About Us | Contact Us | Feedback
Home > Destinations > Shandong > Weihai


Weihai, was known during the colonial period as the Weihai Garrison or Weihaiwei, and sometimes as Port Edward; is a prefecture-level city in eastern Shandong Province of China. The easternmost prefecture-level city in the province and a major seaport, Weihai borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow Sea to the east.

The port was once the base for the Beiyang Fleet of China during the Qing Dynasty. During 1895, the Japanese captured it from the landward side. It was evacuated during 1898.

After Russia leased Port Arthur (on the opposite coast) from China for 25 years during March, 1898, the United Kingdom obtained a lease for Wei Hai Wei which was to exist for as long as the Russians leased Port Arthur. During 1905, when the Japanese assumed ownership of the lease for Port Arthur, the British lease was made to exist as long as the Japanese occupied Port Arthur. Thus the city was part of a territory (c.285 sq mi/740 km²) called "Weihaiwei", which was leased by the United Kingdom from 1898 until October 1, 1930. It was a summer station for the British naval China Station. It became one of two major ports for ships of the Royal Navy in the Far East (the other being Hong Kong in the south).

At the beginning of the lease the territory was administered by a Senior Naval Officer of Royal Navy. During 1899, administration was transferred to a military and civil commissioner appointed by the War Office in London. The territorial garrison consisted of 200 British troops and a specially constituted Chinese Regiment with British officers. During 1901, it was decided that this base should not be fortified, and administration was transferred to the U.K.'s Colonial Office. A Civil Commissioner was appointed during 1902 to manage the territory, and the Chinese Regiment was disbanded during 1903.

The last British commissioner of Weihaiwei was Reginald Johnston. It was briefly a special administrative region after it was returned to the Republic of China, the successor of the Qing Dynasty. During 1949, Weihaiwei City was established, and was renamed Weihai City after it was occupied by the People's Republic of China.

During recent years, a proposal regarding the territoriality of Weihai during the 1800s was discovered in the British Archives. The proposal, made apparently by Hong Kong governor Sir Frederick Lugard, stipulated that the British would revert Weihai to Chinese rule, and receive perpetual rule of the 1898 leased territories of Hong Kong in return. This proposal was never adopted.

The nickname British sailors gave to this port was "Way High"; it was also sometimes referred to as Port Edward in English.

Geography and climate
Weihai is surrounded by sea on three sides and the harbor is protected by Liugong Island. It is located on the north-eastern seashore of Shandong Province in China at 37°28′0″N 122°7′0″E / 37.466667°N 122.116667°E / 37.466667; 122.116667.

Weihai has a mild, seasonal climate moderated by the surrounding sea. August is the warmest month with a 24-hour average temperature of 24.3 °C and January the coldest (24-hour average temperature of -1.5 °C. Data the Global Historical Climatology Network, version 1).

Questions & Comments

Name (* required)
Mail (will not be published) (* required)