Only Two Men Held Administrative Positions in Both British Territories in China

The British presence in China is a rather convoluted affair. During both Opium Wars, the Royal Navy occupied the island of Chusan (now Zhoushan), southeast of Shanghai, on three occasions—twice during the First Opium War, and once during the Second Opium War. Eventually, however, following the First Opium War, the British took possession of Hong Kong Island, which became Great Britain’s first colony in China, later adding the Kowloon Peninsula (south of Boundary Street) following the Second Opium War.

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the British obtained numerous further concessions in Chinese cities and, in 1898, famously leased the New Territories for a duration of 99 years. That same year, Great Britain also forced the Qing Dynasty to lease the lesser-known territory of Weihaiwei, located at the entrance of the Bohai Sea.

For obvious logistical reasons, Hong Kong and Weihaiwei would become closely linked. So much so, in fact, that the only two Civil Commissioners of Weihaiwei, Sir James Stewart Lockhart (1902–1921) and Sir Reginald Johnston (1921–1930), had both been high-ranking officials in Hong Kong prior to holding the highest position in Weihaiwei.

In the case of Sir James Stewart Lockhart, he had served as the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong—second in authority only to the Governor—between 1895 and 1902, before being promoted to the position of Commissioner of Weihaiwei.

As a result, Lockhart and Johnston became the only men in history to hold administrative positions in both British territories in China. It must be noted, however, that as a leased territory, Weihaiwei was never an outright British possession and officially remained Chinese territory.