The governor of Shandong, Yang shy hsiang, visits the Chinese port city of Tsingtau and visits the port there. Here you can see the departure from the pier on sand wagons. / Photographer: Scherl

Contains among other things: Newly founded industrial companies in the SU - Overview of metallurgical areas, coal mines and clay industry enterprises in Ekaterinoslaw-Donez`schen´Steinkohlen and ore basins - Export and trade reports - Expansion of the railway network in Japan - Overview of German capital investments in overseas countries. Contains: Establishment of new industrial companies in Russia p. 5/12, p. 93/105 - Documents pp. of the Central Office for Preparation of Commercial Agreements p. 13, p. 20, p. 240/242 - Insolvent companies "Rosenstein

Contains: Principle for the treatment of confidential communications concerning dubious foreign firms p. 1/8 - A.Inland: Raguhn, Maschinenbau der Metalltuchfabrik asks for a visit to the drying apparatus for paper mills p. 41/53 manufactured by it - Organisation of exports, brochure of the German publishing house in Stuttgart. - Application of the Committee of the Leopoldshall-Staßfurt Rock Salt Mines and the Chamber of Commerce here for defence against an import duty on salt in British-India pp. 77/84 - Association of German Sewing Machine Manufacturers pp. 85/7 - Designation "Made in Germany" on goods from England pp. 85/7. 88/9 - Expert in commercial matters at the Consulate General in Constantinople (formerly for Istanbul) and Petersburg p. 157, p. 262 - Association of Ceramic Crafts in Bonn p. 159 - Kiautschou, trading companies registered with the Imperial Court p. 157 - Kiautschou, trading companies registered with the Imperial Court p. 157 - Kiautschou, trading companies registered with the Imperial Court p. 159 - Kiautschou, trading companies registered with the Imperial Court p. 159 - Kiautschou, trading companies registered with the Imperial Court p. 159 - Kiautschou, trading companies registered with the Imperial Court p. 159 - Kiautschou, trading companies registered with the Imperial Court p. 159 - Kiautschou, trading companies registered with the Imperial Court p. 159 - Kiautschou, trading companies registered with the Imperial Court p. 159. 167 - Petroleum-Produkte-Aktien-Gesellschaft in Hamburg, co-inclusion in the awarding of supplies of Russian petroleum to authorities p. 188 - Export of oil cakes from Austria-Hungary p. 238/43 - Further A. Inland: designation "Importé d´Allemagne" on consignments of goods from France p. 244/5 - Question concerning enquiry (investigation, survey) on the performance of the German sewing machine industry vis-à-vis American competitors p. 257/60 - B. Abroad: bogus companies: Cincinnati (America), "Dr. John P. Haig" p. 90/6; Washington, "Mr. A. Winter

