People's Republic of China.
Background
The settlement on the site of Lushunkou, which existed since the Jin Dynasty (晋朝, 266-420), was called Mashijin (Chinese: 马石津). During the Tang period (唐朝, 618-907) it was renamed Dulizhen (Chinese: 都里镇). During the Mongol Yuan Empire (元朝, 1271-1368), the city was called Shizikou (Chinese: 狮子口, lit. "Lion's Mouth"), presumably after a statue now located in a park adjacent to the military port. During the era of the Ming Empire (明朝, 1368-1644), the settlement was subordinate to the coastal defense department (Chinese: 海防哨所) of Jinzhou Wei (Chinese: 金州卫), and the left and central with this veya(Chinese example: 金州中左所). At the same time, the name “Lüshun” appeared - in 1371. future emperor China Zhu Di, who headed the defense of the northeastern borders, sent 2 envoys to these places to familiarize himself with the area. Since their path was calm and comfortable ( Lutu Shunli- whale ex. 旅途顺利), then by order of Zhu Di this area was named Lushunkou (lit. “bay of calm travel”)
English name Port Arthur this place received due to the fact that in August 1860 the ship of the English lieutenant William K. Arthur was repaired in this harbor ( English) . There is also a version that the Chinese town of Lushun was renamed by the British in honor of a member of the British royal family Arthur of Connaught during the Second Opium War. This English name later it was adopted in Russia and other European countries.
The construction of a naval base in the strategically important Lushun Bay was started by the Chinese government at the insistence of Beiyang Dachen Li Hongzhang, in the 1880s. Already in 1884, to protect the coast from possible landings After the French landing, a detachment of Chinese troops was stationed in the city, and the commander of the Chinese warship Weiyuan, stationed in the bay, Fan Botsian, built one of the first earthen coastal batteries of the fortress with the help of his crew. The battery was named "Weiyuan Paotai" (lit. "Fort Weiyuan").
Between 1884 and 1889, Lüshun became one of the bases of the Beiyang Fleet of the Qing Empire. The work was led by German major Konstantin von Hanneken. Lushun housed the main repair facilities of the Beiyang Fleet - a 400-foot (120 m) dock for repairing battleships and cruisers, and a small dock for repairing destroyers. Dredging work carried out in the bay made it possible to bring the depth of the inner roadstead and entrance to the bay to 20 feet (6.1 m).
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Currently, the Lushunkou area of Dalian is no longer closed to foreigners. The most significant attractions on the site of the former Port Arthur are:
One of key battles The defense of Port Arthur was unsuccessful for Russia in the war with Japan of 1904-1905. This battle, like the entire war, has been given very contradictory assessments for more than a century.
The Chinese port city of Port Arthur, located on the Liaodong Peninsula, was leased to Russia for 25 years in 1898 on the basis of the Russian-Chinese convention.
The very fact of this lease in Russia was different attitude. While the military was pleased with the receipt of an ice-free naval base on the coast of the Yellow Sea, diplomats believed that Russia’s participation in the expansion of imperialist powers into China could have negative consequences for the country.
Nevertheless, the deed was done, and on March 16, 1898, the St. Andrew’s flag was hoisted on Zolotaya Gora.
At the time of the Russian lease, Port Arthur was an undeveloped village in which about 4 thousand residents lived. The active construction launched by the Russians radically changed this region: by 1904, more than 50 thousand people lived in Port Arthur, not counting the military.
According to the plan of the Russian admirals, the forces Pacific Fleet Russia were distributed between Vladivostok and Port Arthur. By the beginning of the war with Japan, 7 squadron battleships, 6 cruisers, 3 old sail-screw clippers, 4 gunboats, 2 of them armored boats, 2 mine transports, 2 mine cruisers and 25 destroyers were concentrated in Port Arthur.
The war began with an attack on Port Arthur
The military command of Japan, starting the war with Russia, saw the main task of the first period as the defeat of the Russian fleet in Port Arthur while preserving the port itself, which was supposed to be used in the interests of the Japanese Navy. The main role in the capture of Port Arthur was planned to be given to the Japanese infantry, and not the fleet - the resources of the Japanese Imperial Navy were limited, while Japan had no shortage of soldiers.
During the six years that Port Arthur was under lease before the start of the war, the Russian military command made efforts to create new fortifications around the port and city. The Russian generals believed that Port Arthur was capable of withstanding a long siege in complete isolation from the rest of the troops, attracting large enemy forces. Perhaps it was precisely this opinion that was the reason why the Japanese were allowed to cut off Port Arthur from the main Russian forces with relative ease.
