New Britain herald., 1922-12-20
GERMAN.JAPANESE CHINESE CHAMELEON
Mixed Up History of Ysinstao and EiaochoX Leasshold <


 washington, Dec. 2o.--"The relin- quishment of Tsingtao and. the Kiao- chow lessehold by Japan on Decem- Der 10, and its subsequent troubles with Chinese bandits mark the pass ing of one dream of Japanese expan- sion in the Flowery Kingdom, just as the surrender of the same territory to Japan almost exactly eight years ago marked the tragic end of the dreams of German imperialism in the coun- try" remarks a bulletin from Wash ington, D. C., headquarters of the Ma tional Geographic society.
 This 200-square-Hile slice of fa- nous old Shantung," continues the bulletin, flor milleniums had lktle'in It's lot to distinguish 1t from similar sleepy patches of China's coast coun- try. Suddenly if awoke twenty-four years ago with the worlds spotlight beating fully upon 1t. It has been in the glare ever since; the bone of con- tention of empires, and an object for powerful if immaterial diplomatic forces and ultimatums, when it was not the target for all too material na- val guns and their high explosive shells.
 Snatcned From Shabbiness.
 'Tsingtao, the port of the Kiao- chow leasehold, has been veritable Cinderella among Oriental communi- ties-and to mix the metaphor a chameleon nationally. Snatched from its existence as shabby fishing vil- lage it was made into g 'Spotless Town to serve first as gateway for German Kultur and commerce.; and later as an entrepot for Japanese in fuence and goods.
 When Germany decided to com pete with other European nations that were taking possession of slices of Chinese territory, and landed her forces at Tsingtao in 1898, it consist ed of little more than a narrow main street lined by low Chinese buildings with paper windows and straw roofs. One of the few groups of buildings of any consequence was the 'Yamen' of the Chinese Governor of Tsingtao, with it's central structures, it's court yards and surrounding houses. These
  quarters of their governor.
 "Once on the ground the Germans worked feverishly at-making over the village and constructing the combina- tion of Little Berlin and German Hongkong' of which they dreamed. Chinese houses were taken over and made clean:' and temporary barracks were built, followed by permanent ones Wide streets and avenues were laid out and lined with shade trees; substantial business buildings and res idences rose. Drainage systems were established. and other sanitary measures taken, and a supply of pure water was piped ill from the hills. Massive granite breakwaters and piers were constructed; the harbor was dredged to depth to accommodate the largest ships. A huge floating dock capable of Accommodating mer- chantman or warship provided the finishing touch which made the once sleepy little Tsingtao into a full f1edged commercial and naval base and outpost of empire.
 By the outbreak of the World War
 
 suit of German efficiency Sixty million dollars had been spent in the transformation. An excellent rail- road tapped the interior of Shantung, mines were being opened and ship ping was steadily increasing. Of the city itself the Germans who then numbered more than 4,00O shopkeep- CTS, professional mon and other civil ians, in addition to the military, boasted with considerable justification that it was a paradise on earth Even the surrounding hills, previously de- nuded, had been replanted to forest. Good German schools were estab- lished. The excellent bathing beach had been capitalized by the building of hotels and the place was fast be- coming a pleasure resort for Europ- >ans resident in China.
 :! "Littlc Tokyo.'
 s2"The character of this most Ger man of towns was changed in 1914 almost as radically and as quickly as . motion picture setting is trans- formed from a representation of Lon don to one of New York. The Ger man flag came down in November and most of the Germans were sent to Japan as prisoners. Civilian Japan ese as we'll as soldiers poured in; and while the architecture of Little Ber- lin remained for the most part un- altered, the whole atmosphere of the E ice became that of Japan. On their flrt the Japanese displayed greater nergy even than had the Germans, to givs the city its second transfor- nation. There, amid the incongruous German buildings, blossomed the in- f1uence and culture of Nippon. In- deed the Japanese were more thor ough than their predecessors. By the middle of 1920 more than 2S,000 Japanese had moved to the city. Schools had been established for teaching Chinese to the newcomers, as we'll as the regular system of low CT and higher Japanese public schools. Commerce through the port grew amazingly most of the ships, of