![083 kiautschou-bucht-mit-tsingtau](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/083_kiautschou-bucht-mit-tsingtau.png)
The Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
leased territory
In international relations, a concession is a ":wikt:synallagmatic, synallagmatic act by which a State transfers the exercise of rights or functions proper to itself to a foreign private test which, in turn, participates in the performance of pub ...
in
Imperial and
Early Republican China from 1898 to 1914. Covering an area of , it centered on
Jiaozhou ("Kiautschou") Bay on the southern coast of the
Shandong Peninsula
The Shandong (Shantung) Peninsula or Jiaodong (Chiaotung) Peninsula is a peninsula in Shandong Province in eastern China, between the Bohai Sea to the north and the Yellow Sea to the south. The latter name refers to the east and Jiaozhou.
G ...
(german: Schantung Halbinsel). ''Jiaozhou'' became romanized as Kiaochow, Kiauchau or Kiao-Chau in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and as Kiautschou or Kiaochau in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
. The administrative center was at
Tsingtau
Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...
(
Pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
''Qingdao''). It was operated by the
East Asia Squadron
The German East Asia Squadron (german: Kreuzergeschwader / Ostasiengeschwader) was an Imperial German Navy cruiser Squadron (naval), squadron which operated mainly in the Pacific Ocean between the mid-1890s until 1914, when it was destroyed at th ...
of the
Imperial German Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...
. The
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
resented the German move as an infringement on Russian ambitions in the region.
Background of German expansion in China
Germany was a relative latecomer to the imperialistic scramble for colonies across the globe. A German colony in China was envisioned as a two-fold enterprise: as a
coaling station
Fuelling stations, also known as coaling stations, are repositories of fuel (initially coal and later oil) that have been located to service commercial and naval vessels. Today, the term "coaling station" can also refer to coal storage and feedin ...
to support a global naval presence, and because it was felt that a
German colonial empire
The German colonial empire (german: Deutsches Kolonialreich) constituted the overseas colonies, dependencies and territories of the German Empire. Unified in the early 1870s, the chancellor of this time period was Otto von Bismarck. Short-li ...
would support the
economy
An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...
in the mother country. Densely populated China was viewed as a potential market to be exploited, with thinkers such as
Max Weber
Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German sociologist, historian, jurist and political economist, who is regarded as among the most important theorists of the development of modern Western society. His ideas profo ...
demanding an active colonial policy from the government. In particular the opening of China was made a high priority, because it was thought to be the most important non-European market in the world.
However, a global policy (''
Weltpolitik
''Weltpolitik'' (, "world politics") was the imperialist foreign policy adopted by the German Empire during the reign of Emperor Wilhelm II. The aim of the policy was to transform Germany into a global power. Though considered a logical conseq ...
'') without global military influence appeared impracticable, so, assessing that Britain's great strength came from its navy, the Germans began to build one too. This fleet was supposed to serve German interests during peace through
gunboat diplomacy
In international politics, the term gunboat diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of naval power, implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare should terms not be agreeable to th ...
, and in times of war, through
commerce raiding
Commerce raiding (french: guerre de course, "war of the chase"; german: Handelskrieg, "trade war") is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than enga ...
, to protect German trade routes and disrupt hostile ones. Imitating Britain, a network of global naval bases was a key requirement for this intention.
Again, intending to directly copy Britain, the acquisition of a harbor in China was from the start intended to be a model colony: all installations, the administration, the surrounding infrastructure and the utilization thereof was to show the Chinese, the German nation itself, and other colonial powers an effective colonial policy.
German acquisition of the territory
![Bundesarchiv Bild 116-125-38, Tsingtau, Landungsmanöver von Seesoldaten](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Bundesarchiv_Bild_116-125-38%2C_Tsingtau%2C_Landungsman%C3%B6ver_von_Seesoldaten.jpg)
In 1860, a
Prussian expeditionary fleet arrived in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
and explored the region around Jiaozhou Bay. The following year, the Prussian-Chinese Treaty of Peking was signed. After journeys to China between 1868 and 1871, the geographer
Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen recommended the Bay of Jiaozhou as a possible naval base. In 1896
Rear Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, at that time commander of the
East Asian Cruiser Division, examined the area personally as well as three additional sites in China for the establishment of a naval base.
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
Otto von Diederichs
Ernst Otto von Diederichs (7 September 1843 – 8 March 1918) was an Admiral of the Imperial German Navy (''Kaiserliche Marine''), serving in the Prussian Navy and the North German Federal Navy.
Early life
Diederichs was born 7 September 1843 in ...
replaced Tirpitz in East Asia and focused on Jiaozhou Bay even though the Berlin admiralty had not formally decided on a base location.
On 1 November 1897, the
Big Sword Society
The Big Swords Society () or Great Knife Society was a traditional peasant group most noted for the killing of two German Catholic missionaries at the Juye Incident in 1897 at Zhang Jia Village where the missionaries were ambushed in their sleep ...
murdered two German Roman Catholic priests of the
Steyler Mission in
Juye County
Juye () is a county in western Shandong province which is under the administration of Heze municipality. The county is 1,303 square km in area and has a population of approximately 910,000.
History
Juye originally belonged to Huxi prefecture.
Q ...
in southern
Shandong
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...
. This event was known as the "
Juye Incident
The Juye Incident (, german: Juye Vorfall) refers to the killing of two German Catholic missionaries, Richard Henle and Franz Xaver Nies, of the Society of the Divine Word, in Juye County Shandong Province, China in the night of 1–2 Novemb ...
." Admiral von Diederichs, commander of the cruiser squadron, wired on 7 November 1897 to the admiralty: "May incidents be exploited in pursuit of further goals?" Upon receipt of the Diederichs cable, chancellor
Chlodwig von Hohenlohe counseled caution, preferring a diplomatic resolution. However, Kaiser
Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empir ...
intervened and the admiralty sent a message for Diederichs to "proceed immediately to Kiautschou with entire squadron ..." to which the admiral replied "will proceed ... with greatest energy."
Diederichs at that moment only had his division's flagship
SMS ''Kaiser'' and the light cruiser
SMS ''Prinzess Wilhelm'' available at anchor at Shanghai, the corvette
SMS Arcona was laid up for repairs and the light cruiser
SMS Irene in a dockyard at Hong Kong for an engine refit. The shallow draft small cruiser
SMS ''Cormoran'', operating independent of the cruiser division, was patrolling the Yangtze. Diederichs weighed anchor, ordered ''Prinzess Wilhelm'' to follow next day and ''Cormoran'' to catch up at sea. The three ships arrived off Tsingtau after dawn on 13 November 1897 but made no aggressive moves. With his staff and the three captains of his ships aboard, Diederichs landed with his admirals tender at Tsingtau's long
Zhanqiao Pier
Zhanqiao () pier is located at the southern shore of Qingdao off Zhongshan Road. This now pier, constructed in 1891, was Qingdao's first wharf. The octagonal Hunian pavilion (Billowing Back and Forth Tower, loosely translated) was constructed a ...
to reconnoiter. He determined that his landing force would be vastly outnumbered by Chinese troops, but he had qualitative superiority.
![Bundesarchiv Bild 134-B1511, Tsingtau, Besitznahme von Kiautschou](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Bundesarchiv_Bild_134-B1511%2C_Tsingtau%2C_Besitznahme_von_Kiautschou.jpg)
At 06.00, Sunday, 14 November 1897, ''Cormoran'' steamed into the inner harbor to provide inshore fire support, if necessary. ''Kaiser'' and ''Prinzess Wilhelm'' cleared boats to carry an amphibious force of 717 officers, petty officers and sailors armed with rifles. Diederichs on horseback and his column marched toward the Chinese main garrison and artillery battery, a special unit swiftly disabled the Chinese telegraph line and others occupied the outer forts and powder magazines. With speed and effectiveness, Diederichs’ actions had achieved their primary objective by 08.15.