The first attack on Port Arthur took place on January 27, 1904, and it was with this that the Russo-Japanese War began. Japanese ships secretly approaching the harbor fired torpedoes at Russian ships, as a result of which the battleships Retvizan and Tsesarevich, as well as the cruiser Pallada, were seriously damaged. The Russian fleet's attempt to break through from blockaded Port Arthur failed.
Death of the Admiral
During the first months of 1904, the Japanese made a series of attempts to block the Russian fleet directly in the port by laying mines and sinking old ships, but these plans were thwarted.
At the beginning of the war, he was appointed commander of the Pacific squadron. Vice Admiral Stepan Makarov, one of the most outstanding Russian naval commanders. Arriving in Port Arthur, in a matter of weeks he managed to restore the combat effectiveness of the fleet and inspire the sailors.
But on March 31, 1904, Admiral Makarov died along with the battleship Petropavlovsk, which ran into a Japanese mine. Along with Makarov, about 30 officers and 650 sailors also died. A Russian was also among the dead. battle painter Vasily Vereshchagin.
There was no adequate replacement for Makarov among the leaders of the defense of Port Arthur. The tragedy of March 31 seriously affected the final outcome of the defense.
Under siege
The issue of commanding the defense was acute from the very beginning of the battle until its end. He was appointed head of the ground defense of the fortress. commander of the 7th East Siberian rifle division Major General Roman Kondratenko. The general management of the defense of the fortress was formally to be carried out by Commandant of the fortress, Lieutenant General Konstantin Smirnov, but in fact the high command from the very beginning was in the hands Head of the former Kwantung fortified area, Lieutenant General Anatoly Stessel.
It is the assessment of Stoessel's actions that causes the most controversy. Some believe that the commander acted according to the situation; according to others, he showed indecisiveness bordering on cowardice.
So, in May 1904, the Japanese still managed to lock Russian ships in the harbor for several days, which allowed the 2nd Japanese Army of about 38.5 thousand to land in Manchuria. At the same time, Stessel did not take any measures to disrupt the landing.
This allowed the Japanese to interrupt the railway connection between Port Arthur and Russian forces in Manchuria, after which an offensive was launched in the direction of Port Arthur with the aim of completely blockading it from land.
First assault
The methodical advance of the Japanese troops forward ended by the first days of August 1904, when, having captured the Wolf Mountains, enemy infantry units reached the approaches to Port Arthur. Long-range Japanese artillery began shelling the port.
The forces of the defending Russian troops did not exceed 38 thousand people at their disposal commander of the Japanese army, General Nogi there were more than 100 thousand people, while the Japanese had the opportunity to bring in reinforcements.
On August 7, 1904, the Japanese opened fierce fire on the forward positions of the Eastern Front - the Dagushan and Xiaogushan redoubts - and by the evening they were attacked. All day on August 8 there was a battle there - and on the night of August 9, both redoubts were abandoned by Russian troops. The Russians lost 450 soldiers and officers in battle. Japanese losses, according to them, amounted to 1,280 people.
On August 19, the Japanese began bombing the Eastern and Northern Fronts, and the latter was attacked. Over the next three days, the Japanese attacked with great energy the Water Supply and Kumirnensky redoubts and the Long Mountain, but were repelled from everywhere, only managing to occupy the Corner and the Panlongshan fortification.
By August 22, the Japanese managed to capture the advanced redoubts of the Eastern Front. Encouraged by this success, General Nogi began a general assault on Port Arthur on the night of August 24, which lasted four days. The Japanese threw more and more forces into battle, but failed, losing about 20 thousand soldiers and officers.
Massacre on High
The second assault on Port Arthur was launched on September 19, 1904. The Vodoprovodny and Kumirnensky redoubts and Long Mountain came under Japanese control, but on September 22 the offensive stalled at Vysokoy Mountain.
Japanese losses were extremely high, but they did not experience problems with reserves, while the Russian army fought in conditions of shortages of ammunition and food.
On October 1, 1904, the Japanese army began to use 11-inch howitzers against the besieged, the shells of which pierced the concrete arches of the forts and the walls of the casemates. The situation for the defenders began to steadily deteriorate.
On October 30, 1904, with the support of siege artillery, the third assault on Port Arthur began. Despite favorable conditions, the Japanese failed again.
