Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1922-02-23

prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety, Washington, d. CD
KiaOchOw, Tsingtao, Shantung-these
form a tumble of names that have
served to make the famous "Shantung
Question" fairly bristle with confusion
in the West.
The sO-called Shantung question be-
gan when the Germans determined to
have naval base in northeastern
Chinese waters They gained posses
sion of the rocky prOmontory at the
entrance of Kiaochow Bay, where
deep water was available, and on this
point built from the ground up the
new, typically German town of Using
tao.
To add to the confusion of names,
the region as well as the bay has
been known as Kiaochow, and there
was already in existence a town of
that name some six miles inland from
the bay and wholly outside the leased
zone Bay and towns are in the
province of Shantung, one of the most
important Of China's States" This
governmental unit of $4,000 square
miles-as large as Pennsylvania, Mary
land and Delaware cOmbined-has
large peninsula jutting out to the east,
which half closes the Gulf Of Chilli,
the front door to Picking. Out of the
large domain Of Shantung the territory
actually leased to Germany and trans
ferred by the Versailles treaty to
Japan has an area of 1913 square miles,
little more than that of the original
District of Columbia. The issue be-
tween China and Japan, therefore, in
so far as it concerns territory actually
claimed, might be more correctly
called 'the Kiaochow question"
But there are other aspects of the
problem than the outright claim to
territory. Germany also had conces-
siOns to construct railway lines into
the interior of Shantung, and to carry
on mining operations there; and
Japan's insistence on falling heir to
these privileges, and the fear of the
Chinese that they would lead to closer
control of the entire region by the
concessiOnaires has raised the "Kiao-
chow problem" into the "Shantung
question"
British Have a Concession.
And KiaochOw is not the only part
Of Shantung that has already passed
under control of a foreign govern
ment. Near the very tip of the Shan
tung peninsula about 100 miles north
east of the Kiaochow area is Wei-hai-
wei, region of about the same extent,
leased by the British.
One of the reasons why China was
in a position to meet foreign demands
for territorial concessions on the coast
of Shantung is picturesque. Some
centuries ago this coast was ravaged
time and again by the band of a
Notorious pirate, Koxinga, the bloody
Captain Kidd and Henry Morgan com
bined Of the Far East The emperor
then reigning, unable to protect his
subjects from the murderOus depreda-
lions of Koxinga, commanded them to
retire about twelve miles inland and
leave the strip of land along the coast
a deserted "nO-man's land" Since that
time much Of the Shantung coast had
been free from villages and even In
habitants.
Although there is touch Of modern
western advancement in its English
dominated port of Wei-hai-wel, and in
German-Japanese Tsingtao, and the
Kiaochow zone, Shantung boasts a
civilization which goes back to the
beginning of China's national life.
Within its $4,000 square miles there re
side more than 100000 people, the
density of population being greater
than in any other province in the
country
It is not hard to understand the
abnormal population of inland Shan
tung, for the province is traversed
from north to south by the Grand
Canal, an artificial waterway 1900
miles in length, which, as a commerce
carrier for the nation, ranks second
only to the great Yangze-kiang
This canal furnishes cheap transporta-
ton for the rich yield Of the Shan
tung coal mines and for the lead, cop
per and gold ore of the district as
well as agricultural produce. In the
valleys of the province the fertile. soil
rewards the husbandman with an