Weihaiwei under British rule

Weihaiwei
威海衛
Leased territory of United Kingdom
1898–1930
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Location of the Weihaiwei leased territory in 1921 (in blue)
Capital		Port Edward
Languages		English (official) Mandarin Chinese
Political structure		Leased territory
Historical era		New Imperialism
•	Convention for the Lease of Weihaiwei	1 July 1898
•	Convention for the Rendition of Weihaiwei	30 September 1930
Currency		Chinese yuan Hong Kong dollar
Preceded by Succeeded by Qing Dynasty Republic of China (1912–1949)

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Weihaiwei, in the north-east of China, was a leased territory of the United Kingdom from 1898 until 1930. The capital was Port Edward. The leased territory covered 288 square miles (750 km²) and included the walled city of Port Edward, bay of Wei-hai-wei, Liu-kung Tao Island and a mainland area of 72 miles (116 km) of coastline running to a depth of 10 miles (16 km) inland. Together with Lüshunkou (Port Arthur) it controlled the entrance to the Gulf of Zhili and thus the seaward approaches to Beijing

The port of Weihaiwei was the base for the Beiyang Fleet (Northern Seas Fleet) during the Qing Dynasty. In 1895, the Japanese captured it in the Battle of Weihaiwei, the last major battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese withdrew in 1898. After the Russian Empire leased Port Arthur from China for 25 years in March 1898, the United Kingdom pressured the Chinese government into leasing Weihaiwei, with the terms of the treaty stating that it would remain in force for as long as the Russians were allowed to occupy Port Arthur. The port was primarily used as a summer anchorage for the Royal Navy’s China Station and it was also used as a health resort. It served as a port of call for ships of the Royal Navy in the Far East (well behind Hong Kong in the south). Certain aspects of the administration not directly pertaining to military matters were left under Chinese control, and the port itself remained a free port until 1923.