General Nogi paused to await the arrival of the fresh 7th Infantry Division. It was she who became the striking force of the 4th assault, which began on November 26. The Japanese attacks were carried out in two directions - on the Eastern Front and on Mount Vysokaya. The Japanese army's losses mounted, but Nogi repeated the attacks again and again. Convinced of the futility of attacks on Eastern Front, he concentrated his efforts on capturing Mount Vysokaya. After ten days of fighting, having lost more than 12 thousand soldiers and officers, Nogi captured Vysoka.
An 11-inch mortar used during the siege of Port Arthur. Photo: Public Domain
Surrender
The situation became critical for the Russian army. The very next day the Japanese equipped High position heavy artillery, which destroyed the remnants of the Russian squadron.
On December 15, 1904, another event occurred that influenced the outcome of the battle. On this day, one of the defense leaders, General Roman Kondratenko, was killed by a direct hit from a howitzer shell into the casemate of Fort No. 2.
Unlike Stessel, Kondratenko skillfully led the troops, played key role in repelling assaults and enjoyed enormous authority among soldiers and officers.
There is a version that the Japanese artillery shelling, which led to the death of the general, was not accidental - Kondratenko was opposed to surrender and intended to continue the defense, despite the most difficult conditions.
On January 2, 1905, General Stoessel announced his intention to surrender to the Japanese. After Kondratenko’s death, no one could interfere with this decision.
On January 5, 1905, a capitulation was concluded, according to which the Russian garrison of 23,000 people surrendered as prisoners of war with all supplies of combat equipment. The officers could return to their homeland, giving their word of honor that they would not participate in further military operations.
Sunk Russian ships in the harbor of Port Arthur. In the foreground are “Poltava” and “Retvizan”, then “Victory” and “Pallada”. Photo: Public Domain
“Stessel will surrender this fortress too!”
As already mentioned, there are directly opposite assessments of Stoessel’s action. According to some, the general saved his subordinates in a hopeless situation, avoiding unnecessary casualties. The main Russian forces could not provide any assistance to Port Arthur, and further resistance would have resulted in a bloodbath.
Supporters of another version believe that Stoessel, who surrendered the fortress when all means of defense had not yet been exhausted, actually tipped the scales of the war in favor of Japan. The surrender of Port Arthur forced the 2nd Russian Pacific Squadron to go to Vladivostok through the Gulf of Tsushima, where the tragic battle for the Russian fleet took place. By the beginning of 1905, according to Stoessel’s critics, the Japanese economy had already been undermined by the war, and having held out Port Arthur, Japan was forced to make peace on Russian terms.
The capture of Port Arthur was extremely costly for the Japanese. According to various estimates, they lost from 65 to 110 thousand people killed and wounded. The losses of the defenders of Port Arthur in killed and wounded did not exceed 15 thousand people.
General Stoessel, upon returning to Russia, appeared before a military tribunal and was sentenced to death, which was commuted to 10 years' imprisonment in a fortress. But after spending only a year in prison, Stoessel was pardoned Nicholas II and released.
The attitude towards Stoessel is expressed by an anecdote popular in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century: “You know, General Stoessel was sentenced to imprisonment in a fortress! “Oh, my God, it’s completely in vain - he’ll surrender this fortress too!”
Return
After the end of the Russo-Japanese War, the Portsmouth Peace Treaty was concluded, according to which the rights to lease Port Arthur and the entire Liaodong Peninsula passed to Japan.
Japanese rule lasted until August 22, 1945, when Port Arthur was occupied by Soviet paratroopers at the final stage of World War II.
In September 2010 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev took part in the opening of the restored memorial in honor of the Russian and Soviet soldiers who fell in Port Arthur.
Currently, this small Chinese city on the coast of the Yellow Sea is called Lushun. What is remarkable about this city? Starting in 1898, according to a convention between the Chinese Emperor and Nicholas II, this area passed into the use of Russia for 25 years. Afterwards the city became the main base of the Russian fleet in Pacific Ocean and received current name. Where is Port Arthur, the city of Russian sailors? What's his story? More on this later in the article.
Where is Port Arthur located? How to get there?
Tourists wishing to visit the fortress museum should prepare for the fact that the road will not be easy. This refers to time costs.
For residents of Vladivostok, the journey will not take long, only five to six hours. A flight with a transfer in Seoul from Vladivostok will take travelers to Dalian in four hours. From there you should take a regular bus to Lushun, the journey takes one hour. You can take a taxi, but it will be more expensive.
The same route, but by car it will take almost the whole day. To travel around China, you should prepare your route in advance or use local online maps.
Residents of central Russia will first have to fly to Beijing, which is about eight hours. Then you can also continue your journey by plane. Flight "Beijing - Dalian", travel time will be 1.5 hours. The journey by bus or car will take at least nine hours, plus another hour to where Port Arthur is located.
