British Weihaiwei
Weihaiwei 威海衛 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1898–1930 | |||||||||
Leased territory of the United Kingdom | |||||||||
Capital | Port Edward | ||||||||
Common languages | |||||||||
Government | |||||||||
• Commissioner | Sir Arthur Dorward (first) Sir Reginald Johnston (last) | ||||||||
Historical era | New Imperialism | ||||||||
1 July 1898 | |||||||||
30 September 1930 | |||||||||
Area | |||||||||
746 km2 (288 sq mi) | |||||||||
Currency | Customs gold unit Hong Kong dollar (joint circulation) | ||||||||
|
British Weihaiwei | |
---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin | Wēihǎiwèi |
Wade–Giles | Wei1-hai3-wei4 |
IPA | [wéɪ.xàɪ.wêɪ] |
Weihaiwei or Wei-hai-wei on the northeastern coast of China, was a
Background to the British lease
The port of
On 28 March 1898, the day after the signing of a Sino-Russian convention granting a 25-year lease on
The British used the port primarily as a summer anchorage for the
At the start of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, the commander of the Royal Navy's China Station was initially ordered to withdraw his ships from Weihaiwei to avoid Britain being drawn into the conflict. However, fearing that the Imperial Russian Navy might use Weihaiwei as a safe haven, the Japanese government successfully pressured the British to return their fleet. During the war, correspondents covering the conflict used the port as a telegraph- and radio-transmission station; it also served as a source of contraband shipping for blockade-runners bringing supplies into Port Arthur.[2]
After the
British rule in Weihaiwei
The
In 1909, the then Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Frederick Lugard, proposed that Britain return Weihaiwei to Chinese rule in return for perpetual rule of the New Territories of Hong Kong which had also been leased in 1898. This proposal was never adopted.[6]
Weihaiwei was not developed in the way that Hong Kong and other British colonies in the region were. This was because
In exchange for recognizing British Weihaiwei, Germany demanded and received assurance from Britain through Arthur Balfour that Britain would recognize a German sphere in Shantung and not build a railway from Weihaiwei into the interior of Shantung province.[7]
The nickname British sailors gave to this port was "Way High"; it was also referred to as Port Edward in English.
During British rule, residences, hospital, churches, tea houses, sports grounds, post offices, and a naval cemetery were constructed.[8]
Commissioners
Commissioner of Weihaiwei | |
---|---|
威海衛專員 | |
At His Majesty's Pleasure | |
Formation | 1898 |
First holder | Major-General Sir Arthur Robert Ford Dorward |
Final holder | Sir Reginald Johnston |
Abolished | 1930 |
The Commissioner of Weihaiwei (traditional Chinese: 威海衛專員; simplified Chinese: 威海卫专员; pinyin: Wēihǎiwèi Zhuānyuán) was the head of government for the British leased territory of Weihaiwei between 1898 and 1930. Until 1902, the first Commissioners of Weihaiwei were members of the British Army before civilians were appointed to the role. A Civil Commissioner was appointed in February 1902 to administer the territory.[9] The post was held by Sir James Stewart Lockhart until 1921, where he oversaw the renaming of the civil seat of the Commissioner from Matou (lit. "wharf" or "port") to Port Edward and started to develop the territory as a holiday resort for British expatriates.[5]
As the position was not a full Governorship, it afforded the holders more authority as they did not have to consult any territorial legislative or executive councils when making decisions or passing ordinances.[5] The Commissioner of Weihaiwei was also responsible for representing the territory overseas.[10]
After Lockhart,
Commissioner's flag
The Commissioners of Weihaiwei initially used a Union Jack with a Chinese imperial dragon from the
List of commissioners
Below is a list of the military and civilian commissioners of Weihaiwei.
- 1898–1901 Major-General Sir Arthur Robert Ford Dorward[14]
- 1901–1902 Commander John Dodson Daintree[15]
- 1902–1921 Sir James Stewart Lockhart
- 1921–1923 Captain Arthur Powlett Blunt (acting)[16]
- 1923–1927 Walter Russell Brown[17]
- 1927–1930 Sir Reginald Johnston[18]
Postage stamps and currency
No special postage stamps were ever issued for Weihaiwei. Just as in other treaty ports, Hong Kong stamps were used. From 1917, these were overprinted with the word "CHINA". Revenue stamps of Weihaiwei were issued from 1921. There were never any special coins or banknotes issued for circulation in Weihaiwei. The various currencies in circulation in China at the time were used; the Hong Kong dollar was also used.
