Weihai

Weihaiwei was the base for the Beiyang Fleet during the Qing Dynasty. In 1895, the Japanese captured it in the Battle of Weihaiwei, which is regarded as the last major battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese then evacuated on 24 May 1898, when it was then occupied by the British.[2] Since 2003, a replica of the Chinese battleship Dingyuan has been anchored here as a museum ship and memorial for First Sino-Japanese War Chinese veterans.

Weihaiwei was under British rule from 1 July 1898, under lease agreement with the Chinese empire, until 1930, with 'Port Edward' (Weihaiwei city) serving as the capital. A Royal Navy base was built on Liugong Island. Weihaiwei became a special administrative region after it was returned to the Republic of China on 1 October 1930,[3][4] but Liugong Island and its facilities were leased back to the U.K. until 1940.[2]

In 1938, the Roman Catholic Independent Mission of Weihai was promoted to Apostolic Prefecture of Weihai but it has been vacant (dormant) since 1970.[5] Weihaiwei was occupied by the Japanese from 1938 to 1945.[6] There was a withdrawal of most British forces and supplies from Liugong Island, and finally a Japanese military landing and occupation of the island in 1940.[7]

The region was formally incorporated into Shandong province on 10 May 1945.[6] In 1949, Weihaiwei City was established, and its name was shortened to Weihai after the Communist revolution.

Weihai skyline as viewed from the sea

Weihai is a commercial port and major fishing center with some light industries. Due to its close proximity to South Korea, Weihai also has a large Korean business community and receives many Korean tourists. Weihai is also a key production area for peanuts and fruit.

The prefecture-level city of Weihai administers four county-level divisions, including two districts and two county-level cities.

Map
Huancui Wendeng Rongcheng (city) Rushan (city)
Subdivision	Chinese	Pinyin
Huancui District	环翠区	Huáncuì Qū
Wendeng District	文登区	Wéndēng Qū
Rongcheng	荣成市	Róngchéng Shì
Rushan	乳山市	Rǔshān Shì

These are further divided into 66 township-level divisions, including 52 towns and 14 subdistricts.

Weihai (as WEI-HAI-WEI 威海衞) (1954)

Weihai is located on the northeastern shore of Shandong; its administrative area includes Chengshantou (成山头), the eastern tip of the Shandong Peninsula (Shantung Peninsula). The city is surrounded by sea on three sides; its port is protected by Liugong Island.

Weihai lies in the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cwa) in terms of latitude, but as it is at the eastern end of the Shandong Peninsula, its climate is strongly influenced by the surrounding Yellow Sea as well as the Siberian high and therefore experiences a humid continental climate. Springtime warming and autumn cooling are delayed by one month, winds are generally high, and the average diurnal temperature variation throughout the year is small—at only 6.73 °C (12.1 °F). Winters are cold and dry, but still warmer than inland places located at the same latitude; the average temperature in January is −0.9 °C (30.4 °F). Summers are hot and humid, and August averages 24.7 °C (76.5 °F); the annual mean is 12.48 °C (54.5 °F). More than two-thirds of the annual precipitation occurs from June to September, and there are nearly 2,540 hours of sunshine per year.

Campuses of Shandong University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Beijing Jiaotong University, Harbin University of Science and Technology, as well as Shandong Jiaotong University are located in Weihai.

• The minor planet 207931 Weihai is named after this city.

• Weihaiwei under British rule
• List of twin towns and sister cities in China
• Liugong Island
• Revenue stamps of Weihaiwei

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Weihai.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Weihai.

• "Government website of Weihai" (in Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean).