Manchukuo Port Arthur Panoramic 1905 Real Photo Postcard

Port Arthur (Ryojunko), situated on the Liaodong Peninsula, was a deep-water, ice-free naval base of immense strategic importance in East Asia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally leased by Russia from China in 1898 following the Triple Intervention, it became a key Russian Pacific fleet base and a central point of contention in the escalating imperial rivalries between Russia and Japan. Its strategic value was rooted in controlling access to Manchuria and Korea, making it a critical prize in the upcoming Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905).