Chinese laborers working under the direction of German supervisors on a hill above the city of Tsingtau, China. The card was sent from Earl's Court in London, January 6, 1905, and cancelled in Teichel, Germany two days later. From a painting by K. Hei...
Tsingtau, was a port in Kiautschau, a concession seized from China by Germany in 1898.Searching for colonies in Asia, Germany used the occasion of the murder of two German missionaries in 1898 to seize the territory of Kiautschau, including the city of Tsingtau from Japan, forcing a 99-year lease upon China.The territory, much of it mountainous, was shaped around Kiautschau Bay, a large inlet protected by two peninsulas. Tsingtau was on the end of the northern peninsula.Germany developed the city and territory, improving the harbor and erecting lighthouses, constructing a railroad, a radio station, and fortifying the city, particularly on the heights and across the approach to Tsingtao. The city had a standing garrison of 5,000 German marines.Japan delivered an ultimatum to Germany on August 15, 1914 to surrender all its ships in Asian waters. Receiving no response by the August 23 deadline, Japan declared war and blockaded Tsingtao.The city fell to the Japanese and British on November 7, 1914.
Tsingtau is a city in Kiautschau.
