In July 1931, tensions between Korea and China under Japanese control were increasing. These hostilities eventually resulted in a land dispute in the Manchu village of Wanpaoshan. The simple issue of farmers' land use would be sensationalized by Korean and Japanese media to incite anti-Chinese violence that lasted for weeks and left many Chinese citizens dead. dead and even more businesses destroyed. Although the incident itself was relatively minor, it sparked a wave of violence and hatred across Korea. Wanpaoshan is a small village in Manchuria and through it flows the Itung River. The region is particularly suitable for growing rice due to the extremely humid climate. 140 Korean farmers moved to Wanpaoshan with their families to start rice cultivation. In April 1931, these 370 Koreans leased land from local Chinese landowners for a period of ten years. The cost consisted of crop rental fees totaling the equivalent of $3,500 per year. Once the title deed was finalized, Korean farmers implemented a project to build a miles-long irrigation ditch. This ditch would cross several plots of land not owned by Korean farmers. Chinese brokers knew of Korean intentions to build a moat as well as its location. These brokers led farmers to believe that Chinese residents would have no objection to an irrigation canal being built on their land. However, the signed rental agreement contained no mention of the construction project. Additionally, the broker never informed the Chinese villagers of the Koreans' plan. Chinese hostilities began almost immediately after the Koreans settled on their leased lands. When the construction of the dam began... middle of paper ...... able to rebuild their lives. Homelessness has become a major problem. The Japanese government claimed to pay reparations to Chinese families, but the evidence for this was dubious at best. Many Japanese simply claimed that the Chinese were exaggerating the extent of the damage, while the Chinese blamed the Japanese for orchestrating the entire ordeal. It was not until September that the situation was completely resolved. Although the incident in Wanpaoshan, Manchuria, was minor and no one was seriously injured, it caused massive unrest. Sensational media coverage had inflamed the population against China, and in the riots that followed, thousands were injured and many people murdered by the angry mob. As entire Chinatowns across Korea were razed, most of Seoul's Chinese population fled. This incident alone deteriorated Sino-Japanese relations for years to come...