British Zhoushan

OTL during the Opium Wars, Britain demanded Zhoushan. The Chinese said take it or leave with Hong Kong and threatened to cede Zhoushan to the French (pit the barbarians against one another) if the British wouldn't accept HK.

What if the British got Zhoushan? It's an already existing city near the mouth of Yangtze that would be ceded in-perpetuity to the United Kingdom.
 
I've found two old discussions:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...d-to-the-british-instead-of-hong-kong.406948/
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/wi-zhoushan-chusan-ceded-instead-of-hong-kong.357868/
The Zhoushan/Chusan Archipelago has excellent natural ports, a very important strategic location and is near the Yangtze delta, the most economically developed region of China at that time. Had it been acquired by the British, it would have profound economical and political ramifications, as per Wikipedia, the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan is the busiest in the world in terms of cargo tonnage.
 
I've found two old discussions:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...d-to-the-british-instead-of-hong-kong.406948/
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/wi-zhoushan-chusan-ceded-instead-of-hong-kong.357868/
The Zhoushan/Chusan Archipelago has excellent natural ports, a very important strategic location and is near the Yangtze delta, the most economically developed region of China at that time. Had it been acquired by the British, it would have profound economical and political ramifications, as per Wikipedia, the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan is the busiest in the world in terms of cargo tonnage.

I read through those because I liked this subject. I wasn't going to necro old threads though.


The permanence of Zhoushan being British is a pretty unique aspect I think. If we were to hold OTL constant (no reason we should, but let's just think about it) Zhoushan could end up becoming China's Gibraltar - an annoying British possession that the British have every right to keep assuming the locals are happy with the UK.


Britain's military now has to go through the strait of Taiwan to get to its major Chinese city, which may have interesting implications strategically. British Taiwan or a British Penghu (Pescadores) might occur down the line. Maybe British Penghu and an independent Taiwanese Republic?



There's going to be a fairly big knock-on for the US and Canada in that Chinese immigration will be primarily from Zhejiang province rather than Guangdong. The US consul will likely be in Zhoushan TTL.
 
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If we were to hold OTL constant Zhoushan could end up becoming China's Gibraltar.
I'd say it would likely be Hong Kong plus Gibraltar, being important in means of geopolitics and economy.
Chinese immigration will be primarily from Zhejiang province rather than Guangdong.
Centuries-old tradition of going overseas to seek better life is resticted to some prefectures of Fujian and Guangdong province, therefore I would imagine that Chinese immigration won't be primarily from Zhejiang Province, though we might see fewer from Guangdong and more from Fujian and Zhejiang.
 
I read through those because I liked this subject. I wasn't going to necro old threads though.


The permanence of Zhoushan being British is a pretty unique aspect I think. If we were to hold OTL constant (no reason we should, but let's just think about it) Zhoushan could end up becoming China's Gibraltar - an annoying British possession that the British have every right to keep assuming the locals are happy with the UK.


Britain's military now has to go through the strait of Taiwan to get to its major Chinese city, which may have interesting implications strategically. British Taiwan or a British Penghu (Pescadores) might occur down the line. Maybe British Penghu and an independent Taiwanese Republic?



There's going to be a fairly big knock-on for the US and Canada in that Chinese immigration will be primarily from Zhejiang province rather than Guangdong. The US consul will likely be in Zhoushan TTL.

I doubt that Zhoushan could impregnable, the big islands are only a couple miles off the mainland coast, and Britain probably won't go for Taiwan (they didn't go for Hainan OTL after all).
 
I'd say it would likely be Hong Kong plus Gibraltar, being important in means of geopolitics and economy.

Centuries-old tradition of going overseas to seek better life is resticted to some prefectures of Fujian and Guangdong province, therefore I would imagine that Chinese immigration won't be primarily from Zhejiang Province, though we might see fewer from Guangdong and more from Fujian and Zhejiang.
Gibraltar still British because its pretty hard to get too, and Spain doesn't care enough to actually pull a Goa on it.

A mid-late 20th century China probably won't have those hang ups, and Zhoushan is nearly as vulnerable as Hong Kong.
 
Gibraltar still British because its pretty hard to get too, and Spain doesn't care enough to actually pull a Goa on it.
A mid-late 20th century China probably won't have those hang ups, and Zhoushan is nearly as vulnerable as Hong Kong.
Even if China reconquers Zhoushan, it would likely had become the commerce hub of Eastern China, eclipsing the small county seat of Shanghai.
 
Even if China reconquers Zhoushan, it would likely had become the commerce hub of Eastern China, eclipsing the small county seat of Shanghai.
Even if the entire island of Zhousan was urban land(which it can't be) it couldn't reach but a fraction of Shangai's modern population.
 
Gibraltar still British because its pretty hard to get too, and Spain doesn't care enough to actually pull a Goa on it.

A mid-late 20th century China probably won't have those hang ups, and Zhoushan is nearly as vulnerable as Hong Kong.

Britain, however, has nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
 
Its impact would be huge.

1. Guangzhou or Canton would decline in term of economy. It would become a backward province like Guangxi
2. Revolution hotbed would move from Hong Kong to Zhoushan. The Qing government would have a better way to monitor anti-government movements. This might delay the 1911 revolt.
3. Due to closeness to Japan and Korea, it would have a impact on both countries.
4. Zhoushan had a bigger population base than Hong Kong. More Chinese would be able to interact directly with British. This may have both positive and negative consequences.

Negative: the Taiping rebel would have started somewhere in Jiangxi instead of Guangxi.

Positive: it would be easier for the traditional gentry (landlords) in middle of China to learn the British administration system. As a result the gentry class might want an earlier politic reform (instead of 1908-10).
 
I'd say it would likely be Hong Kong plus Gibraltar, being important in means of geopolitics and economy.
.

It's more just like a mega Hong Kong. They both were at the mouths of major rivers and can dominate the trade going in and out of them. The difference is the Yangtze is a much bigger river. I suspect this will mean Britain penetrating the interior of China faster, with more treaty ports on the Yangtze.
 
Except Hong Kong was of limited lease, and thus Britain had her hands tied from a legal perspective.

Zhoushan would have been ceded in-perpetuity.
Didn't stop India from grabbing Goa.

And no Chinese government even half worthy of the name will let a foreign power control the mouth of the Yangtze River.
 
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