The chamber's reporting is the result of French legal tradition. Annual reports of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce have been published since 1823. For the first time reporting was made legally binding by the statute of the Chamber of Commerce of Elberfeld and Barmen in 1830. The Prussian decree of 11 February 1848 on the establishment of chambers of commerce made the reporting of the chambers obligatory. Section 24 reads as follows: 'Each year in January, the Chambers of Commerce shall submit a main report to the Minister of Finance on the situation and progress of trade and industry, and shall at the same time submit a copy to the President of the Office of Commerce and the Government. They are obliged to inform the traders and tradesmen of their district of their effectiveness and of the situation and course of trade and trade through the public papers by means of continuous notifications of extracts from the consultation minutes and at the end of each year in a special overview". Further laws of 24 February 1870 and 19 August 1897 expressly emphasised this obligation to submit a report. Since 1897 the reports had to be reproduced in print. Until 1914 the reports were steadily expanded and systematized. This corresponded to the interest of the chambers and the Minister for Trade and Industry, who had the reports published in a supplement of the Prussian Trade Archives until 1872. The Prussian Statistical Bureau, which evaluated the annual reports and based them on comparative overviews of trade and traffic from 1861 onwards, pushed for standardization. The law of 1870, which obliged the chambers to reconcile their interests, did not prevent them from using their annual report as a mouthpiece for their views on economic policy. Free trade and customs were discussed in the annual reports. Although a standardization of the annual reports could not be achieved, the separation of the sections "Views, expert opinions and wishes" (Part A) and "Actual" (Part B) recommended by the Director of the Statistical Bureau, Engel, prevailed. As a rule, Part B contains statistical material which, from today's perspective, provides important data on regional economic and social history. After the First World War, only in exceptional cases did the summary descriptions of the wartime period provided for in the decree of the Prussian Minister of Commerce of 27 October 1914 appear. It was not until 1919 that annual reports were required again. After 1920, many chambers began to produce monthly reports together with neighbouring chambers due to overloading of their scientific officials. The procedure was expressly approved by the Ministry of Commerce, which had been compiling the reports in its magazine "Handel und Gewerbe" since January 1921. Some chambers continued to print annual reports, others presented them in duplicate to the plenary meetings. The monthly reporting of the chambers lasted until 1936. From 1934 to 1939, the Chambers of Commerce produced internal reports every two or three months, some of which were incorporated into their periodicals. With the expansion of official statistics at the Reich, Land and local levels, the Chambers' annual reports lost weight and their character as a decision-making aid for state and municipal administrations. In addition, they were often already outdated when they appeared. Since about 1900 the chambers have countered this development by publishing periodicals, so-called newsletters. After the Second World War, the Law Provisionally Regulating the Law of Chambers of Commerce and Industry