It is hardly credible that in an outer suburb of Dalian, a major port in China’s north-eastern province Liaoning, is the site of the first major global conflict of the 20th century.
This was where the Japanese Imperial Army defeated the Russian Imperial Army. It was the first victory by an Asian power over a European power. It is long forgotten now, but at the time the world was shocked. A new world order was emerging.
Colourised photo of Japanese officers as they stand on a hillside that overlooks the wreckage of Russian warships in the Port Arthur harbour during the Russo-Japanese War, 1905. Getty
Lv Shun, which until 1949 was known in English as Port Arthur, is a quiet leafy town next to a magnificent harbour. With its goose-like neck, the narrow entrance opens onto a wide, deep-water protected port with hills on three sides.
It was this strategic location arising from its unique topography, and that it remained open all year despite the bitter winters of the north-east, that made it of such importance to the great imperial powers at the time.
It was also the home base of China’s submarine fleet, until in the early 2000s it was moved to Hainan Island in the south, in part reflecting a shift in China’s strategic interest from the north-east to the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