And you will need at least three to four days for sightseeing. The city stretches along the coast, monuments and historical places are located far from each other, it’s impossible to get around in a couple of days.
City `s history
On the site of the Chinese fishing village of Lushunkou, construction of a city with the same name began in the 1880s. Twenty years earlier, the village received the name Port Arthur after repairs were made to the ship of the English lieutenant William K. Arthur. This is an English name and was subsequently adopted by Russia and European countries.
The decision to build the city was dictated by China's desire to protect its approaches from the sea from European powers, who were keenly interested in the place where Port Arthur was located.
During the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894, the city was occupied by Japan. A year later, thanks to pressure from Russia, France and Germany, Port Arthur was returned to China.
At the end of 1897, the first Russian ships appeared in the Yellow Sea. A year later, an agreement was concluded between China and Russia that two port cities, Lushun and Dalian (Port Arthur and Dalniy), would be leased for 25 years to the Russian state. However, Japan did not tolerate the Russian fleet at its side and in 1904, without warning, attacked Port Arthur.
Where Port Arthur is located, history preserves the memory of the heroism of Russian soldiers.
The courage of Russian sailors in the Japanese-Russian war
Port Arthur is truly a Chinese city of Russian glory. In count memorable places associated with Russia, this place can be considered unique. In this war, Russian soldiers and officers showed unprecedented courage, heroism and devotion to their homeland. After the end, in 1905 the convention ceased to exist. Then Russia was defeated, and the city was reoccupied by the Japanese.
The siege of Port Arthur lasted almost a whole year. More than fourteen thousand Soviet soldiers died in this war. Their courage was admired by their enemies, who suffered several times more losses. The enemy's losses amounted to more than one hundred thousand people. In 1908, the grand opening of a memorial dedicated to the courage of those who fell in that war was held. The Russian cemetery and memorial chapel arose thanks to the Japanese authorities. They decided to bury Russian soldiers with honors and preserve the memory of their exploits in history. There are twelve mass graves on the territory of the cemetery, officer graves are decorated with white stone crosses, and soldiers' graves are decorated with cast iron crosses. The Japanese worked hard to collect the remains of Russian soldiers throughout the entire battle area. Five years later, in 1913, they examined the battleship Petropavlovsk, which had sunk in battle. The remains of dead sailors were found on it. They were also buried at the Russian Cemetery.
Later, the graves of Soviet soldiers, monuments crowned with red stars, appeared in the cemetery. Some tombstones have inscriptions in two languages, Russian and Chinese, in hieroglyphs. There are children's graves in the same cemetery. An outbreak of plague in Port Arthur claimed the lives of an entire generation born from mixed marriages of Russian soldiers with local women.
A monument was erected on the territory of the cemetery Soviet pilots, who died during the liberation of the city in 1945.
In the same place where Port Arthur is located, on Quail Mountain a complex was created in honor of Japanese soldiers. A monument-mausoleum and a temple were erected on the hills of the mountain.
Fight for the fort
Port Arthur, according to the Treaty of Pittsmouth, was given to Japan for 40 years on a lease basis, just as it once was to Russia. At the end of the period, Japan occupied this territory, unwilling to leave the fort. In 1945, the Red Army expelled the occupiers from Port Arthur. A Soviet-Chinese agreement was signed, according to which the city was leased to the Soviet Union for thirty years for a naval base. But ten years later, under Western influence, the Russian government returned the city to China.
At the Russian Cemetery in 1955, residents of the country built a monument to Soviet soldiers-liberators from the Japanese occupiers. Chinese craftsmen created sculptures of soldiers with banners based on real participants in hostilities.
Port Arthur Fortress Museum
This city was not a Russian colony for long. However, the presence of the Russians is felt to this day. The city has preserved buildings from the times pre-revolutionary Russia and the times of the USSR. Some quarters of the city are completely reminiscent of Russian ones. There is also a railway station built in 1903 in this place. It is currently inactive. Launched ten years ago new branch metro, which takes you from Dalian to Port Arthur.
There is a prison building in the city. Its construction was started by the Russians in 1902, and completed in 1905 by the victorious Japanese. Currently, the prison complex houses a museum. The prison was called Russian-Japanese. Russian prisoners, the local Chinese population and even Japanese military personnel were sent there for imprisonment.
The most prominent place in Port Arthur is a memorial erected in honor of Japanese military glory on Quail Mountain. The monument is made in the form of an artillery shell.