The following Chinese banknote issuers issued banknotes for circulation in Weihaiwei under British administration;
The Bank of Communications - from 1914 to 1927.
The Bank of China - in 1918.
The National Industrial Bank of China - in 1924.
These all have WEIHAIWEI overprinted in black on them.
Army and police
The Weihaiwei Regiment was formed in 1898 with Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton Bower as its first commanding officer and served in the Boxer Rebellion. The regiment was ordered to be totally disbanded in 1906[19] by Army Order No. 127 of 1906.[20]
Some of the soldiers were retained as a permanent police force with three British
During World War I the British recruited the Chinese Labour Corps in Weihaiwei to assist the war effort.
During the
At the end of 1927, the Chinese police were replaced by Indians.[23]
High Court
In 1903, the British established a High Court of Weihaiwei. The judges of the court were chosen from individuals serving as a judge or
- Frederick Samuel Augustus Bourne (1903–1916), Assistant Judge of HBM Supreme Court for China
- Hiram Parkes Wilkinson (1916–1925), Crown Advocate of HBM Supreme Court for China
- Peter Grain (1925–1930), Assistant Judge, and from 1927, Judge of HBM Supreme Court for China
The Commissioner could also exercise judicial powers if the judges of the court were not available.
Appeals from the High Court for Weihaiwei could be made to the
Initially, the
Return of Weihaiwei
Weihaiwei was returned to Chinese rule on 1 October 1930 under the aegis of the final
See also
- China–United Kingdom relations
- British Empire
- Chinese Labor Corps - coolies were recruited from Weihaiwei during World War I
- British Hong Kong
- Portuguese Macau
Notes
- ^ pp.462-463 Hutchings, Graham Modern China: A Guide to a Century of Change Harvard University Press, 1 Sep 2003
- ^ ISBN 0-8108-4927-5. p. 417-418.
- ^ Lung Chang (Zhang Long), La Chine à l'aube du XXème siècle, [1], Nouvelles Éditions Latines, Paris, 2008, p. 187.
- ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 494–495.
- ^ ISBN 978-9888139286.
- ^ Vines, Stephen (30 June 1997). "How Britain lost chance to keep its last major colony". The Independent.
- ^ p. 9 Otte, T. E. "Wei-Ah-Wee?"?: Britain at Weihaiwei, 1898-1930 in British Naval Strategy East of Suez, 1900-2000: Influences and Actions edited by Greg Kennedy Routledge, 25 Aug. 2014
- ^ "Veltra tours & activities, fun things to do".
- ^ "No. 27403". The London Gazette. 4 February 1902. p. 709.
- ^ "British Commissioner of Weihaiwei at reception at Wang Tien Chiao". University of Bristol. 1903. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- ^ "Foreign colonies in China". Flags of the World. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ a b "The Colours of the Fleet". The Flag Institute. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ French, Paul (30 April 2009). "Flags of British Weihaiwei". China Rhyming. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- ^ "No. 27352". The London Gazette. 6 September 1901. p. 5875.
- ^ "Quingdao and Weihaiwei Masonic Halls" (PDF). Freemasons. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ "Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood" (PDF). The Edinburgh Gazette. 23 January 1923. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ISBN 9780299054403.
- ^ "Scottish Mandarin". Project MUSE. 22 October 1924. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ p. 56 Airlie, Shiona Scottish Mandarin: The Life and Times of Sir Reginald Johnston Hong Kong University Press, 1 October 2012
- ^ "Campaign for UK Passports for ABANDONED British-Chinese Servicement Left Behind in Hong Kong". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ p.83 Johnson
- ^ "News". www.police.gov.hk. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- ^ http://www.legco.gov.hk/1926/h261228.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^ See Tan, Carol G.S. (2008) British Rule in China: Law and Justice in Weihaiwei 1898–1930. London: Wildy, Simmonds & Hill for a comprehensive history of British justice in the Weihaiwei leased territory.
- ^ Teresa Poole (3 October 1996). "perfect goodbye Hong Kong dreams of Gun salutes and grateful thanks . . . the perfect goodbye". The Independent. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ pp. 32-33 Schwankert, Steven R. Poseidon: China's Secret Salvage of Britain's Lost Submarine Hong Kong University Press, 1 October 2013
- ^ "Weihaiwai Withdrawal". nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
Further reading
- Airlie, Shiona (2010). Thistle and Bamboo: The Life and Times of Sir James Stewart Lockhart. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 9789888028924.
- Atwell, Pamela (1985). British Mandarins and Chinese Reformers. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press.
External links
- New International Encyclopedia. 1905. .