Signalmen restored the telegraph line, and the first messages were received and deciphered. Diederichs was stunned to learn that his orders had been canceled, and that he was to suspend operations at Kiautschou pending negotiations with the Chinese government. If he had already occupied the village of Tsingtau, he was to consider his presence temporary. He responded, thinking the politicians in Berlin had lost their nerve to political or diplomatic complications: "Proclamation already published. ... Revocation not possible." After considerable time and uncertainty, the admiralty finally cabled congratulations and the proclamation to remain in effect; Wilhelm II promoted him to vice admiral.
Admiral von Diederichs consolidated his positions at Kiautschou Bay. The admiralty dispatched the
protected cruiser
Protected cruisers, a type of naval cruiser of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armoured deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them. Protected cruisers re ...
SMS ''Kaiserin Augusta'' from the Mediterranean to Tsingtau to further strengthen the naval presence in East Asia. On 26 January 1898 the marines of
''III. Seebataillon'' arrived on the liner ''Darmstadt''. Kiautschou Bay was now secure.
Negotiations with the Chinese government began and on 6 March 1898 the German Empire retreated from outright cession of the area and accepted a leasehold of the bay for 99 years, or until 1997, as the British were soon to do with
Hong Kong's New Territories and the French with
Kouang-Tchéou-Wan
The Leased Territory of Guangzhouwan, officially the , was a territory on the coast of Zhanjiang in China leased to France and administered by French Indochina. The capital of the territory was Fort-Bayard, present-day Zhanjiang.
The Japan ...
. One month later the Reichstag ratified the treaty on 8 April 1898. Kiautschou Bay was officially placed under German protection by imperial decree on 27 April and ''
Kapitän zur See
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain.
Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...
''
aptain Carl Rosendahl was appointed governor. These events ended Admiral von Diederichs' responsibility (but not his interest) in Kiautschou; he wrote that he had "fulfilled
ispurpose in the navy."
As a result of the lease treaty, the Chinese government gave up the exercise of its sovereign rights within the leased territory of approximately 83,000 inhabitants (to which the city of
Kiautschou
The Jiaozhou Bay (; german: Kiautschou Bucht, ) is a bay located in the prefecture-level city of Qingdao (Tsingtau), China.
The bay has historically been romanized as Kiaochow, Kiauchau or Kiao-Chau in English and Kiautschou in German.
Geogra ...
was excluded), as well as in a 50 km wide neutral zone ("neutrales Gebiet"). According to international law, the leased territory ("territoire à bail") remained legally part of China but for the duration of the lease, all sovereign powers were to be exercised by Germany.
Moreover, the treaty included rights for construction of railway lines and mining of local coal deposits. Many parts of Shandong outside of the German leased territory came under German economic influence. Although the lease treaty set limits to the German expansion, it became a starting point for the following cessions of
Port Arthur and
Dalian
Dalian () is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China. Located on the ...
to
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
to support Russia's
Chinese Eastern Railway
The Chinese Eastern Railway or CER (, russian: Китайско-Восточная железная дорога, or , ''Kitaysko-Vostochnaya Zheleznaya Doroga'' or ''KVZhD''), is the historical name for a railway system in Northeast China (als ...
interests in Manchuria, of the transfer of
Weihai
Weihai (), formerly called Weihaiwei (), is a prefecture-level city and major seaport in easternmost Shandong province. It borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow Sea to the east, and is the closest Chinese city to South Korea.
Weihai's popula ...
and
Liu-kung Tao Island from Japan to
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
, and the cession of
Kwang-Chou-Wan
The Leased Territory of Guangzhouwan, officially the , was a territory on the coast of Zhanjiang in China leased to France and administered by French Indochina. The capital of the territory was Fort-Bayard, present-day Zhanjiang.
