1917

WEIHA1WEI
M M 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 j
was arrived at between Great Britain and China that the former should take over the j
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-1
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,” but though Port Arthur was- j
surrendered to the Japanese on January 1st, 1905, Great Britain has not announced any |
intention to withdraw from Weihaiwei, which the Government regards as a sanatorium j
for the British squadron on the China station. |
The leased territory, which lies in latitude 37 deg. 30min.N, longitude 122 deg.lOmin.E, 1
comprises the Island of Lin Kung, all the Islands in the Bay of Weihaiwei, and a belt of J
land ten English miles wide along the entire coastline, and consists of ranges of rugged' a
mountains and rocky hills up to 1,500 feet high, dividing the plains into valleys 1
and river beds. The island of Lin Kung, once barren and nearly treeless, but now 1
verdant and picturesque as the result of a system of afforestation inaugurated in 1910,1
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- J
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 j
the leased territory is about 285 square miles. _ 1
The strata of the mountains are metamorphic, consisting of beds of quartzite, gneiss j
crystalline, and limestone, cut across by dykes of volcanic rock and granite. Gold is 4
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 is estimated I
to be 150,000. There are four small market towns, where fairs are held every five days, n
The Chinese inhabitants are either fishermen or farmers, and are a peaceful, law- J
abiding folk. The chief export trade is in salt fish, which is carried in Chinese junks-1
to Southern China. Of late years a large export trade in pea-nuts has also grown up.
The import trade chiefly consists of timber, firewood, and maize from Manchuria, paper, ;
crockery, sugar, and tobacco, kerosene oil, cotton yarn, piece goods, liquid indigo and i
other dyes.
The Government of Weihaiwei is administered by a Commissioner appointed
under the Weihaiwei Order-in-Council of the 24th July, 1901. Under this Orderi
the Commissioner is empowered to make Ordinances for the administration of the-1
territory. There is a High Court established, in which all jurisdiction, civil and criminal, u
is vested, subject to an appeal to the Supreme Court in the Colony of Hongkong, j
District Magistrates’Courts are also provided for. The Commissioner resides on the- ,]
mainland at Port Edward. The village communities are administered through their
headmen in accordance with Chinese laws and usages, and the people have now entirely
acquiesced in the newly-established regime. All purely civil matters are left as much ;
as possible to the village headmen. There is, perhaps, no place in China occupied by r
foreigners where labour is so cheap. Weihaiwei is now a fairly regular port of call
for many China coasting steamers sailing northwards from Shanghai, and there is a
regular weekly service subsidised by Government to run all the year carrying mails and ,