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Japan and
China fought the first Sino-Japanese War during
1894 and
1895, primarily over control of
Korea. To distinguish from the
second Sino-Japanese War, this war is called "Jiawu War" (甲午戰爭) in
Chinese because it occurred in the
Chinese year by that name.
Korea (under the
Joseon Dynasty) had traditionally been a tributary state to China. In
1875 the
Qing Dynasty of China had allowed Japan to recognise Korea as an
independent state. However China continued to try to assert influence over
Korea, and
public opinion in Korea split, with conservatives wanting to retain a
close relationship with China while reformists wanted Korea to modernize
and to have a closer relationship with Japan.
Following the assassination of a pro-Japanese reformist in 1894, a
Korean religious sect, the
Tonghak, began the
Tonghak Peasant Revolution. The Korean government requested from China
help in suppressing it.
However, when China did contribute assistance, the Japanese government
sent an expedition in support of the reformists, and had seized the royal
palace in
Seoul by June 8, 1894. War between Japan and China was officially
declared on August 1, 1894, though some naval fighting had already taken
place.
The more modern Japanese army defeated the Chinese in a series of
battles around Seoul and
Pyongyang, forcing them north, and by November 21 the Japanese had
taken Port Arthur (now known as
Lushun).
The Japanese navy mauled China's northern fleet off the mouth of the
Yalu River at the
Battle of Yalu on
September 17, 1894. The Chinese fleet lost 8 out of 12 warships,
retreated behind the fortifications of the
Weihaiwei
naval base, and was then caught by a surprise Japanese land attack
across the
Liaodong Peninsula, which shattered the ships in harbour with shelling
from the landward side. After Weihaiwei's fall on February 2 and an easing
in harsh winter conditions, Japanese troops pressed their advance into
Manchuria.
Faced with these repeated defeats China signed the
Treaty of Shimonoseki in April 1895.
The defeat of China at the hands of Japan highlighted the failure of
the Chinese army to modernize adequately, and resulted in increased calls
within China for accelerated modernization and reform.
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