"Big Eagle's Nest"
Hill "Big" Eagle Nest" - one of the main defense points of Port Arthur. Here you can see destroyed military buildings, Japanese monuments and a museum. Russian cannons are installed at the top of the hill. They were removed from one of the battleships in preparation for the defense of the fortress.
On the slopes of the Big Eagle's Nest hill there are dilapidated buildings of the fort. The walls and fortifications have been preserved as they were after the first war with the Japanese. Lots of marks from shells and bullets. In some places of the fort, the remains of casemates have been preserved.
From the top of this hill there is an excellent view of the city of Lushun. It becomes clear what Port Arthur is. This area was of great importance in the defense of the coast.
Russian cemetery. Description of the memorial place
The main historical place in Lushun is the Russian Cemetery. The largest burial place of Russian soldiers outside the state. Seventeen thousand people are buried in the cemetery. At the entrance to the cemetery there is a monument to the Russian soldiers who liberated China from the Japanese occupiers. There is a museum inside the memorial. It was opened through the efforts of Chinese citizens. The museum has many photographs and exhibitions dedicated to the post-war period. Russia helped China recover after the occupation. All texts in the museum are written in Russian and Chinese.
The total area of the cemetery is 4.8 hectares. There are 1,600 sculptures and monuments on its territory. This cemetery is recognized as the largest Russian memorial in China. The entire complex is recognized as an object of great historical significance. In 1988, the Chinese government decided that the memorial would be preserved as a provincial monument.
Most significant landmarks
Previously, the city of Lushun was closed to foreigners. Nowadays, visiting the historical area where Port Arthur is located will not be difficult.
Tourists should definitely visit:
- Russian 15th battery of the Electric Cliff.
- Fort on the hill "Big Eagle's Nest".
- Mountain High, legendary height 203.
- Russian cemetery with a chapel.
- Railway station built by the Russians in 1903.
Separately, I would like to say about Hill 203. It was after it was taken in 1905 that the Russian troops capitulated. Then the victory remained with Japan. Desperate battles were fought for this height for six months. Soldiers on both sides showed incredible courage and dedication to their cause.
Buildings of that time. Have they survived or not? Peculiarities
The city has preserved buildings, houses, and estates from the early twentieth century. True, most of them have not been restored and are in a state of disrepair, with the exception of rare buildings that have been chosen by modern Chinese.
Some quarters in the Chinese city look just like in Russia: Stalinist and Khrushchev-style residential buildings, administrative buildings in the Soviet style. Streets of Lenin and Stalin, after it ceased to exist Soviet Union, no one renamed it. It's rather the opposite. Here, far from Russia, these streets have retained their historical names. Please note that they are in excellent condition.
A little conclusion
Now you know that Port Arthur is a Chinese city of Russian glory. We hope that the information about him was interesting and useful to you.
Lovers of history and geography, of course, have heard about a place called Port Arthur. Where is it located, what is it and what features does it have? We will try to understand all this in our article.
General information
So, we are interested in Port Arthur: where it is located and what it is like. As a rule, it is understood as an old fort, which is nestled near the town of the same name in Carnavon Bay (Tasmania, Australia). It is located on an area of forty hectares and has a very bad reputation. The reason for such fame lies in the fact that it used to serve as a prison for high-security convicts, from which it was almost impossible to escape. Today the fort is used as a museum. And although some of the colony’s buildings were destroyed and rebuilt, the rest was perfectly preserved and can tell a lot about distant and troubled times.
Port Arthur (we have already found out where it is located) is today included in the UNESCO list of protected sites as a famous monument to the history of convict prisons. The cells, churches, hospitals and clinics of the institution have retained their original appearance, and therefore have high historical value.
A little history
The reader already knows where Port Arthur is and what it is. And it all began in 1830 with a logging station: new lands and colony settlements needed building wood. It was decided to use the fort as a men's prison for notorious scoundrels three years later. Criminals were brought here from all over, and it was thanks to their work that Australia as a colony was self-sufficient. The heyday of hard labor was in the forties of the nineteenth century, and in 1877 it officially ceased to exist.
We already know where Port Arthur is, but we haven’t talked about the lives of prisoners yet. This prison quickly earned the title of hell on earth. Many of the convicts deliberately killed their friends in misfortune or their guards, since this was the only way to get rid of torment in Australia (the authorities sentenced them to death). The prison was well guarded, but escape attempts still occurred. True, not many managed to escape to freedom and hide; most of the convicts were caught and sent back.
Today, about 250 thousand tourists come to the famous colony of Port Arthur every year.
