The Apostolic Prefecture of Weihai is a Latin Catholic pre-diocesan jurisdiction based in the port city of Weihai, Shandong province, northeastern China.
It is exempt, i.e. directly dependent on the Holy See and its missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and has remained vacant without Apostolic administrator (dormant) since 1970.
Weihai Dashuibo Airport serves the city with regular service to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Harbin domestically and the Korean cities of Seoul and Busan, as the fourth busiest airport in Shandong following Qingdao, Jinan and Yantai.
Qingdao–Rongcheng intercity railway offers the high-speed rail services directly to Shanghai Hongqiao, Beijing South, Jinan, Jimo North (Qingdao North soon) and Yantai, with five rail stations, Weihai, Weihai North, Wendeng, Wendeng East and Rongcheng.
Weihai lies in the humid subtropical climate zone in terms of latitude, but as it is at the eastern end of the Shandong Peninsula, its climate is strongly influenced by the surrounding Yellow Sea as well as the Siberian high and therefore experiences a humid continental climate. Springtime warming and autumn cooling are delayed by one month, winds are generally high, and the average diurnal temperature variation throughout the year is small—at only 6.73 °C (12.1 °F). Winters are cold and dry, but still warmer than inland places located at the same latitude; the average temperature in January is −0.9 °C (30.4 °F). Summers are hot and humid, and August averages 24.7 °C (76.5 °F); the annual mean is 12.48 °C (54.5 °F). More than two-thirds of the annual precipitation occurs from June to September, and there are nearly 2,540 hours of sunshine per year.
Weihai is located on the northeastern shore of Shandong; its administrative area includes Chengshantou, the eastern tip of the Shandong Peninsula (Shantung Peninsula). The city is surrounded by sea on three sides; its port is protected by Liugong Island.
Weihai is a commercial port and major fishing center with some light industries. Due to its close proximity to South Korea, Weihai also has a large Korean business community and receives many Korean tourists. Weihai is also a key production area for peanuts and fruit.
Campuses of Shandong University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Beijing Jiaotong University, Harbin University of Science and Technology, as well as Shandong Jiaotong University are located in Weihai.
The prefecture-level city of Weihai administers four county-level divisions, including two districts and two county-level cities. These are further divided into 66 township-level divisions, including 52 towns and 14 subdistricts.