did not include a provision on annual reporting, but in practice all chambers publish annual reports and monthly newsletters from 1950 at the latest. The information contained therein is indispensable as a source of regional history. The following overview covers exclusively annual reports from the German-speaking area as well as from Austria-Hungary (before 1918) and the German colonial areas (before 1918). The name of the chamber is preceded by the respective signature in inventory S 6. The annual reports of the DIHT from 1951/52 onwards can be found under the signature S 7 No. 562. Reports of chambers of crafts can also be found in the stock S 7. Reports for the years 1860 to 1872 can also be found in the periodical "Jahresberichte der Handelskammern und kaufmännischen Korporationen des Preußischen Staates" (WWA Library P 11). 76 linear metres I Chambers of Industry and Commerce in today's North Rhine-Westphalia 959 Aachen 1854-1859, 1864, 1868-1870, 1874-1914, 1924-1932, 1949-1996 (1914-1918 "The Aachen Chamber of Commerce and the War") 945 Altena 1853-1854, 1856-1857, 1857-1858, 1859-1861, 1862/1863, 1875-1913 946 Arnsberg 1854-1859, 1873-1908, 1910 ,1911, 1913, 1924-1930, 1937, 1938, 1948, 1950-1956, 1965-1973 960 Barmen (seea. Elberfeld and Barmen, Wuppertal) 1875, 1876, 1881-1913 947 Bielefeld 1849, 1850, 1854-1859, 1864, 1868-1878, 1880-1913, 1926, 1946-1948 948 Bochum 1857-1864, 1871-1903, 1905-1911, 1913, 1925, 1927/28, 1946-1996 961 Bonn 1892-1913, 1949-1980, 1983-1996 892 Detmold 1878/79-1885/86, 1886-1890, 1892-1894, 1896-1913, 1960-1965, 1967-1971 (1955-1982 "Reports from the activities of the Detmold Chamber of Industry and Commerce") 949 Dortmund 1865-1867, 1869-1913, 1924-1932, 1939/40, 1940/41, 1948-1996 962 Düsseldorf 1854-1859, 1871-1892, 1894-1904, 1923-1937, 1947-1949, 1951-1996 963 Duisburg 1855-1859, 1867, 1868, 1870-1872, 1874-1913, 1920-1938, 1945/47-1996 964 Elberfeld and Barmen (seea. Barmen, Wuppertal) 1854-1859, 1870, 1873, 1876, 1881-1913 891 Essen 1853-1866, 1878, 1881-1913, 1922-1925, 1935, 1946-1996 950 Hagen 1849, 1853-1858, 1861-1913, 1949-1970, 1972, (structural report 1946) 951 Iserlohn 1851, 1852, 1854-1859, 1862-1906, 1908-1911, 1913, 1918-1921, 1924-1925, 1927-1928 1023 Cologne 1851-1860, 1862-1914, 1918, 1922- 1932, 1947-1996 966 Krefeld 1848-1913, 1924, 1925, 1935, 1936, 1947-1994 1025 Lennep (seea. Remscheid) 1845, 1847/50, 1853-1855, 1857, 1858, 1884-1913 952 Lüdenscheid 1851-1914, 1925, 1927, 1928 953 Minden 1850, 1854-1859, 1867, 1869-1871, 1873-1903, 1904/05-1913/14 1033 Mönchengladbach 1854-1859, 1871-1877, 1879, 1881-1884, 1904-1906, 1948, 1949, 1951-1971/72 967 Mülheim am Rhein 1872-1913 968 Mülheim a. d. Ruhr 1855-1859, 1868-1882, 1884-1898, 1899/1900-1901/02, 1903/04-1910 954 Münster 1855-1859, 1869-1913, 1934, 1945/47-1996 1036 Neuss 1862-1895, 1909-1913, 1924-1926, 1950-1975 1046 Remscheid (see also Lennep) 1952-1976 862 Ruhrort 1898-1904/05 1054 Siegen 1852, 1854, 1856-1859, 1881-1896, 1933-1936, 1954-1996 1055 Solingen 1854-1859, 1913, 1935, 1936, 1948-1975 1069 Wesel 1854-1859, 1871-1873, 1875, 1876, 1878-1906, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1913 1073 Wuppertal (see also Barmen, Elberfeld and Barmen) 1933-1936, 1948-1993 II Chambers of Industry and Commerce in the German Reich (in the borders until 1918) 933 Altenburg 1901-1913 929 Altona 1867-1871, 1881-1914, 1922-1935 902 Aschaffenburg 1949ff. 900 Baden-Baden 1950-1964 899 Bayreuth 1863-1896 910 Berlin, Corporation of the merchants 1852-1913 911 Berlin 1902-1913, 1924-1937, 1950ff. 938 Bingen am Rhein 