Early history Haiyang was first settled with
Laiyi people, one of the peripheral Chinese ethnic minorities, some 2,300 years ago, and was annexed into
Qi in 567 BC. Haiyang was, consecutively, under administration of State of Qi in
Warring States period. After
Qin Shi Huang unified China, Haiyang was put under the administration of
Jiaodong Commandery. It was under the
Lai Prefecture (萊州) in
Tang,
Song, and
Yuan dynasties, and
Dengzhou Prefecture (登州府) in
Ming dynasty.
From fortress to county In 1389, during the early Ming dynasty Dasongwei Fortress (大嵩衛), one of the nine coastal fortresses of the time to guard against
Wokou and other pirates invasions, was set up to govern (both administratively and militarily) the area known today as Haiyang. In 1734, during the
Yongzheng Era, Dasongwei Fortress was officially renamed as Haiyang, which name is still used today for the land covering the south coast of
Shandong Peninsula, with an area of more than 3,000 kilometers. In 1947, the newly founded communist government cut off the eastern land of Haiyang to create another county of
Rushan, and since then, Haiyang's 1,886 kilometer area forms a shape that resembles a flying phoenix towards the Pacific Ocean.
European settlement From the late 19th century until
World War I, Haiyang was a coastal town in Shandong Province, located near the European settlements of
Qingdao and
Weihaiwei. Qingdao was leased to Germany in 1898, while Weihaiwei was leased to Britain in the same year. Trade activities in the region continued through the establishment of communist control in 1949, which brought significant changes in local governance and economic practices. ==Geography==