The First Sino-Japanese War:

After a couple of decades of jockeying for position over Korea, Japan and China began outright
hostilities on July 28, 1894, at the Battle of Asan. The Korean government had previously called in
Qing Chinese troops that June to help suppress a rebellion; Japan then sent "reinforcements" as
well, over the protests of both the Koreans and Chinese. Even though the rebellion was quelled
within two weeks, the Chinese and Japanese troops remained. On July 23, the Japanese entered
Seoul and seized the Joseon King Gojong, who was retitled the Gwangmu Emperor of Korea to
emphasize his new independence from China.

Five days later, fighting began at Asan.

Much of the First Sino-Japanese War was fought at sea, where the Japanese navy had an
advantage over its antiquated Chinese counterpart. (The Empress Dowager Cixi reportedly
siphoned off some of the funds meant to update the Chinese navy, in order to rebuild the Summer
Palace in Beijing.) In any case, Japan cut the Chinese supply lines for its garrison at Asan by a naval
blockade, then Japanese and Korean land troops overran the 3,500-strong Chinese force on July
28, killing 500 of them and capturing the rest. The two sides officially declared war on one another
on August 1.

Surviving Chinese forces retreated to the northern city of Pyongyang and dug in. The Qing
government sent reinforcements, so the total Chinese garrison at Pyongyang numbered about
15,000. Under cover of darkness, the Japanese encircled the city early in the morning of
September 15, 1894, and launched a simultaneous attack from all directions. After approximately
24 hours of stiff fighting, the Japanese took Pyongyang, leaving around 2,000 Chinese dead and
4,000 injured or missing. The Japanese Imperial Army lost only 102 men killed, and 466 injured or
missing.

With the loss of Pyongyang, plus a naval defeat in the Battle of Yalu River, China decided to
withdraw from Korea and fortify its border. On October 24, 1894, the Japanese built bridges across
the Yalu River and marched into Manchuria. Meanwhile, Japan's navy landed troops on the
strategic Liaodong Peninsula, which juts out into the Yellow Sea between North Korea and Beijing.
Japan soon seized the Chinese cities of Mukden, Xiuyan, Talienwan, and Lushunkou (Port Arthur).
Beginning on November 21, Japanese troops rampaged through Lushunkou in the infamous Port
Arthur Massacre, killing thousands of unarmed Chinese civilians.

The outclassed Qing fleet retreated to supposed safety at the fortified harbor of Weihaiwei.
However, the Japanese land and sea forces laid siege to the city on January 20, 1895. Weihaiwei
held out until February 12. In March, China lost Yingkou, Manchuria, and the Pescadores Islands
near Taiwan. By April, the Qing government realized that Japanese forces were approaching
Beijing. The Chinese decided to sue for peace.
The Treaty of Shimonoseki (Japanese: 下関条約, "Shimonoseki Jōyaku"), known as the Treaty of
Maguan (Traditional Chinese: 馬關條約; Simplified Chinese: 马关条约; pinyin: Mǎguān tiáoyuē) in
China, was signed on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing Empire of China,
ending the First Sino-Japanese War, after a peace conference held from March 20 to April 17,
1895. The treaty solidified Japan's status as the victor of the war, as China was forced to concede
much in the way of territory, including Korea and Taiwan, as well as large sums of silver and
currency.

This victory cemented Japan's place as an empire and a power to be reckoned with. The Meiji
government's radical reforms and industrialization were transforming Japan, and the First Sino-
Japanese War was seen as proof of the nation's expanding sphere of influence. It was the start of
Japan's pursuit of a more aggressive stance in foreign policy and territorial expansion, which
continued until World War II.

At the same time, the signing of the treaty was the first nail in the coffin of imperial China. A short
time later, further weakened by the death of Empress Dowager Cixi in 1908, and with no adult heir
available to assume the throne, it was only a matter of time before the dynasty lost its influence
and Sun Yat-sen and his supporters took the first victorious steps toward establishing the new
Republic of China in 1911.

The Treaty of Shimonoseki marked an important turning point and shift in power that shaped the
history of Asia, and indeed the world.