In the previous article, the author talked to you about a series of stories about the changes in the administrative divisions of Gansu Province. Today, we talk about the division and integration between Gansu Province and the neighboring Ningxia Autonomous Region. Because in the 30 years from 1928 to 1958, the two regions of Gansu and Ningxia merged twice, and then separated twice. So why is this happening, and how should the specific administrative region be divided? Today, we will talk carefully about the division between Gansu and Ningxia.
First, let's talk about the historical reasons for Gansu and Ningxia regions. Gansu Province has a very long history, starting from the reign of the Han Dynasty, through a series of Northern Expeditions and Western Expeditions, the Han Dynasty opened up the Silk Road in the Western Regions, and the Gansu region is located in the Hexi Corridor. Many place names in Gansu are related to the Han Dynasty, such as Zhangye, Wuwei, Jiuquan, etc., symbolizing the great military might of the Han Empire. As for the Ningxia area, it is part of the Hetao Belt. The Hetao area has fertile land, abundant water and grass, and a moderate climate, which can graze cattle and sheep, as well as grow crops. Therefore, there was a great temptation for both the Central Plains Dynasty and the northern nomadic regime.
In the long river of history, the Central Plains Dynasty and the northern nomadic regime have been repeatedly competing for the Loop. The power of the two sides has continued from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, and this problem has never been finally resolved. In 1644, the Ming Dynasty, which had ruled for more than 200 years, collapsed, and the Qing Dynasty, which had risen in the northeast region, began to enter the customs on a large scale. And in more than 10 years, it gradually established its rule over all parts of the Central Plains. Since the Qing Dynasty had already controlled the entire northeast and grassland departments before entering the customs, there was no need to worry about threats from the north. After the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, it followed the Provincial System of the Ming Dynasty and further improved it. During the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, Shaanxi Province was divided into two and Gansu Province was re-established.
As for the administrative divisions of Gansu Province, they have been changing. During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, after the northwestern Dzungars were pacified, the administrative divisions of Gansu Province were completely stabilized. During the reign of the Qing Dynasty, the jurisdiction of Gansu Province was very large, including the present-day Gansu Province, Ningxia Autonomous Region, the eastern part of Qinghai Province, the eastern part of Xinjiang, and the western part of Inner Mongolia. In the film and television drama "Iron Tooth Copper Tooth Ji Xiaolan", it is said that the terroirs and customs in Gansu are very different, which once again reflects the vast area of Gansu Province. At that time, the Ningxia region was under the administration of Gansu Province, specifically, known as Ningxia Province, and had 8 counties under its jurisdiction.
However, in view of the important strategic position of the Ningxia region, the Ningxia region has always belonged to the sub-provincial status. Because the Ningxia region has set up a Ningxia viceroy, in addition, there are special Ningxia generals. This situation continued until the fall of the Qing Dynasty, and in 1912, the once invincible Qing Dynasty collapsed, and China entered the stage of warlord melee. During the reign of the Qing Dynasty, a great hidden danger was left behind, that is, the administrative division was not perfect. The Qing Dynasty continued to implement the provincial system in the areas under the original control of the Ming Dynasty. However, in the northeast, northwest and Inner Mongolia, the provincial system has never been used. Due to the lack of administrative divisions and administrative officials, the Qing Dynasty had limited control over the above areas.
In the early period of Qing rule, these problems were not obvious, after all, the Qing Dynasty was strong and powerful. However, in the late period of Qing rule, the national strength of the Qing Dynasty has rapidly declined, and the Western powers have launched a series of wars and begun to infect the northern regions of the Qing Dynasty. In order to consolidate the northern frontier, the Qing Dynasty successively implemented the provincial system in the northeast and northwest, and established Fengtian Province, Heilongjiang Province and other provinces. As for inner Mongolia, there has never been an administrative division. During the warlord melee phase, due to the busyness of mutual attacks, there was no capacity or time to redefine administrative divisions.
In 1928, after the end of the Northern Expedition, the Beiyang warlord regime collapsed, and the newly established regime began to deal with the division of the north. In order to consolidate north China, the regime at that time successively established Rehe Province, Chahar Province, Suiyuan Province, and Ningxia Province. In 1928, Ningxia Province was established, and the provincial capital was Yinchuan City. The jurisdiction of Ningxia Province includes alxa erut banners in western Inner Mongolia, Ejin Naturt banners, and Ningxia county, Ningshuo county, Lingwu county, Yanchi county, Pingluo county, Zhongwei county, Jinji county, and Prewang county in Ningxia Province, Gansu Province. The jurisdiction area of Ningxia Province has reached more than 230,000 square kilometers. However, the population was only more than 1 million, which laid the groundwork for the subsequent revocation.
In 1928, the four newly established provinces, known as the four northern provinces, were mainly for military defense. In the 1930s, these four provinces did play a role in military defense and strategic buffer. However, in the late 1940s, with the establishment of New China, China's external environment underwent tremendous changes. The defensive pressure in the north has been significantly reduced, and in such a situation, the existence value of the four northern provinces is getting lower and lower. Especially after entering the 1950s, with the overall stability of the national situation and the entry into the stage of post-war recovery and construction and development, problems in various aspects have emerged in the four northern provinces of Cyprus. Beginning in 1952, the four northern provinces of Cyprus were gradually abolished. In 1954, Ningxia Province was abolished.
The original jurisdiction of Ningxia Province was divided into Gansu Province and Inner Mongolia respectively. So, on the national map of the mid-50s, we don't see the name of Ningxia. Of course, Wuzhong Autonomous Prefecture and Guyuan Autonomous Prefecture have emerged in the territory of Gansu Province. This administrative division lasted only four years, and in the late 1950s, regional autonomy began to be put on the agenda. In this environment, in October 1958, the Ningxia Autonomous Region was established. The jurisdiction of the Ningxia Autonomous Region is basically the original Ningxia Province, which includes a total of 2 cities and 17 counties. In the same year, the Guangxi Autonomous Region was established (in 1965, it was renamed Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region).
Finally, let's talk about life in the Ningxia area. Seriously speaking, the climate in Ningxia is moderate, and the land is very fertile, "the Yellow River is harmful, only rich." "At present, agriculture in Ningxia is very developed, which is one of the advantages of Ningxia. The fruits and delicacies of the Ningxia region impressed the author. Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia, has developed to a very good level after decades of development. There are many more stories about the adjustment of administrative divisions in various regions of our country, and the author will slowly talk to you in future articles.