Weihai

Landing of Chinese prisoners at Wei-Hai on 16 February 1895

Prehistorically, it was inhabited by Dongyi tribes,[3] and it was annexed into China Proper by the state of Qi in 567 B.C.

Before the 14th century, Weihai was a minor fishing settlement. In 1398, during the Ming dynasty, it became a military stronghold (wei) to defend against raids by the wokou. The fortification at Weihai was constructed in 1403, and contained walls almost 2 miles (3.2 km) in circumference.[4]

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 Weihaiwei on 24 May 1898, after which it was occupied by the British.[5]

The core of Weihai (now Huancui District) was ruled by the British from 1 July 1898 to 1930 under lease agreement with the Chinese empire, with Port Edward (the center of the original Weihai city, now in Huancui District) serving as the capital.[4] A Royal Navy base was built on Liugong Island.

Map of Weihaiwei in 1906

Weihaiwei became an integral part of China after it was returned to the Republic of China on 1 October 1930,[6][7] but Liugong Island and its facilities were leased back to the U.K. until 1940.[5]

Weihaiwei was occupied by the Japanese from 1938 to 1945.[8] 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.[9]

The region was formally incorporated into Shandong province on 10 May 1945.[8] In 1949, Weihaiwei City was established, and its name was shortened to Weihai after the Communist revolution.

Since 2003, a replica of the Chinese battleship Dingyuan has been anchored here as a museum ship and memorial for Chinese veterans of the First Sino-Japanese War.

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 City	荣成市	Róngchéng Shì
Rushan City	乳山市	Rǔshān Shì

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

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

Weihai experiences a continental climate, and it is climactically influenced by the surrounding Yellow Sea and the Siberian high. 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 regions at the same latitude; the average temperature in January is −0.9 °C (30.4 °F). Summers are hot and humid, but much cooler than inland regions at similar latitude like the North China Plain (for about 5~10°C) 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.

Panoramic view of Rongcheng

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.

Transportation

Weihai Railway Station, 2020

Weihai Dashuipo Airport serves the city with regular service to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Harbin domestically and the Korean cities of Seoul and Busan, as the fourth busiest airport in Shandong following Qingdao, Jinan and Yantai.

Qingdao–Rongcheng intercity railway offers the high-speed rail services directly to Shanghai Hongqiao, Beijing South, Jinan, Jimo North (Qingdao North soon) and Yantai, with five rail stations, Weihai, Weihai North, Wendeng, Wendeng East and Rongcheng.

As for conventional rail services, The K8262 train depart every day at and 10:18 PM respectively for Jinan, the provincial capital, the K412 goes directly to Beijing at 8:54 PM, and the No. K1068 train leaves at 9:38 AM for Hankou, one of the three railway stations of Wuhan, Hubei. Internally, the city is served by more than 50 bus routes.

Aerial view of Shandong University at Weihai

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.

Secondary Schools

• Weihai No. 1 High School (威海一中)
• Weihai No. 2 High School (威海市第二中学)
• Weihai No. 3 High School (威海市第三中学)
• Weihai No. 4 High School (威海市第四中学)

• 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).