The Shunpanrō hall where the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed

The Treaty of Shimonoseki (Japanese: 下関条約, "Shimonoseki Jōyaku"), known as the Treaty of Maguan (traditional Chinese: 馬關條約; simplified Chinese: 马关条约; pinyin: Mǎguān tiáoyuē) in China, was signed at the Shunpanrō hall on April 17, 1895 between the Empire of Japan and Qing Empire of China, ending the First Sino-Japanese War. is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the southwestern tip of Honshū, facing the Tsushima Strait and also Kitakyushu is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the southwestern tip of Honshū, facing the Tsushima Strait and also Kitakyushu is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China The First Sino-Japanese War ( 日清戦争 Romaji: Nisshin Sensō ( 1 August 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a war fought between The peace conference took place from March 20 to April 17, 1895. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

Treaty terms

• Article 1: China recognizes definitively the full and complete independence and autonomy of Korea, and, in consequence, the payment of tribute and the performance of ceremonies and formalities by Korea to China, that are in derogation of such independence and autonomy, shall wholly cease for the future.
• Articles 2 & 3: China cedes to Japan in perpetuity and full sovereignty of the Pescadores group, the island of Taiwan and the eastern portion of the bay of Liaotung together with all fortifications, arsenals and public property. The Pescadores ( from Portuguese, "fishermen" pron pɨʃ Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. The Liáodōng Peninsula ( is a Peninsula in the Liáoníng province of northeastern China, historically known in the west as southern east- Manchuria
• Article 4: China agrees to pay to Japan as a war indemnity the sum of 200,000,000 Kuping taels
• Article 6: China opens Shashih, Chungking, Soochow and Hangchow to Japan. Chongqing ( Postal map spelling: Chungking; Wade-Giles: Ch'ung-ch'ing) is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China Suzhou ( ancient name 吳) is a City on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu ( Postal map spelling: Hangchow) is a Sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People's Republic of China, Moreover, China is to grant Japan most-favored-nation treatment.

The treaty ended the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895 as a clear victory for Japan. The First Sino-Japanese War ( 日清戦争 Romaji: Nisshin Sensō ( 1 August 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a war fought between In this treaty, China recognized the independence of Korea and renounced any claims to that country. A Treaty is an agreement under International law entered into by actors in international law namely States and International organizations. Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. It also ceded the Liaodong peninsula (then known to the Western Press as Liaotung — the southern portion of Fengtian, now part of modern Liaoning province), the islands of Taiwan (Formosa) and the Pescadores to Japan. The Liáodōng Peninsula ( is a Peninsula in the Liáoníng province of northeastern China, historically known in the west as southern east- Manchuria Fengtian ( Postal map spelling: Fengtien Manchu: Abkai imiyangga fu) is The name of an old prefecture under which Shenyang ( is a northeastern province of the People's Republic of China. A province, in the context of China, is a translation of sheng ( which is an administrative division Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. The Pescadores ( from Portuguese, "fishermen" pron pɨʃ China also paid Japan a war indemnity of 200 million Kuping taels, payable over seven years, and the signing of a commercial treaty similar to ones previously signed by China with various western powers in the aftermath of the Opium Wars. Tael can refer to any one of several Weight measures of the Far East. The Opium Wars ( also known as the Anglo-Chinese Wars, lasted from 1839 to 1842 and 1856 to 1860 the climax of a trade dispute between China under the Qing This commercial treaty confirmed the opening of various ports and rivers to Japanese trade.

Shunpanrou interior

Value of the indemnity

In the treaty, China had to pay an indemnity of 200 million silver kuping taels to Japan.

One kuping (treasury) tael is about 37. 3 grams in weight. The 200 million kuping taels is about 7. 45 million kg of silver.

Later, when Japan was forced to re-cede the Liaodong peninsula to Russia (for Port Arthur), Japan asked for more money — 30 million kuping (1. The Liáodōng Peninsula ( is a Peninsula in the Liáoníng province of northeastern China, historically known in the west as southern east- Manchuria Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending 12 million kg) of silver — from China; the total amount is over 8 million kg of silver.

Signatories and diplomats

The treaty was drafted with John W. Foster, former American Secretary of State, advising the Qing Dynasty. John Watson Foster ( March 2, 1836 – November 15, 1917) was an American military man journalist and diplomat It was signed by Count Ito Hirobumi and Viscount Mutsu Munemitsu for the Emperor of Japan and Li Hongzhang and Li Jingfang on behalf of the Emperor of China. was a Japanese statesman Resident-General of Korea, four time Prime Minister of Japan (the 1st 5th 7th and 10th and Genrō. Count was a statesman and diplomat in Meiji period Japan. Early life Mutsu Munemitsu was born in Wakayama domain Kii Province (present-day The of Japan is the country's Monarch. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. Li Hongzhang, Marquis Suyi of the First Class, GCVO, ( February 15, 1823 &ndash November 7, 1901) was a Chinese Li Jingfang (李經方 1855?-1934 also known as Li Ching-fong was a Chinese statesman during the Qing dynasty The Emperor of China ( refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning since the founding of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of Before the treaty was signed, Li Hongzhang was attacked by a right-wing Japanese extremist on March 24: he was fired at and wounded on his way back to his lodgings at Injoji temple. Li Hongzhang, Marquis Suyi of the First Class, GCVO, ( February 15, 1823 &ndash November 7, 1901) was a Chinese Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland The public outcry aroused by the assassination attempt caused the Japanese to temper their demands and agree to a temporary armistice. The conference was temporarily adjourned and resumed on April 10. Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama

