 The term "Kwantung" () means "east of Shanhaiguan", a guarded pass west of Manchuria, which was rendered in Japanese as ""Kantō"".The Russian Empire had particular interest in Kwantung, being one of the few areas in the region with potential to develop ice-free ports for its own expansion in the Far East, and Qing authorities withdrew the lease from the Japanese following the Triple Intervention, only weeks after it had been granted.Kwantung was leased to Russia in 1898, becoming Russian Dalian (Дальний) and developing the territory into a thriving trade port.