Description of Port Arthur
The whole complex is quite large. The most popular attraction is the convict prison - its ruins are located right next to the bay. There was a time when there was a mill here, powered solely by the labor of chained prisoners. But this idea was abandoned because productivity was very low.
Behind the penal servitude rises the commandant's residence. This is one of the first structures on the territory of the fort, and it was rebuilt more than once. Several rooms have been carefully restored and furnished with original furniture, which allows you to learn how the authorities of such a sad institution lived. After the prison was closed, a hotel was located in the residence, which operated until the thirties of the last century.
Another attraction of Port Arthur is the garden, laid out on the site of the original 19th century garden after a thorough analysis of all the information about it. Thus, the museum staff managed to restore the original appearance of the place intended for ladies' walks. The plantings extend all the way to the ruins of the church and occupy an entire hill.
There is another gloomy place near the fort - the “Island of the Dead,” or prison cemetery. A small piece of land, only two hundred meters from the coast, became the last refuge of many of the inhabitants of Port Arthur. Tourists can explore this attraction only accompanied by a guide, and the excursion to the island itself takes about an hour.
It is worth booking a separate group excursion to visit Point Puer, a prison for juvenile offenders. Although children were kept separately from adult prisoners, their living conditions were almost the same. This colony for boys operated for fifteen years, where they worked hard and were engaged in construction from the age of nine. The trip here will take two hours.
Excursions and tickets
Anyone can see Port Arthur (where the city and the fort are located, we wrote above). There are several types of tickets to visit the complex:
- “bronze”, which allows you to stay on the territory of the fort for one day, includes the cost of an introductory tour (30 min.) and a short boat trip;
- “Silver” also includes an audio tour, lunch, a trip of your choice (“Point Puer” or “Island of the Dead”);
- “gold” allows you to stay on the fort’s territory for two days, visit both the prison cemetery and the children’s colony (its price also includes two snacks and lunch);
- An evening pass allows you to enter the museum complex at the end of the day and enjoy dinner and a unique ghost tour.
It is worth noting that there are no separate tickets, only one pass to the territory of the huge museum.
Some more features of the town
The Port Arthur Museum is not the only attraction of the city. It has several other interesting places to visit that are not related to the history of penal servitude. For example, the Memorial Garden, created in memory of the people who died in 1996. Then a mentally ill man opened fire on residents of the city, as a result of which 35 people were killed and another 23 were seriously injured.
The “Lottery of Life” gallery is open on the territory of the fort. The visitor can choose a card with the name and description of the fate of a prisoner. Walking along the gallery, you can trace its fate.
Instead of an afterword
Today, Fort Port Arthur is a history that needs to be known, from which lessons should be learned, otherwise the future may remind of the mistakes of the past.
// ts58.livejournal.com
In Russian culture, Port Arthur is a city covered with ambiguous glory. The long and heroic defense of a fortress by Russian troops on leased territory on the other side of the earth became one of the most striking and memorable pages of our history. If Port Arthur today were part of Russia, the title of “City military glory"he would have been one of the first to receive it. In modern China, it is called Lushunkou and is just a remote, provincial area of the metropolis of Dalian, with a reservation about the Chinese Navy base located in it, one of the largest in the country. Usually I don’t write posts about cities that examined superficially, but in this case it's worth it. The place is too important and too hard to get there to ignore. So, I present to your attention an overview of the Dalian district of Lushunkou, which in our minds will forever remain the city of Port Arthur.
The Liaodong Peninsula is somewhat similar to Crimea - a fertile place where people Lately they are not left alone because of its incredibly convenient location in military-strategic terms. And Port Arthur here is akin to Sevastopol - the most delicious piece of an already important region. However, imperial China, which could hardly be called a maritime power, did not particularly appreciate the charms of this place. The north, distant and cold by local standards, and even located for a long time on the forbidden Manchu lands, for centuries was occupied by nothing more than fishing villages.
Undoubtedly, the main place in Port Arthur from the point of view of our history is the Russian cemetery. This is the largest Russian cemetery in China and the largest Russian military burial place abroad. In front of the entrance there is a monument to Soviet soldiers who liberated northeast China from the Japanese in 1945. The monument was moved here in 1999 from one of the central squares of Dalian, which bore the name of Stalin. Simultaneously with the transfer of the monument, it was renamed Narodnaya.