Ito Hirobumi and Mutsu Munemitsu

Aftermath

Entry of the Western powers

The conditions imposed by Japan on China led to the Triple Intervention of Russia, France, and Germany, western powers all active in China, with established enclaves and ports, just three days after its signing. was a Japanese statesman Resident-General of Korea, four time Prime Minister of Japan (the 1st 5th 7th and 10th and Genrō. Count was a statesman and diplomat in Meiji period Japan. Early life Mutsu Munemitsu was born in Wakayama domain Kii Province (present-day The was a diplomatic intervention by Russia, Germany, and France on 23 April 1895 over the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. They demanded that Japan withdraw its claim on the Liaodong peninsula, concerned that Lüshun, then called Port Arthur by Westerners, would fall under Japanese control. The Liáodōng Peninsula ( is a Peninsula in the Liáoníng province of northeastern China, historically known in the west as southern east- Manchuria Lüshun city or Lüshunkou or (literally Lüshun Port ( formerly known as both Port Arthur and Ryojun, is a town located at the extreme southern Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (a de jure ally of France) and his imperial advisors, including his cousin-advisor-friend-rival Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, had designs on Port Arthur, which could serve as Russia's long sought-after 'ice-free' port. Tsar csar and tzar redirect here For other uses see Tsar (disambiguation. Kaiser is the German title meaning " Emperor " with Kaiserin being the female equivalent " Empress "

Under threat of war from three Western political powers, in November 1895, Japan — a weaker emerging nation not yet perceived as even a regional power — receded ('ceded back') control of the territory and withdrew its de jure claim on the Liaotung peninsula in return for an increased war indemnity from China. Political power ( Imperium in Latin is a type of power held by a group in a Society which allows administration of some or all of The Liáodōng Peninsula ( is a Peninsula in the Liáoníng province of northeastern China, historically known in the west as southern east- Manchuria At that time, the European powers were not concerned with any of the other conditions, or the free hand Japan had been granted in Korea under the other terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, and this would prove to be a diplomatically short sighted error.

Within months after Japan re-ceded the Liaodong peninsula, Russia started construction on the peninsula and a railway to Harbin from Port Arthur, despite a protesting China. Lüshun city or Lüshunkou or (literally Lüshun Port ( formerly known as both Port Arthur and Ryojun, is a town located at the extreme southern Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China Eventually, Russia agreed to offer a diplomatic solution (See Kwantung Leased Territory) to the Chinese Empire, and agreed to a token lease of the region to save face, instead of annexing Manchuria outright, its de-facto effect. The Kwantung Leased Territory ( Chinese: 關東州 关东州 Guāndōngzhōu Japanese: 関東州 Kantōshū was a territory in the southern part of the Liaodong Within two years, Germany, France, and Great Britain had similarly taken advantage of the economic and political opportunities in the weak Chinese Empire, each taking control of significant local regions. Japan also took note of how the international community allowed the great powers to treat weaker nation states, and continued its remarkable measures to bootstrap itself into a modern industrial state and military power, with great success as it would demonstrate in the Russo-Japanese War less than a decade later. The Russo-Japanese War (日露戦争 Romaji: Nichi-Ro Sensō Русско-японская война Russko-Yaponskaya Voyna;, 10 February 1904 – 5 September

In Taiwan, pro-Qing officials and elements of the local gentry declared a Republic of Formosa in 1895, but failed to win international recognition. This historical republic should not be confused with the proposed nation-state " Republic of Taiwan.

In China, the Treaty was considered a national humiliation by the bureaucracy and greatly weakened support for the Qing dynasty. The previous decades of the Self-Strengthening Movement were considered to be a failure, and support grew for more radical changes in China's political and social systems which led to Hundred Days Reform and the abolition of the bureaucratic examinations followed by the fall of the Qing dynasty itself in 1911. Self-Strengthening Movement ( c 1861–1895 was a period of institutional reforms initiated during the late Qing Dynasty following a series of military defeats and concessions The Hundred Days' Reform ( or) was a failed 104-day national cultural political and educational reform movement from 11 June to 21 September 1898 undertaken by the young Guangxu

The Triple Intervention is regarded by many Japanese historians as being a crucial historic turning point in Japanese foreign affairs - from this point on, the nationalist, expansionist, and militant elements began to join ranks and steer Japan from a foreign policy based mainly on economic hegemony toward outright imperialism — a case of the coerced turning increasingly to coercion. The was a diplomatic intervention by Russia, Germany, and France on 23 April 1895 over the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki

The Shunpanrō in 2004

Both the Republic of China on Taiwan and the People's Republic of China consider that the provisions of the treaty transferring Taiwan to Japan to have been reversed by the Instrument of Surrender of Japan. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that established the Armistice ending the Pacific War and with it World War II. On April 28, 1952 the contents of this treaty were formally nullified through what is commonly known as the Treaty of Taipei with the Republic of China on Taiwan, although the People's Republic of China does not recognize this treaty. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty ( Japanese: 日華平和条約 Chinese: 中日和平條約 commonly known as the Treaty of Taipei (台北和約 as it was REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia.

