What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
The return of Hong Kong on July 1, 1997 was a great achievement for china, and the British attached great importance to "leased" Hong Kong, making it the Pearl of the Orient for the British, but Hong Kong was not the only British stronghold in China, and a beautiful harbor city was encroached upon.
After the reclusive Qing Dynasty ceded Hong Kong to Britain, the British were not satisfied and wanted to squeeze more territory. At that time, the greatest appetite of the great powers to occupy land in China was Tsarist Russia, which occupied the largest area and made huge profits. After Czarist Russia occupied the outer northeast and the outer northwest, it forcibly occupied the fortress of Lushunkou, which was guarding the Yellow Sea, and Lushunkou was also a territory favored by britain.
Britain was one step slower than Tsarist Russia and felt that it had suffered a loss. Although there was no way to take Tsarist Russia, it was still quite easy to scare Cixi. Didn't he hold the north entrance of the Yellow Sea? Then I want Huang Nankou!
So the British "leased" to Weihaiwei, the southern mouth of the Huanghai Sea, which is now Weihai, Shandong.
However, at that time, Weihaiwei was also fragrant, not waiting for the British to "lease". In the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War, Japan won, and the Japanese army actually controlled Weihaiwei. In order to obtain Weihaiwei, britain exchanged interests with Japan and got Japan's consent.
When the Qing government signed the Treaty of Lease of Weihaiwei with Britain, it weakly put forward some conditions: after the lease of Weihaiwei, Britain could no longer make any land claims to China.
The attitude of the British is unremitting, and the weak dare to put forward conditions to the strong? Who makes you weak? If you are weak, you will be beaten!
In the face of the strong and powerful Yangyi of the ship, the Qing government all became cowards and had to admit it.
On July 1, 1898, Prince Qing of the Qing government, Yi Xi, and the British minister in China, Dou Nale, signed the "Sino-British Lease on Weihaiwei Special Article" for mourning and humiliating countries, "leasing" more than 700 square kilometers of Weihai to Britain. Britain made concessions, allowing Chinese warships to enter Weihaiwei waters, and the administration of Weihaiwei was temporarily managed by the Chinese.
The British management of Weihaiwei is implemented with reference to the Hong Kong model. As far as the military is concerned, weihaiwei is more important than Hong Kong, so Weihaiwei is very high-ranking in the British political system, and the chief executive, the political and military commissioner, is renamed the Minister of Affairs of Weihaiwei by the English State, and has full authority to manage the military and government of Weihaiwei. Of course, the main officials of Weihaiwei were all British, and the last chief executive of Weihaiwei was Puyi's English teacher Johnston.
Britain's life in China is very comfortable, there is Hong Kong in the south, to the full benefit of the South China Sea; in the north there is Weihai, which can enter Beijing and Tianjin, and retreat to defend the sea.
In terms of grass-roots civil administration, Britain still ruled according to the traditional customs of Chinese, and even set up a Chinese police system. Weihaiwei is first and foremost a defender with a strong military use, which is unmatched by Hong Kong.
The British established an army of more than thousands of Chinese in Weihaiwei, called the Huayong Battalion, to manage more than 100,000 Chinese weihaiwei. Infuriatingly, the Huayong Battalion not only joined the British Legion, but also participated in the infamous Eight-Power Alliance army entering Beijing to suppress the Chinese people.
In 1912, the Republic of China was established. Britain's arbitrariness in Weihaiwei stimulated the antipathy of the Beiyang government of the Republic of China to Britain. After the end of World War I, China was the victorious power, and in 1919, the Beiyang government intended to use this advantage to reclaim the "leased" territory from the great powers. Britain took a tough stance and refused to return Hong Kong and Weihai. Weihaiwei is the outlet of Beijing and Tianjin, and it is too unsafe to be controlled by foreigners. Therefore, China's attitude is equally tough, and if nothing else, Weihaiwei must take it back.
Later, the British reluctantly agreed to negotiate Weihaiwei matters, but after asking for its return, the British ships could also anchor Weihaiwei, and the British could participate in Weihai's administrative decision-making and enjoy "special interests" in Weihai.
The Beiyang government set up the Pacific Conference Aftermath Committee, which was specifically responsible for the negotiations including the recovery of Weihaiwei, and the main person in charge was Liang Ruhao, who was the former director of beiyang foreign affairs, who served as the chairman of the committee for receiving Weihaiwei.
The British are messing around and planning to renew the lease of Liugong Island near Weihaiwei for a ten-year lease. Britain is very cunning, without Weihaiwei, the military value of Liugong Island can also play a role.
The two sides went back and forth, and many negotiations failed to reach an agreement. In the face of British scoundrels, the Republic of China was ready to give way to Liugong Island, and China and Britain each sent a representative to manage it. After Weihai is recovered, the British party can participate in the management of Weihai, and the property that the British have rented in Weihai cannot be recovered and can be renewed.
The so-called "Acceptance of the Consultation Opinions of the Chinese and British Members of the Weihaiwei Committee" drawn up by the British side naturally met with strong opposition from all walks of life in China. All walks of life in Shandong wrote to the Beiyang government, demanding that the government must completely take back Weihaiwei. The Beiyang government could not bear the pressure and did not sign the agreement.
The Beiyang government was already in chaos, the warlords were in chaos, and the Beiyang government was over, replaced by the Nationalist government in Nanjing, the capital. On January 9, 1929, Wang Zhengting, the foreign minister of the Nationalist government in Nanjing, and the British ambassador Lampson began talks to discuss China's recovery of Weihaiwei.
In view of the international situation, Britain can no longer rely on it, on April 18, 1930, the "Sino-British Settlement of Weihaiwei Special Treaty" was officially signed, britain transferred all the rights of Weihaiwei to China, and China agreed to Britain's "lease" on Liugong Island for 10 years, and the two sides negotiated again after 10 years. British troops withdrew from Weihaiwei, but every year from April to October, British troops could conduct exercises on Liugong Island and, with Chinese permission, could transfer military supplies in Weihaiwei.
On October 1, 1930, China and Britain officially handed over Weihaiwei, and British representative Johnston stood in front of the Weihaiwei administrator's office and officially returned Weihaiwei to China.
On September 28, 1940, the British leased Liugong Island for ten years, and the pseudo-Nanjing government stated that it had "no intention to extend it". Britain announced on 15 November: "Withdraw the Weihaiwei fleet and concentrate on Hong Kong." On the same day, the British Navy withdrew from Liugong Island, and the British Consulate in Weihaiwei was closed at the same time.