Wei-hai-wei—A Little Slice of England, in China

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 400, 7 July 1928, Page 24

Wei-hai-wei —A Little Slice of England, in China

(Written for THE SUN W. sg'JF IS 1 EI-HAI-WEI, the Shantung ■ town which one hears l i-MBVWyabout just now owing 1° its connection with ' YuayrT: ' the present phase of ; . YY-■ j China’s civil strife, is I the principal of the very few seaside i resorts on the China coast. The territory has been British since 1898, granted in that year by treaty with China to offset the Russian hold on Dalny and Port Arthur, from which that nation had ousted Japan on the termination of the Sino-Japan-ese War. The original agreement was that Britain should remain in possession of Wei-hai-wei so long as Russia occupied the peninsula of Kwantung. The Russians departed in 1906 after their disastrous war with Japan, but the Japanese took their place, so Britain retained Wei-hai-wei, as the peninsula, had not reverted to China. That is to say, she retained complete sovereignty until quite recently. At the Washington Conference Britain agreed to restore to China Wei-hai-wei on condition that the British Navy were to have unrestricted use of it as a sanatorium for its China squadron. •Since that date, and before for that matter as far back as the revolution in 1912, there having been no proper government in China with which to negotiate, Britain practically runs the territory as in former days. Wei-hai-wei consists of the island of Lung Kah Tao, which is a naval reserve, and a hinterland of some 200 square miles. Maintaining the orig-

inal treaty with China the place is unfortified, being used solely as a gunnery station and sanatorium for the British Navy, the naval and marine permanent personnel, comprising only a handful of executive staff. During the first few years of British possession there existed the magnificent Wei-hai-wei regiment of “six-footers” — Wei-hai-wei Chinese, under British officers—a regiment which Prince Henry of Prussia, while on a world tour, described as the finest native soldiers he had seen. Some one at the War Office blundered, and a cable sent in mistake disbanded a body of men, of which Britain had every reason to be proud. Their conduct and bravery during the Boxer trouble brought them unstinted praise from all quarters. So the two finest native regiments cutside of India that Britain ever had on her army roll are gone—the Wei-hai-weis through a mistake, the British West Indians through parsimony. The capital of the territory, Port Edward, is situated on the mainland. Here is a tiny outpost of the British Empire, an example of the good Britain’s rule brings. Prior to 1898 Wei-hai-wei was barren rock and a few mud-walled villages. Consequent upon occupation, improvements began. Soon the bare hillsides were covered with young trees, so that one can now drive in Port Edward and its environs through avenues of stately trees, at the foot of which nestle shrubs and flowers, making the town like an English park. Small, hut impressive in their dignity, stone houses add to the quiet beauty of the place. And in view of the need for quiet in a “convalescent home” for naval invalids, motor-cycles and motor-cars are not allowed in the territory. The humble rickshaw of the plebian, and the carriage or chair of the patrician are all the traffic one sees, except for pro-duce-laden mountain mules. There are but few public buildings beyond the pleasantly-situated Government House, the court, and nowdeserted barracks of the Wei-hai-wei Regiment. There is only one hotel,

7 by ARPAD SZIGETVARY.) which is dry, as is the whole of the mainland. A little out from Port Edward is a residence which rivals in size Government House. It was built originally as a casino, and fitted out as luxuriously as such places are, even to the extent of electric light, which the rest of Wai-hai-wei lacks. Everything was ready for an auspicious start when the British Government stepped in and refused her sanction, such places being illegal in the Empire. The promoters sold out to a wealthy Jewish family, whose seafronted. forest-sheltered house, it is the delight of the naval officers to visit. Seated on the lawn on a moonlight night, the view from here is particularly beautiful, looking out across the shining water to darkly-outlined Lung Kah Tao, and the silhouetted men-of-war beyond. Just past this place is Wei-hai-wei school, the only institution of its kind in China run as a British public school. The island of Lung Kah Tao, apart from the naval offices and stores, is just a big playground for bluejackets. Here are the theatre, canteen and recreation parks so dear to Jack’s heart. Lung Kah Tao Island is entirely under naval jurisdiction, a civil government headed by a commissioner under the Colonial Office functioning on the mainland. Outside of Port Edward, however, the Chinese practically rule themselves in village communities. Each village and surrounding district has its own headman elected by the people and approved by the British Commissioner. He rules his sub-

jects as would a king in mediaeval times, being their friendly counsellor as well, by virtue of his grey hairs. This system of government the Chinese understands. It has been his from time immemorial. Only the more serious crimes, of which there are veryfew, are brought before the British magistrates, two in number, one for Port Edward and district, the other for the territory. As well as being responsible for law and order in his district, the headman has to supervise afforestation. The walled town of Wei-hai-wei proper, a little way' from Port Edward, although in British territory', is excluded from the lease, and remains exclusively Chinese. Agriculture and fishing are the principal occupations of the natives. Peanuts (designated “ground nuts” by the Customs) and salt fish are the only' exports worth chronicling. Manufacutries there are practically none, if we except enamelled silverware of singular beauty, and the weaving of socks from Shantung silk, an industry started by a previous magistrate to aid a crippled and penniless Chinaman, which has now grown to a position of appreciable importance. No account of Wei-hai-wei is complete however without mention of the heroic Chinese Admiral Ting. The last naval action of the Sino-Japanese War was begun outside Wei-hai-wei. In face of overwhelming odds as to number of ships, guns, etc., Admiral Ting was forced to retire on Wei-hai-wei. Here in a tiny fort on a rock between Lung Kah Tao and the mainland, he directed operations against the comparatively enormous force of Japanese. Seeing the last of his ships, battered into an unrecognisable twisted mass of metal, sunk, a fiery furnace, into the sea, this British-trained Chinese admiral, rather than surrender, reached for his revolver and blew out his brains. Thus died a gallant Chinese officer and a gentleman, whose name is revered by all, Chinese and foreigner alike.