Directory_and_Chronicle_1936 — Page 514

WEIHAI WEI

衞海威 Weihaiwei

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Weihaiwei is situated on the south side of the Gulf of Pechii 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 tlat tlie 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 administration

foreign residents, and the representation of foreign residents ns

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of the territory Towards the end of 1934 the Chinese and Britisli plenipotentiaries arrived at a complete agreement regarding the terms of rendition, and the Con- vention, was almost ready for signature when General Feng Yu-hsiang brought about a coup d'état in Peiping in November of that year. Negotiations were resumed in 1929 and carried to a successful conclusion in April 1930, by the signature at Nanking of the convention for the rendition of Weihaiwei, which was ratified and came into force on October est, 1930. It was accompanied by an agreement whereby certain naval privileges and facilities were granted to the British Government for a period of ten years, subject to renewal by agreement between the two Powers.

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The former leased territory, which lies in lat. 37 deg. 30 min. N., long. 120 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 tlie 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 froin 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 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-liydraulic limestone are found. The territory contains some 360 villages, and the population was estimated in 1931 at 195,000. There are five small market towns, where fairs are held every five days.

The majority of the Chinese inhabitants are either fishermen or farmers, and are a peaceful, law-abiding folk.