1878-1913 912 Brandenburg a.d. Havel 1899-1913 907 Braunsberg/Ostpreuáen 1866-1872, 1885-1911 984 Braunschweig 1884-1895, 1931-1938, 1948ff. 988 Bremen 1865-1938, 1945ff. 985-1911 984 Braunschweig 1884-1895, 1931-1938, 1948ff. 988 Bremen 1865-1938, 1945ff. 989 Bremen, Chamber of Commerce 1878-1908, 1926-1928 990 Bremen Chamber of Retail Trade 1907-1913 940 Bremerhaven 1867-1880, 1891-1913, 1975ff. 916 Breslau 1850-1913 917 Breslau (joint report for the Lower Silesian Chambers of Commerce) 1921-1936 957 Bromberg 1876-1913 P 11 Buxtehude 1867-1868 o.No. Calw (1867-1889, 1900-1904 s. Stuttgart) P 11 Celle 1867 969 Chemnitz 1863-1910 893 Coburg 1954ff. 993 Colmar 1872-1873, 1880-1913 913 Cottbus 1854-1872, 1885-1913 906 Danzig 1854-1913, 1923-1936 980 Darmstadt 1862-1895, 1910-1913, 1924-1932, 1948ff. 935 Dessau 1890-1905 955 Dillenburg 1865-1871, 1877-1913, 1919-1920 970 Dresden 1863-1911 942 Dresden, Chamber of Commerce 1911-1916 1097 Dresden, Member of the Board of the Dresden Merchants 1866-1920 908 Elbing 1854-1908, 1912-1914 939 Emden 1866-1913, 1949ff. 922 Erfurt 1854-1871, 1884-1905 890 Eßlingen 1958-1970 965 Eupen 1860-1872 (P 11), 1888-1900 889 Flensburg 1963ff. 956 Frankfurt/Main 1854-1891, 1895-1896, 1904-1919, 1924-1926, 1948-1963 914 Frankfurt/Oder 1864-1912 974 Freiburg/Br. 1880-1909, 1951ff. 981 Friedberg 1899-1912, 1926-1930 o.Nr. Geestemünde (see Bremerhaven) 986 Gera 1851-1904 934 Giessen 1880-1901 P 11 Gleiwitz 1860-1872 918 Görlitz 1854-1900, (1921-1936 s. Breslau) 896 Göttingen 1867-1913 P 11 Goslar 1867-1868 931 Gotha 1898-1913 P 11 Greifswald 1865-1867 985 Greiz 1879-1921 P 11 Grünberg/Schlesien 1871 867 Halberstadt 1874-1888, (1924-199 P 11 Gliwice 1860-1872 918 Görlitz 1854-1900, (1921-1936 s. Breslau) 896 Göttingen 1867-1913 P 11 Goslar 1867-1868 931 Gotha 1898-1913 P 11 Greifswald 1865-1867 985 Greiz 1879-1921 P 11 Grünberg/Schlesien 1871 867 Halberstadt 1874-1888, (1924-19) Magdeburg) 924 Halle/Saale 1854-1894, 1903-1913, 1919-1937 991 Hamburg 1881-1913, 1918-1936, 1949ff. 992 Hamburg, Gewerbekammer 1875-1907 P 11 Hameln 1867-1870 958 Hanau 1871-1913, 1963-1969 876 Hannover 1867-1892, 1922-1938, 1946ff. 869 Harburg 1867-1913 975 Heidelberg 1880-1892, 1898-1904, 1912-1913, 1923-1925, 1930-1932 870 Heidenheim (1867-1889, 1900-1904 s. Stuttgart), 1962-1967 871 Heilbronn (1857-1889, 1900-1904 s. Stuttgart), 1961-1969 982 Hildburghausen 1888-1910, 1919-1920 868 Hildesheim 1867-1872 (P 11), 1949-1972 936 Hirschberg 1854-1872 (P 11), 1888-1908, (1921-1936 s. Breslau) 903 Insterburg 1856-1870, 1874-1912 864 Karlsruhe 1880-1892, 1956-1956 s. Breslau) 903 Insterburg 1856-1870, 1874-1912 864 Karlsruhe 1880-1892, 1956-1969 982 Hildburghausen 1888-1910, 191920 868 Hildesheim 1867-1872 (P 11), 1949-1972 936 Insterburg 1856-1870, 1874-1912 Karlsruhe 19580-1892, 1956 s. 863 Kassel 1871-1889, 1925-1933,1951ff. 930 Kiel 1871-1872 (P 11), 1877-1913, 1921-1930, 1950ff. 866 Koblenz 1854-1903, 1911-1913, 1925-1937, 1951-1976 904 Königsberg 1854-1913, 1924-1931 976 Konstanz 1896-1913, 1926-1930, 1960-1972 977 Lahr 1880-1929, 1956-1971 919 Landeshut/Schlesien 1854-1899, 1906-1913, (1921-1923 s. Wroclaw) 920 Lauban 1865-1913 P 11 Leer 1869-1870 971 Leipzig 1863-1913, 1925-1938 972 Leipzig, Chamber of Commerce 1873-1919 1026 Liegnitz 1854-1855, 1871-1872 (P 11), 1882-1909, (1921-1936 s. Breslau) 1027 Limburg 1868-1913, 1971-1973 P 11 Lingen 1867-1868 1030 Ludwigsburg 1963-1964 932 Ludwigshafen 1886-1887, 1890-1892, 1904-1911, 1949ff. 987 Lübeck 1865-1913, 1920-1921, 1934-1937, 1948-1952, 1957, 1958, 1964ff. 943 Lüneburg 1867-1913, 1949ff. 