History

After the 1876 Sino-British Treaty of Yantai, eight Western nations (the UK, US, Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Italy, Portugal, and Belgium) set up consulates, hospitals, churches, schools, and maritime customs. Today, 15 of these western buildings remain in Beihai. It officially became an international tourist spot (旅遊對外開放城市) in 1982.City timelineDecember 4, 1949: Beihai became a town of Hepu County under the Communist Party of China .January 1951: a province-administered city of GuangdongMay 1951: entrusted to GuangxiMarch 1952: officially administered by GuangxiMay 1955: Administered by Guangdong again1956: reduced to a county-level city1958: reduced to Beihai People's Commune of Hepu County1959: county-class town1964: restored to county-class cityJune 1965: Administered by Guangxi againOctober 1983: restored to prefecture-level city