at a fortress in Lüshunkou In the late 1880s, the German company
Krupp was contracted by the
Qing dynasty to build a series of fortifications around Port Arthur. Reportedly, this was after local contractors had "made an extensive bungle of the job". Port Arthur first came into international prominence during the
First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895). Following Japan's victory over the
Imperial Chinese Army troops at the
Battle of Pyongyang in
Korea in September 1894, the
Japanese First and
Second Armies converged on the
Liaodong Peninsula by land and sea.
Imperial Japanese Armed Forces war planners, ambitious for control of the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur and also cognizant of that port's strategic position controlling the northern
Yellow Sea routes and the passage to
Tianjin, were determined to seize it. On 20–21 November 1894, 15,000 Japanese troops defeated 13,000 Qing soldiers and conquered Lüshunkou. The
Port Arthur massacre resulted in the deaths of somewhere between 2,600 civilians and 20,000 people including Chinese soldiers. Japan went on to occupy Port Arthur and to seize control of the whole Liaodong Peninsula. As part of the terms of the 1895
Treaty of Shimonoseki concluding the war, Japan was granted the Liaodong Peninsula but had to cede the territory when threatened jointly with war by
France,
Germany and
Russia in what is called the
Triple Intervention of 1895. This was seen as a
great humiliation in Japan.
Russian base in Port Arthur The
Russian Empire in 1898
coerced a lease from China of the
Liaodong Peninsula and created the territory of
Russian Dalian. It gained railroad right-of-way to join the Liaodong Peninsula to the
Chinese Eastern Railway with a line running from Port Arthur to the Chinese city of
Harbin, and systematically began to fortify the town and harbor at Port Arthur. Tsar
Nicholas II believed this acquisition of a Pacific port would enhance Russian security, and extend its economic influence. He was also falsely informed that the
British Empire was considering seizing the port. Nicholas founded
Dalny (later
Dalian) near Port Arthur and also on the Chinese Eastern Railway. In 1902, the Russian viceroy de-emphasized Dalny, building a palace and cultural edifices at Port Arthur instead. All of these developments contributed to Japanese resentment towards Russia over competing imperial aims in Manchuria.
Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) Ten years later, Port Arthur again played a central role in war in China. After the
Boxer Rebellion (1900–01) had been extinguished by an international
Eight-Nation Alliance of troops, the
Imperial Russian Army refused to withdraw its reinforcements from
Manchuria and instead began to fortify and garrison the entire route along the Southern Manchurian Railway. With this development, Japan proposed the two powers meet and discuss their respective roles in eastern Manchuria, as the area was considered being in their respective
spheres of influence. Talks were conducted between 1902 and 1904. While numerous proposals and agreement papers were generated between the two powers, Russia continued the
de facto annexation of territory through fortification and garrison, if not
de jure; while employing
stalling tactics in its negotiations. In the end, after more than two years of intensive
bilateral negotiations failed to clarify each country's rights, prerogatives, and interests in Manchuria, Japan attacked Port Arthur and the
Russian fleet without declaring war in February 1904.
The Battle of Port Arthur block print of the
night attack on Port Arthur by the
Japanese Navy The
Battle of Port Arthur, the opening battle of the
Russo-Japanese War, was fought in the heavily fortified harbor of the town of Port Arthur/Lüshun on 9 February 1904 when the Japanese attacked at night with torpedoes, followed by a brief daylight skirmish by major surface combatants. By the end of July 1904, the Japanese army had pushed down the Liaodong peninsula and was at the outer defenses of Port Arthur. The fact that Japanese forces had closed to within artillery range of the harbor in early August 1904 led directly to the naval
Battle of the Yellow Sea which solidified Japan's command of the sea, where her fleets continued to blockade the harbor. Virtually all the battles of the war until July 1904 were strategic battles for territorial gain or position leading to the
investment and
siege of the port city. The port eventually fell 2 January 1905 after a long train of battles on land and sea during which the Japanese occupied the whole of the
Korean Peninsula, split the Russian Army, devastated the
Imperial Russian Navy, and cut off the source of supplies on the railway from
Harbin, culminating in the bloody battle known as the
Siege of Port Arthur (June–January; some sources place the siege start in late July, a technical difference due to definitions).
Japanese Ryojun After Japan's defeat of Russia, it took over
Kwantung Leased Territory and renamed Port Arthur Ryojun. The Japanese-controlled Ryojun City had 40 districts. They built the war monuments on
203 Hill and
Baiyu Mountain. The Port Arthur–Harbin line became part of the
South Manchurian Railway. After Japan created the puppet state of
Manchukuo in 1932, Japan regarded its lease as being held from Manchukuo rather than from China.
Post-war administration The Chinese Lüshun City was established on 25 November 1945 to replace Ryojun. The city was a subdivision of a larger Lüda City and contained 40 villages in 3 districts: Dazhong (), Wenhua (), and Guangming (). In January 1946, Wenhua was merged into Dazhong, and the 40 villages were reduced to 23 communes (). In January 1948, the remaining two districts were merged into one: Shinei (), with 12 communes. Under the
Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance signed by
Joseph Stalin and
Chiang Kai-shek, the Republic of China agreed to allow the
Soviet Navy to maintain a base there in exchange for Soviet diplomatic recognition of the
Nationalist government. However, the USSR later used the port to assist the
Chinese Communist Party's
People's Liberation Army during the
Chinese Civil War, leading to the
Kuomintang's overthrow. On 7 January 1960, Lüshun City was renamed Lüshunkou District, still under Lüda. In 1981, Lüda was renamed
Dalian, with Lüshunkou remaining a constituent district. In 1985, 7 of Lüshunkou's 9 townships were upgraded to towns. Lüshunkou District administers 9
subdistricts; all of the former towns were either abolished, merged or converted into subdistricts themselves. •
Dengfeng Subdistrict () •
Desheng Subdistrict () •
Shuishiying Subdistrict () •
Longwangtang Subdistrict () •
Tieshan Subdistrict () •
Shuangdaowan Subdistrict () •
Sanjianpu Subdistrict () •
Changcheng Subdistrict () •
Longtou Subdistrict () The city's southern half along
Lüshun South Road, central Lüshun and the Naval Port zone continue to be off-limits to foreigners although Lüshunkou District is thoroughly modernized. The World Peace Park opened on the western coast of Lüshun, becoming a sightseeing spot. The universities in downtown Dalian are being relocated to Lüshunkou.
Dalian Jiaotong University (formerly Dalian Railroad University) moved its software school to the area near the new port, and the
Dalian University of Foreign Languages and
Dalian Medical University relocated their main campuses to the eastern slope of Baiying Mountain, on Lüshun South Road.
Dalian Fisheries University is in the process of moving its English and Japanese language schools to Daheishi, on Lüshun North Road. From late 2006,
Sinorail has operated the
Bohai Train Ferry between Lüshun, Dalian, and
Yantai,
Shandong. ==Climate==