British Weihaiwei

British Weihaiwei was a leased territory on the northeastern coast of China held by Britain from 1898 to 1930. The port had been the base of the Qing Beiyang Fleet until Japan captured it in 1895, and London demanded it in March 1898, days after Russia obtained Port Arthur, arguing that the two powers should not face each other across the Bohai Strait alone. The lease was to last as long as Russia occupied Port Arthur. The territory covered about 750 square kilometres around Weihai Bay, including Liugong Island, and was governed by a commissioner first from the army and later from the Colonial Office. Britain used it mainly as a summer anchorage for the China Station and as a health resort rather than a great commercial port, and Chinese civil administration continued in the villages. The naval base was never fortified. After Japan took Port Arthur in 1905, Britain kept the lease until 1930, when Weihaiwei was returned to China on 1 October. Port Edward, the administrative seat, was absorbed into the modern city of Weihai.