926 Magdeburg 1854-1913, 1924-1930 1031 Mainz 1853-1892, 1902-1908, 1959-1968 978 Mannheim 1864-1867, 1872-1913, 1923-1932, 1950-1971 905 Memel 1854-1913 994 Metz 1872-1880, 1883-1900, 1905-1913 927 Mühlhausen/Thüringen 1855-1872 (P 11), 1883-1913, 1921 1923, (1932-1933 s. Kassel) 873 Mulhouse/Alsace 1877-1905, 1911-1913 1035 Munich 1869-1892, 1980ff. 1036 Neuss/Rhein 1861-1894, 1909-1913, 1924-1926, 1950-1975 P 11 north 1867-1870 928 Nordhausen 1860-1872 (P 11), 1881-1899 1038 Nuremberg 1871-1876, 1950-1974 1039 Offenbach 1857-1901, 1965ff. 983 Oldenburg 1865-1866, 1873-1888, 1895-1913, 1951ff. 921 Opole 1883-1905, 1937-1938 1040 Osnabrück 1870, 1874-1913, 1950-1953, 1977-1991 P 11 Osterode 1867-1870 P 11 Papenburg 1867-1869 874 Passau 1879-1891, 1901-1913, 1919-1920 979 Pforzheim 1880-1913, 1927-1928 973 Plauen 1862-1913 915 Poznan 1854-1913 923 Potsdam 1898-1913, 1949-1951 1044 Ravensburg (1867-1889, 1900-1904 s. Stuttgart), 1957-1975 1045 Regensburg 1855-1893, 1901-1904, 1951ff. 1047 Reutlingen (1857-1889, 1900-1904 s. Stuttgart), 1958ff. 1049 Rostock 1899-1902 o.Nr. Rottweil (1867-1889, 1900-1904 s. Stuttgart) 888 Saarbrücken 1865-1902, 1951ff. 898 Sagan 1881-1913, (1921-1936 s. Stuttgart), 1951ff. Breslau) 1050 Schneidemühl 1925-1938 1051 Schopfheim 1889-1913, 1925-1929, 1951-1968 1052 Schweidnitz 1854-1872, 1889-1913, (1921-1936 s. Breslau) 1056 Sonneberg 1875-1931 861 Sorau 1871-1919 1057 Stade 1867-1870 (P 11), 1954ff. 1058 Stadthagen 1925-1928 (K 7), 1936-1937 878 Stettin 1854-1913, 1927-1938 1059 Stolberg 1855-1872 (P 11) 925 Stolp 1891-1914 1060 Stralsund 1911-1913, 1924-1931 995 Strasbourg 1871-1914 882 Stuttgart 1857-1889 and 1900-1904 (for the Chambers of Commerce in Württemberg), 1955ff. 1061 Swinemünde 1864-1872 (P 11), 1878-1891, 1905-1913 909 Thorn 1854-1900, 1904-1905, 1908-1914 1062 Tilsit 1854-1913 1063 Trier 1855-1872 (P 11), 1950ff. P 11 Uelzen 1867-1870 1065 Ulm (1857-1889, 1900-1904 s. Stuttgart), 1962ff. 1066 Verden 1867-1871 (P 11), 1886-1913 1067 Villingen 1897-1911 1068 Weimar 1880-1896, 1901-1913, 1928-1937 1069 Wesel 1854-1913 944 Wetzlar 1901-1913, 1924-1927 1070 Wiesbaden 1865-1913, 1950ff. P 11 Wolgast 1868 881 Worms 1857-1913 1072 Würzburg 1874-1881, 1886-1889, 1959ff. 883 Zittau 1862-1863, 1866-1875, 1879-1913 III Chambers of Commerce in the German colonies 1017 Kribi (South Cameroon) 1908-1911 1018 Tsingtau (China) 1900-1913 1019 Windhoek (Southwest Africa) 1910/11 IV Chambers of Commerce in Austria-Hungary and successor states 1008 Bolzano 1870/71, 1880, 1910-1917 996 Brno 1870-1902 (with gaps) 1021 Budapest 1870-1918, 1924-1940 1010 Budweis 1861-1890 997 Eger 1854, 1858-1895, 1910-1911 941 Esseg / Osijek 1904 1004 Innsbruck 1871-1880 1011 Klagenfurt 1870-1916, 1928-1935 998 Kronstadt 1889-1904 (with gaps) 999 Laibach 1870, 1875, 1880 1012 Linz 1898-1903, 1926-1930 1022 Neu-Sohl / Beszterczebánya [today: Banska Bystrica] 1895-1916 1001 Pilsen 1858, 1865, 1870-1890 1002 Bratislava 1866-1912 (with gaps) 1093 Reichenberg 1875-1914 (with gaps) 1013 Rovereto 1870, 1880 1014 Salzburg 1854-1919 (with gaps) 880 Temesvar 1851-1852 1015 Trieste 1871-1933 (with gaps) 1094 Troppau 1880/81, 1910-1918 1020 Vienna 1855-1930 V German Chambers of Commerce Abroad 1074 Barcelona 1923-1932 1075 Brussels 1936-1938 1076 Budapest 1920/21, 1938-1943/44 1083 Buenos Aires 1920-1938 1092 Cairo 1930-1937 1087 Manila 1924-1938 1086 Montevideo 1920/21, 1935, 1937 1088 New York 1912/13 1081 Paris 1930-1933 1082 Rio de Janeiro 1934-1935 1090 Shanghai 1926/27-1936/37 1078 Sofia 1942 1085 Tokyo 1937-1938 1084 Valparaiso 1920-1930

Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia leaves the steamer 'Prinz Eitel-Friedrich' in Tsingtau / Photographer: Scherl

Prince Adalbert of Prussia visits the governor of Tsingtau. 1st row from left to right: Captain Gandenberger of Moisy, the governor of Tsingtau and captain at sea Oskar of Truppel, Prince Adalbert of Prussia, the chief of staff of the governor, captain at sea Baron von Schimmelmann, he was captain of the 'Hertha' and military companion of the prince. 2nd row from left to right: Dr. Giesdorf, Colonel Dr. Martin, Lieutenant Friemel and Lieutenant Fischer. / Photographer: Scherl

Contains among other things: Takeover of the operation of the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company in Singapore by the English government Berth and warehouse regulations Memorandum concerning the design of the loading, unloading and warehouse operations in Tsingtau Regulation concerning loading, unloading and warehouse operations Boycott attempts by the Chinese on the occasion of the regulation on berth operations

Contains among other things: Reports on imprisonment in Siberia and Japan Agreements between the German and French Governments and the German and British Governments on prisoners of war and civilians

Contains among other things: Memorandum of the English Government concerning the regulation of the cost of transporting prisoners of war, treatment of prisoners of war in Japan

Contains among other things: Annual Report of the Schantung-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft on the 5th Fiscal Year 1903 Results of the Tests on Heating Power of Various Types of Coal of the Schantung-Bergbau-Gesellschaft 3. Annual Report for 1903/04 of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Bergbau und Industrie im Auslande Mining Regulations of the Chinese Government of 1904

Contains: also:Eleventh Deutscher Handlungsgehilfentag, 1909;Handlungsgehilfen-Forderungen zur Verbesserung des Handelsgesetzbuches (Schriften des Deutschnationalen Handlungsgehilfen-Verbands, Bd. 42), Hamburg 1909;Handels- und Gewerbekammer Plauen, Die besondere Revision bei der Gründung von Aktiengesellschaften in der Praxis, Teil I, Dresden 1899;Excerpts from the Commercial Register of the Imperial Court of Kiautschou 1899ff.

Contains among other things: Necessity of setting up a Chinese troop, formation, organization and reports on this regulation concerning legal relations and disciplinary punishment of the Chinese members of the Chinese company Overview of the history and organization of the provisional government of the district of Tientsin

Darin: Denkschriften über Entwicklung von Kiautschou mit einer Bebauungsplan für die neu zu zu anlegende Stadt an der Tsingtau-Bucht (Reichstag printed matter no. 79/1899) Qu. 651, the island groups of the Caroline Islands, Palau and Mariana Islands with an overview of the German possessions in the Pacific Ocean (printed matter 5S. together with map) Qu. 670a, the equipment of a South Polar expedition (printed matter together with map) Qu. 657 p.27Law concerning the determination of the Reich budget budget for the accounting year 1899 of 25.03.1899 Qu. 655; record concerning the claims of the brothers Denhardt, Berlin, to the Swahili Sultanate ("Witu"), prepared by the Foreign Office, printed matter 33 pp. Qu. 662; draft of a law concerning the establishment of the budget budget for the protectorates for the accounting year 1900 Qu. 717; overviews of the non-commissioned officers who left the German army in the years 1894 - 1898 Qu. 742, 743, at the end of June 1897 existing and of the invalidity pension recipients (army and navy) Qu. 741 employed by them in the municipal service; proof of the military invalids of the peace status existing in Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Württemberg as well as the navy and of the pensions Qu. 739 paid to the same annually

Darin: Budget for the administration of the governorate Kiautschou for the accounting year 1898 Qu. 563; Laws concerning the determination of the Reich budget budget for the accounting year 1898 of 31.03.1898 as well as a supplement thereto of 17.05.1898 Qu. 576, 585; Draft law because of use of surplus Reich revenues from the accounting year 1899 for the repayment of debts (1898) Qu. 650

A semaphore in front of the provisional government building in Tsingtau, which had previously served as a yamen for a Chinese general / Photographer: Scherl

