Jiaozhou Bay

Jiaozhou Bay opens onto the Yellow Sea on the southern side of the Shandong peninsula. Its sheltered shores belonged to a wider coastal defence system centred on Jimo, Aoshan and Fushan. Under the Ming, garrisons, beacon towers and fortified stations watched the coast. Military farming supplied much of the garrisons' expenditure, linking defence with the cultivation of nearby land.

A Jimo camp was established at Jinjialing in 1404 and moved north of Jimo in 1433. During the early Qing, Nügu Kou on the bay's northeastern shore and Fushan remained important patrol stations. Ships could take shelter at Nügu Kou, making the anchorage relevant to both navigation and surveillance. In 1658 the governor-general transferred Jiaozhou's Left Land Battalion to Jimo and distributed forces among seven stations. Further reorganisation followed in 1734, when Fushan's military command was abolished and a civilian patrol inspector appointed. The bay's early modern history thus includes a changing network of shore posts and agricultural support behind its sheltered waters.