War of 1904–1905, Japan occupied the area as the Kwantung Leased Territory and renamed the city after the Chinese name for Dalian Bay () — a name in use since at least 1879. English-language sources called the city "Dairen" in this period (1905-1945), from Japanese. In 1950 Dalian, back in Chinese control, merged with the nearby town called Lüshun () (formerly "Ryojun" and before that, "Port Arthur") to form the city of Lüda (), a name (formed from the first syllable of each constituent's name) which was usually rendered as Luta in English during that era. In 1981, the Chinese State Council again renamed the city, from Lüda back to "Dalian" (), effective 5 March 1981. History Ancient In the Qin and Han periods (221 BC–AD 220), the Chinese state expanded its territories into northern Korea through the Dalian region, then under the jurisdiction of Liaodong county. During the Sixteen Kingdoms era (3rd through 5th centuries), the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo controlled this region. In the early Tang dynasty (618–907), the Dalian region formed part of Andong Prefecture in Jili state; during the Liao dynasty (916–1125), it was part of Dong Jing Tong Liaoyang county. Dalian was named Sanshan in the period of Wei Jin (220–420), San Shanpu in the Tang dynasty (618–907), Sanshan Seaport in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and Qingniwakou during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Qing dynasty In the 1880s, Jinzhou, the north of downtown Dalian, now Jinzhou District, was a walled town and a center for political intrigue and economic activity. The Qing government built bridges and heavily fortified the peninsula. Mining camps on the northern coast of Dalian Bay became the small town of Qingniwa () or Qingniwaqiao (), near what became the downtown core of modern-day Dalian. British, Russian, and Japanese occupations The British briefly occupied Qingniwa during the Second Opium War in 1858, but returned it to Chinese (Qing) control in 1860. Port Arthur at the tip of the Liaodong Peninsula took its English name from Royal Navy Lieutenant William Arthur, though the area's Chinese name had always been Lüshun. Although China heavily fortified the area, in which it allowed trade with foreigners, in the First Sino-Japanese War Japan swiftly overcame those defenses on 21 November 1894 in the Battle of Lüshunkou, committing the Port Arthur massacre afterwards. In April 1895 China conceded defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, ceding Liaodong Peninsula, Taiwan and