To many British people 'Shandong' (Shantung) is synonymous with a silken fabric associated with that province. But to many Chinese no doubt the word arouses feelings similar to those which 'Munich' provokes in this country.
Obviously there are marked differences between the Shandong settlement of 1919 and the Munich agreement with Hitler of 1938, but there are a sufficient number of common factors to justify comparison. Both settlements were concluded against the wishes of the countries most affected, China and Czechoslovakia respectively. Neither settlement proved permanent, nor were they things about which the majority of British people could feel proud.
The Munich agreement is within the living memory of many people and it still features in political debate. However, the Shandong settlement is twenty years older. As the issues are less well known it might be helpful to recall the main points.
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