Contains among other things: Report on the result of an investigation of Kiautschou Bay in the summer of 1897 Remarks on the treatment of the land question in German territory in Kiautschou Bay Conclusion of a Separate Convention between the Imperial German and Imperial Chinese Governments on the strengthening of friendly ties and the development of economic and trade relations Memorandum on the German establishment in Tientsin and Hankau

Contains among other things: Military political reports, telegrams about the situation in China and Korea Memorandum concerning the seizure of the Kiautschou Bay Draft of a contract with China for the transfer of the Kiautschou Bay Contract between the Imperial German Government and the German-Asian Bank in Berlin for the takeover of the German branch in Tientsin

History of the inventor: On 14 November 1897, the German Reich occupied the Chinese port of Tsingtau and, in a contract with the Chinese Empire dated 6 March 1898, leased an area of 550 km² with Tsingtau as its centre for 99 years - the Kiautschou protectorate. The province of Schantung, to which the leased area actually belonged, was declared a German area of interest and a neutral zone. In this area the empire received concessions for the construction and maintenance of railway lines and mines. However, as early as 30 October 1895, the German Reich had the right to establish branches in the international contracted ports of Tientsin and Hankou, which had existed since 1859/60. And of course the empire, like the other great powers and other states involved in China trade, also maintained a legation in Beijing. German missions were also active in the interior of China, as were German merchants, especially in Shanghai. The German Reich was therefore indeed heavily involved in China and saw itself as such. Against this background, the xenophobic riots in China in Germany that began at the end of 1899 and quickly became more serious were perceived as a threat. The regent, Empress Cixi, remained ambiguous at first in her measures against the "fist fighters united in righteousness", referred to by the colonial powers as "boxers" for short, units of the imperial Chinese army partly allied themselves with them. The uprising continued to increase from January 1900 onwards, with excessive acts of violence against Chinese Christians and foreigners. From May 1900 the foreign landscapes in Beijing were threatened by insurgents, the railway lines from Beijing to the coast were attacked. The Gesandschaften therefore requested military support. In May 1900, the German Reich sent a contingent of the III Sea Battalion stationed in Tsingtau to Beijing, two further companies were ordered to Tientsin, and the cruiser squadron moved to the roadstead before the Taku forts at the mouth of the river Peiho. Meanwhile, the situation in Beijing continued to deteriorate and further troops were needed. In June 1900, the troops of the colonial powers in China formed an expeditionary corps led by the British admiral Seymour (2066 men). However, this was stopped in mid-June by Chinese troops (boxers and regular army) and had to turn back. The foreigners and Chinese Christians in Beijing had meanwhile barricaded themselves in the Gesandschaftsviertel and were cut off from the outside world. The allied colonial powers (USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Japan) stormed the Taku-Forts on June 17, the Chinese government ultimatively called on all foreigners to leave China on June 19. On 20 June the German envoy, Baron Clemens von Ketteler, was murdered in Beijing. By edict of 21 June, China effectively declared war on the Allies, but this was not reciprocated by them. The Allied troops withdrew to Tientsin at the end of June 1900. In Germany, on 25 June, a naval expedition corps of 2528 men (under Major General von Höpfner) was formed from the members of the naval infantry. In addition, on 3 July the order was given to set up an expedition corps of volunteers from the army (under Lieutenant General von Lessel). The Allies had agreed to form an international expeditionary corps, with Germany as commander-in-chief. On 12 August 1900, the former chief of the Great General Staff, Field Marshal Alfred Graf von Waldersee, was appointed commander-in-chief of the international armed force, which finally comprised 64,000 troops. Waldersee used the "Army Command East Asia" as a staff. The East Asian Expeditionary Corps set sail with its first parts on 27 July in Bremerhaven, when Emperor Wilhelm II gave the famous "Hun speech" at their farewell. With the 19,093 men of its East Asian Expeditionary Corps under Lieutenant General von Lessel, the German Reich provided almost a third of the international armed forces. Structure of the East Asian Expeditionary Corps: 3 infantry brigades to 2 infantry regiments with 9 companies each 1 fighter company 1 cavalry regiment to 4 escadrons 1 field artillery regiment to 3 divisions with a total of 8 batteries 2 light