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Weihai (), known in the past as the Weihai Garrison (), is a prefecture-level city in eastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The easternmost prefecture-level city in the province and a major seaport, Weihai borders Yantai to the west and looks out to the Yellow Sea to the east.
Administrative divisions The prefecture-level city of Weihai administers 4 county-level divisions, including 1 districts and 3 county-level cities. These are further divided into 66 township-level divisions, including 52 towns and 14 subdistricts. History The port was once the base for the Beiyang Fleet of China during the Qing Dynasty. In 1895, the Japanese captured it from the landward side. It was evacuated in 1898. After Russia leased Port Arthur from China on the opposite coast for 25 years in March, 1898, the United Kingdom obtained a lease which was to run for as long as the Russians stayed in Port Arthur. In 1905, when Japan took over the lease of Port Arthur, the British lease was made to run 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 Far East Fleet. 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 to the Qing Dynasty. In 1945, Weihaiwei City was established to be renamed into Weihai City after the founding of the People's Republic of China. In recent years, a proposal from the British Archives surfaced in regards to the territoriality of Weihai during the 1800s. The proposals, apparently advanced 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. Some believe that if the proposal was acted upon, Hong Kong would still remain in British Administration, but Whitehall do not seem to have acted on the proposal. The nickname British sailors gave to this port was "Way High". 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′ northern latitude and 122°7′ east of Greenwich. 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). Economy At present, Weihai is a commercial port and major fishing center with some light industries. It is also a key production area for peanuts and fruit. Education A campus of Shandong University is located there. Sister cities Weihai is a sister-city of the following cities around the world. See also | ||||||||
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