The Japan ...
to support
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in southern China and Indochina.
Later history
On 15 August 1914, at the outbreak of World War I in Europe, Japan delivered an ultimatum to Germany demanding that it relinquish its control of the disputed territory of Kiaoutschou.
Upon rejection of the ultimatum, Japan declared war on 23 August and the same day its navy bombarded the German territory. On 7 November 1914, the bay was occupied by Japanese forces (see
Siege of Tsingtao
The siege of Tsingtao (or Tsingtau) was the attack on the German port of Tsingtao (now Qingdao) in China during World War I by Japan and the United Kingdom. The siege was waged against Imperial Germany between 27 August and 7 November 1914. Th ...
). Following resolution of the
Shandong Problem
__NOTOC__
The Shandong Problem or Shandong Question (, Japanese: , ''Santō mondai'') was a dispute over Article 156 of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which dealt with the concession of the Shandong Peninsula. It was resolved in China's favor in ...
, the occupied territory was returned to China on 10 December 1922 but the Japanese again occupied the area from 1937 to 1945 during the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
.
Language
The local language was the
Qingdao dialect
The Qingdao dialect is the local dialect of the city of Qingdao and nearby towns, in China's Shandong Province.
Often characterized as requiring a "fat tongue", the Qingdao dialect often adds a // ("th") sound to Mandarin's // ("sh"), // ("x") ...
of
Jiaoliao Mandarin
Jiaoliao or Jiao–Liao Mandarin () is a primary dialect of Mandarin Chinese, spoken on the Jiaodong Peninsula, from Yantai to Qingdao, Ganyu District in northeastern Jiangsu and the Liaodong Peninsula, from Dalian to Dandong, and in Mishan ...
. A German
pidgin
A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups of people that do not have a language in common: typically, its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn from s ...
developed as well.
Organization and development of the territory
As the territory was not strictly speaking a colony but a lease, and because of its importance to the German navy, it was not placed under the supervision of the
Imperial Colonial Office
The Imperial Colonial Office (german: Reichskolonialamt) was a governmental agency of the German Empire tasked with managing Germany's overseas territories. Dissolved after World War I, on 20 February 1919 the Imperial Colonial Ministry (''Reich ...
(''Reichskolonialamt'') but instead under that of the
Imperial Naval Office (the ''Reichsmarineamt'' or RMA).
![Reichsdienstflagge der Kaiserlichen Marine 1893-1918](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Reichsdienstflagge_der_Kaiserlichen_Marine_1893-1918.svg)
At the top of the territory stood the
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
(all five office holders were senior navy officers), who was directly subordinated to the
secretary of state of the RMA,
Alfred von Tirpitz
Alfred Peter Friedrich von Tirpitz (19 March 1849 – 6 March 1930) was a German grand admiral, Secretary of State of the German Imperial Naval Office, the powerful administrative branch of the German Imperial Navy from 1897 until 1916. Prussi ...
. The governor was head of both the military administration (run by the chief of staff and deputy governor), and the civil administration (managed by the ''Zivilkommissar)''. Further important functionaries of Kiautschou were the official for the construction of the harbor, and after 1900 the chief justice and the Commissioner for Chinese Affairs. The ''Gouvernementsrat''
overnment council of the territoryand after 1902 the ''Chinese Committee'' advised the governor. The departments of finance, construction, education and medical services were directly subordinated to the governor, because these were crucial with regard to the idea of a model colony.
![Bundesarchiv Bild 137-005516, China, Tsingtau, ehem](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Bundesarchiv_Bild_137-005516%2C_China%2C_Tsingtau%2C_ehem._Deutsch-asiatische_Bank.jpg)
Kiautschou was modernised, with Germany investing upwards of $100 million. The impoverished fishing village of Tsingtau was laid out with wide streets, solid housing areas, government buildings, electrification throughout, a sewer system and a safe drinking water supply, a rarity in large parts of Asia at that time and later. The area had the highest density of schools and highest per capita student enrollment in all of China, with primary, secondary and vocational schools funded by the Berlin treasury and Protestant and Roman Catholic missions.