ammunition columns 1 battalion heavy field howitzers with 2 batteries 1 pioneer regiment with 9 companies each 1 hunter company 1 cavalry regiment to 4 escadrons 1 field artillery regiment to 3 divisions with a total of 8 batteries 2 light ammunition columns 1 battalion heavy field howitzers with 2 batteries 1 pioneerBattalion of 3 Companies 1 Railway Battalion of 3 Companies 1 Corps Telegraph Department 1 Medical Company 1 Munitions Column Department with 7 Munitions Columns 1 Train Command with 3 Supply Columns, 1 field bakery company, 6 field hospitals 1 stage command with 1 horse depot, 1 military hospital depot, 1 stage ammunition column, personnel for 3 war hospitals and one hospital ship, several supply stations Already on the 4th day of operations, the first day of operations was at the hospital. On August 1, the Allied troops (about 20,000 men) gathered in Tientsin had once again set out and this time were able to fight their way through to Beijing. On August 14, Beijing was taken and then plundered for three days. The Chinese government fled to the south. When the international troops under Waldersee arrived in China, the situation was essentially settled, Beijing and Tientsin were horrified. Numerous "punitive expeditions" for the final destruction of the Boxers followed, in which the East Asian Expeditionary Corps was also intensively involved. The Allied approach was characterized by excessive brutality and numerous riots against the civilian population. On January 10, 1901, the Regent accepted the conditions of the Allies as laid down in the "Boxer Protocol" signed on September 7, 1901. The East Asian Expeditionary Corps was disbanded on 17 May 1901 and transformed into the East Asian Occupation Brigade stationed at Beijing, Tientsin, Langfang, Yangtsun, Tangku and Shanghaikwan. Structure of the East Asian Occupation Brigade: 1 command staff with administrative authorities 2 infantry regiments with 6 companies each, of which 1 company mounted 1 escadron hunter on horseback 1 field battery 1 pioneer company with telegraph detachment 1 field hospital The East Asian Occupation Brigade was further reduced in size and restructured on 1 May and 11 December 1902. On 6 March 1906, the East Asian Occupation Brigade was also dissolved and replaced by a battalion-strength detachment. This was replaced on 5 April 1909 by a naval infantry unit, which was wound up in 1910. The East Asian Department in the Prussian Ministry of War (inventory PH 2) was organizationally responsible. Processing note: The holdings initially comprised only three AE, which together with the few files of the Schutztruppen formed the holdings of RW 51 Kaiserliche Schutztruppen and other armed forces overseas. In 2008, nine further AE of different origins were added and a separate portfolio RW 61 was now formed. The inventory was developed in February 2010. Description of the holdings: The holdings contain the documents of the East Asian Expeditionary Corps and the East Asian Occupation Brigade, as far as they are available in the military archives. Characterization of content: The inventory contains hardly any real material files. It consists mainly of several German-Chinese place name glossaries. Worth mentioning is a publication about the locations Langfang, Yangtsun, Tangku and Schanghaikwan with numerous illustrations. State of development: The inventory initially comprised only three AE, which together with the few files of the Schutztruppen formed the inventory RW 51 Kaiserliche Schutztruppen and other armed forces overseas. In 2008, nine further AE of different origins were added and a separate portfolio RW 61 was now formed. The inventory was developed in February 2010. Pre-archival order: The documents of the East Asian Expeditionary Corps and the East Asian Occupation Brigade must essentially be regarded as lost in the fire of the Army Archives in 1945. Only pieces that have survived by chance have been preserved. These were supplemented by documents from the environment of the two associations, the branches in Tientsin, Hankou and Beijing. Citation style: BArch, RW 61/...

Contains among other things: Construction of an own telegraph line between Beijing and Tongku (agreement of the Prussian Minister of War), May 1902 completion of the telegraph line Beijing - Tongku by the East Asian occupation brigade, Sept. 1902 Purchase of a plot of land in Woosung for the company Felten - Guilleaume, Mülheim, as a cable landing site, March 1904 Question of compensation for the relocation of the German cable Woosung - Tsingtau because of the river regulation of the Whangpoo, June 1907, Sept. 1907, Sept. 1911 Route of the telegraph cable near Woosung (sketch, print), n.d. Regulation of the Whangpoo (planning pause), 29 July 1912 Report on the second relocation of the German cable in the Whangpoo due to dredging work, Aug. 1912, Sept. 1912, Oct. 1912 Closure of the cable station of the German-Dutch telegraph company by the Chinese government, Nov. 1917