streams are all torrential and choke up the valleys with sand and debris from the hills. During three-quarters of the year these river-beds are dry. All the hills are terraced for cultivation as far as possible. The total area of the leased territory is about 285 square miles.

The strata of the mountains are metamorphic, consisting of beds of quartzite, gneiss, crystalline, and limestone, cut across by dykes of volcanic rock and granite. Gold is found in the territory and has been worked by the Chinese, and silver, tin, lead, and iron are said to exist. Good building-stone and a rich non-hydraulic limestone are found. The territory contains some 330 villages, and the population, as shown by the census taken in 1921, is 154,416. There are four small market towns, where fairs are held every five days.

The Chinese inhabitants are either fishermen or farmers, and are a peaceful, law-abiding folk. The chief export trade is in salt fish, salt and saltpetre, ground- nuts, ground-nut oil, sasson, silk and silk hosiery. The import trade chiefly con- sists of timber, firewood, and maize from Manchuria, paper, crockery, sugar, tobacco, kerosene oil, cotton yarn, piece goods, liquid indigo, synthetic dyes, flour, grains and wines (Chinese).

The Government of Weihaiwei up to the time of writing is administered by a Commissioner appointed under the Weihaiwei Order-in-Council of the 24th July, 1901. Under this Order the Commissioner is empowered to make Ordinances for the administration of the territory. The village communities are administered through their headmen in accordance with Chinese laws and usages. All purely civil matters are left as much as possible to the village headmen.

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