With the expansion of economic activity and public works, German banks opened branch offices, the ''
Deutsch-Asiatische Bank
Deutsch-Asiatische Bank (DAB) () was a foreign bank in China. Its principal activity was trade financing, but together with English and French banks, it also played a role in the underwriting of bonds for the Chinese government and in the financ ...
'' being the most prominent. The completion of the
Shantung Railroad in 1910 provided a connection to the
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR; , , ) connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway line in the world. It runs from the city of Moscow in the west to the city of Vladivostok in the ea ...
and thus allowed travel by train from Tsingtau to Berlin.
After the
1911 Revolution
The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a d ...
, many wealthy Chinese and politically connected ex-officials settled in the leased territory because of the safe and orderly environment it offered.
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...
visited the Tsingtau area and stated in 1912, “... I am impressed. The city is a true model for China’s future.”
[Schultz-Naumann, p. 184]
Governors
![Tsingtau Gouverneur Wohnhaus ca 1900](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Tsingtau_Gouverneur_Wohnhaus_ca_1900.jpg)
All Governors of the Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory were high-ranking officers of the
Imperial German Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...
.
See also
*
China–Germany relations
China–German relations were formally established in 1861, when Prussia and the Qing dynasty concluded a Sino-German treaty during the Eulenburg expedition. A decade later, the German Empire was established, with the new state inheriting the Pru ...
*
German colonial empire
The German colonial empire (german: Deutsches Kolonialreich) constituted the overseas colonies, dependencies and territories of the German Empire. Unified in the early 1870s, the chancellor of this time period was Otto von Bismarck. Short-li ...
*
Eulenburg expedition
*
Kiautschou Governor's Hall, located in Qingdao.
*
Tsingtao Brewery
Tsingtao Brewery Co. Ltd. () is China's second largest brewery, with about 15% of domestic market share and also accounts for half of China’s national beer exports. It was founded in 1903 by German settlers in Tsingtau (Qingdao), Kiautschou Ba ...
, Germany's enduring legacy to Chinese brewing
* ''
Tsingtauer Neueste Nachrichten''
Notes
Bibliography
* Ganz, Albert Harding, John A. Moses, and Paul Kennedy. "The German Navy in the Far East and Pacific: The Seizure of Kiautschou and After." ''Germany in the Pacific and Far East 1914–1870'' (1977) pp: 115-136.
*Gottschall, Terrell D. ''By Order of the Kaiser, Otto von Diederichs and the Rise of the Imperial German Navy 1865–1902''. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. 2003.
*Schrecker, John E. ''Imperialism and Chinese Nationalism; Germany in Shantung''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1971.
* Schrecker, John E. "Kiautschou and the problems of German colonialism." in ''Germany in the Pacific and Far East 1914-1870'' (1977): 185-208.
*Steinmetz, George.
The Devils' Handwriting: Precoloniality and the German Colonial State in Qingdao, Samoa, and Southwest Africa.' Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007.
* Stephenson, Charles. ''Germany's Asia-Pacific Empire: Colonialism and Naval Policy, 1885-1914'' (2009
online reviewh2>
In German
*Schultz-Naumann, Joachim. ''Unter Kaisers Flagge, Deutschlands Schutzgebiete im Pazifik und in China einst und heute''
nder the Kaiser's Flag, Germany's Protectorates in the Pacific and in China then and today Munich: Universitas Verlag. 1985.
External links
German colonies(in German)
Monetary history of Kiautschou.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiautschou Bay concession
Concessions in China
Former countries in Chinese history
Former German colonies
Geography of Shandong
History of Shandong
History of Qingdao
China–Germany relations
Georgist communities
City-states
1898 establishments in the German colonial empire
1898 establishments in Asia
1998 disestablishments in Asia