// ts58.livejournal.com
The history of Port Arthur before the 19th century is no different from the history of neighboring Dalian. But the city here was founded not by the Russians, but by the Chinese themselves. Several decades before the end of the empire, they were able to appreciate the strategic importance of this bay for their fleet and began to build a port here. It received the name “Lüshun”, which translated means “calm road”. The name "Port Arthur" was given by the British, and it was this name that came into use and fell in love with Europeans, including Russians. I think it won’t be a big sin if in this post I call the city exactly that, except for moments where it is necessary to emphasize the relation of what has been said to its modernity.
Inside the sculptural composition there is a small museum telling the story of the Red Army's liberation of northeastern China from the Japanese. Of course, not without the help of the conscious local population. It’s surprising that six months before that we were in Brest, and there, on the other end of the continent, we saw exhibits very similar in meaning and appearance in the Museum of Defense of the Brest Fortress. And in Brest, one of the main temples of the city was built during the Russian-Japanese War at the expense of its participants. A monument to her victims was erected near the temple. Amazing parallels between such distant and foreign cities...
// ts58.livejournal.com
The Russians came here in 1897, when they leased the entire Liaodong Peninsula and founded the city of Dalniy nearby. Despite the formally fair ownership of these lands by the Russian Empire, the Chinese often call those years an occupation. When concluding a lease agreement with the Qing monarchist government, which was weakening and afraid to refuse, it was not without bribes. However, the Chinese have a much worse attitude towards the Japanese, who later seized these lands. Unlike Dalny, ours did not build Port Arthur from scratch, but brought Chinese developments to fruition. But even after six years of presence, they never managed to finish it.
All texts and inscriptions in the museum are made in two languages, Chinese and Russian, and are surprisingly loyal and benevolent to the USSR. I would say, even more loyal than other museums and historical materials in our country or in Belarus.
// ts58.livejournal.com
If Dalian was built as a commercial port, then the purpose of Port Arthur was clearly defined from the very beginning: a naval base, which was also ice-free, which distinguished it favorably from Vladivostok. In January 1904, without declaring war, the Japanese attacked Port Arthur. The history of that heroic defense in our culture is known and popular much more widely than other military conflicts that are much closer territorially. The cruiser "Varyag" and the name of Admiral Makarov became recognizable symbols. After 11 months of siege and huge losses The Japanese finally took the city. Due to the number of killed and wounded, this victory became tragic in Japanese culture.
The museum displays many photographs from the post-war years, when the Soviet soldiers who remained to serve here helped the Chinese restore the country. Many of them then started families with local women, but almost all of their children died due to the cholera epidemic. Their small graves are located here, in the same Russian cemetery. Northern Chinese, by the way, are proud of the fact that they are taller and more “Caucasian” than the southern ones. A mixed marriage with a European is considered chic here, and since the most accessible Europeans are Russians, who are half a day away by train, mixing occurs mainly with them. Plus, here in the north, apparently, the gene pool of the Manchu nation, which dissolved in the Chinese, still remains.
// ts58.livejournal.com
In 1945 already Soviet army expelled the Japanese from the mainland, and Port Arthur again became a Russian, or rather Soviet, military base for 10 years. But this time on a parity basis with the Chinese and without the desire to build a Russian city here. Soon after the final and free return of the city and surrounding territories to China, Port Arthur formally became part of Dalian as the Lyushunkou microdistrict.
The cemetery and memorial were put in order in 2010 by Russian specialists and with Russian funding. President D.A. came to open the memorial after restoration and years of desolation. Medvedev. We can thank the Chinese for at least allowing us to do this. Until 2010, the Chinese themselves took minimal care only of the Soviet part of the cemetery, where the soldiers who drove the Japanese out of China are buried. The imperial part for them is the legacy of the occupation, because that’s what they call the years of Russia’s possession of the Liaodong Peninsula.
// ts58.livejournal.com
An interesting fact is that the first monument to Russian soldiers was erected here by the Japanese, shortly after their victory, in 1908. Those who lost six (!) times during the annual siege more people, than the Russians, the Japanese paid tribute to the courage and perseverance of our soldiers and sailors by erecting an Orthodox chapel made of granite and marble near the cemetery. Unfortunately, I did not know about it in advance and did not take a photo. Moreover, the Japanese allowed the surviving Russian officers to keep their weapons.
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Monument to Soviet soldiers, built by the Chinese in 1955. In theory, it was supposed to be the main monument of the cemetery, but after the memorial was moved from Dalian, it somehow got lost against the background of the latter. The Chinese sculpted the figures of Russian soldiers with banners from real participants in hostilities:
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The most well-groomed and ceremonial part of the cemetery is the Soviet one. They say that all Russian official delegations visit only her in order to maintain diplomatic etiquette, because... The Chinese revere Soviet soldiers, and consider imperial soldiers to be occupiers.