Prelude to war

Russia wasted little time after the Triple Intervention to move men and materials down into the Liaodong to start building a railroad from both ends — Port Arthur and Harbin, as it already had railway construction in progress across northern Inner Manchuria to shorten the rail route to Russia's sole Pacific Ocean naval base at Sakhalin Island, a port closed by ice four months of each year. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Sakhalin (Сахали́н səxʌˈlʲin Japanese:nihongo|樺太|karafuto or; Chinese: 庫頁 Kùyè also Saghalien, is a large elongated Russia also improved the port facilities at Port Arthur and founded the commercial port town at Dalny (Dalian), before inking the Lease of the territory. Dalian (;; Japanese: Dairen Russian: Далянь Dalian or Дальний Dalny is the governing Sub-provincial city in the eastern Liaoning The Kwantung Leased Territory ( Chinese: 關東州 关东州 Guāndōngzhōu Japanese: 関東州 Kantōshū was a territory in the southern part of the Liaodong

When the de-facto governance of Port Arthur and the Liaodong peninsula was granted de jure to Russia by China along with an increase in other rights she had obtained in Manchuria (especially those in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces) the construction of the 550 mile Southern spurline of the Manchurian Railway was redoubled. ( Postal map spelling: Kirin; Manchu: Girin ula is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern ( Postal map spelling: Heilungkiang Manchu: Sahaliyan ula is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern The Chinese Eastern Railway or CER (also known as the Chinese Far East Railway) was a Railway in northeastern China ( Manchuria) Russia finally seemed to have gotten what the Russian Empire had been wanting in its quest to become a global power since the reign of Peter the Great. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya This ice-free natural harbor of Port Arthur/Lüshun would serve to make Russia a great sea as well as the largest land power. Naval warfare is Combat in and on Seas Oceans or any other major bodies of water such as large Lakes and wide Rivers History Russia needed this ice-free port to achieve world power status as it was tired of being blocked by the Balance of Power politics in Europe (The Ottoman Empire and its allies had repeatedly frustrated Russian power fruition). ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo

However, the omission of the geopolitical reality in ignoring the free hand Japan had been granted by the Treaty (of Shimonoseki) with respect to Korea and Japan was short-sighted of Russia with respect to its strategic goals; to get to and maintain a strong point in Port Arthur Russia would have to dominate and control many additional hundreds of miles of Eastern Manchuria (the Fengtian province of Imperial China, modern Jilin and Heilongjiang) up to Harbin. Fengtian ( Postal map spelling: Fengtien Manchu: Abkai imiyangga fu) is The name of an old prefecture under which Shenyang A province is a territorial unit almost always an Administrative division. ( Postal map spelling: Kirin; Manchu: Girin ula is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern ( Postal map spelling: Heilungkiang Manchu: Sahaliyan ula is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern ( Russian Kharbin) is a Sub-provincial city and the Capital of the Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China. Japan had long considered the lands paralleling the whole Korean border as part of its strategic Sphere of Influence. A sphere of influence ( SOI) is an area or region over which an organization or state exerts some kind of indirect cultural economic military or political domination By leasing Liaodong and railway concessions, Russia crashed its Sphere of Influence squarely into Japan's.

This acted as a further goad to emerging Japanese anger at their disrespectful treatment by all the West. In the immediate fallout of the Triple Intervention, Japanese popular resentment at Russia's deviousness and the perceived weakness of its own government caving in to foreign pressure led to riots in Tokyo. The disturbance almost brought down the government, as well as a strengthening of imperial and expansionist factions within Japan. The Russian spear into the sphere also brought about the ensuing struggle with Russia for dominance in Korea and Manchuria. These events eventually led to the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 by a renewed and modernized Japanese military. The Russo-Japanese War (日露戦争 Romaji: Nichi-Ro Sensō Русско-японская война Russko-Yaponskaya Voyna;, 10 February 1904 – 5 September

References

• F. R. Sedwick, (R. F. A. ), The Russo-Japanese War, 1909, The Macmillan Company, N. Y.
• Colliers (Ed. ), The Russo-Japanese War, 1904, P. F. Collier & Son, New York
• Dennis and Peggy Warner, The Tide At Sunrise, 1974, Charterhouse, New York
• William Henry Chamberlain, Japan Over Asia, 1937, Little, Brown, and Company, Boston
• Pei-Kai Cheng and Michael Lestz (Eds. ) The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection, 1999, W. W. Norton & Company, New York.

See also

• Unequal Treaties
• Triple Intervention
• Kwantung Leased Territory
• Manchurian Railway
• South Manchurian Railway
• Yeongeunmun Gate
• Independence Gate

External links

• Text of the treaty