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Not only Soviet soldiers who died in 1945 are buried in this cemetery. Among those buried here are military personnel Russian Empire, who died defending the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1901 and fell defending Port Arthur in 1904. The imperial part is distinguished by crosses. In the Soviet sector there are only stars:
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The Soviet era, in addition to the soldiers who liberated China, left in this land those who died in the post-war years while serving in Port Arthur. At that time, a cholera epidemic raged in Manchuria, killing many military personnel. But even more of their children, born to local women, died. In fact, the epidemic prevented the emergence of an entire generation of Russian-Chinese mestizos. These, in my opinion, are just children's graves:
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Finally, the latest burial is from 1950-1953: these are people who died in Korean War, mostly pilots. In the middle of this part of the cemetery there is a monument to the “fearless Stalinist falcons”:
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During the years of the Cultural Revolution, the cemetery and memorial survived, primarily due to the ideological connection with the years of Stalin's rule and the liberation of China from the Japanese. But they still knocked down photographs from the graves. Nowadays, descendants of those buried here from time to time send photographs of their ancestors to the caretaker of the cemetery for restoration, or even come in person. Today, the identity of the graves and the photographs on them have been only partially restored. The St. Vladimir Orthodox Chapel, built in 1912, has been preserved in the cemetery. Long years It was used as a warehouse, but in 2010, during the general restoration of the entire memorial, it was also brought back to life:
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One of the objects that has survived from the beginning of the 20th century is the prison, which in all official sources is called “Russian-Japanese”. Ours began building it in 1902, and the Japanese, after winning the war, finished it, thoroughly expanded it and began using it for its intended purpose. The capacity of the prison at that time was enormous, especially since there was no shortage of clients in the occupied territory. Here the Japanese kept the disloyal local population, Russian prisoners, and even insufficiently patriotic Japanese. The Chinese like to emphasize the fact that the Russians themselves were eventually imprisoned in the prison that the Russians began to build in Port Arthur. It is probably assumed that the Russians also built it primarily for the aborigines. Today the entire prison complex operates as a museum.
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Among the most notable places in Port Arthur is the Japanese memorial, erected on Quail Mountain in the shape of an artillery shell after the victory over the Russians. TO Japanese occupation Locals in China have a much worse attitude than they did during the period of lease by Russia, but for unknown reasons this memorial has been preserved. Today, of course, it acts in a slightly different capacity, and many do not even know what it really is. The young Chinese woman who helped us on this outing confidently stated that this was a working lighthouse. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to get any closer.
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Next we will go to the "Big Eagle's Nest" hill. This is one of the strongholds of the defense of Port Arthur. Russians have survived here in a dilapidated state. fortifications, Japanese monuments, and also organized a museum. IN last years The Chinese cleaned up the territory and turned the hill into a tourist site. In the center of the area allocated for inspection is a sign indicating the rating of the attraction on the Chinese tourist scale:
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First, let's visit a small museum of the Russian-Japanese War. It differs strikingly from the above-mentioned Museum of the Liberation of China. The inscriptions are duplicated only in English, there is no Russian language here. Descriptions of exhibits and historical information have a pronounced negative connotation in relation to both Japan and Russia. If soviet soldier in 1945 is perceived as a liberator, then the Russian soldier of 1904 is an invader sharing foreign territory with the Japanese.
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This is Fort No. II, the structures of which are located on the slopes of the Big Eagle's Nest hill. General R.I. died in this fort. Kondratenko, whose name is associated with the organization of the defense of Port Arthur. Largely thanks to him, Russian troops held out against vastly superior Japanese forces for almost a year. Soon after Kondratenko's death, Russia capitulated. The walls of the fort have generally been preserved, but in exactly the condition in which the fighting brought them. There are a lot of traces of bullets and shells here:
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Here and there you can go inside and look at the remains of casemates:
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You can admire the walls of the fortifications through lush vegetation. But during the siege of Port Arthur, the slopes of the hills were bald: they were planted with trees already in the 20th century, during the time of Mao Zedong. The presence of fortress ruins, which at one time underwent one of the most tragic and heroic defenses in Russian history, is another parallel with the distant. It’s amazing how many threads these two diametrically opposed cities are connected with.
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From the top of the hill you can clearly see the surrounding area. It's no wonder she was so important defensively. Here you can constantly see Chinese military aircraft flying not so high. Only half an hour later, two aircraft slowly paraded past. Thanks to its location, the military aspect of Port Arthur migrated without loss to modern Lushun.
ts58
27/12/2016