It is self-evident how much property now affects a family's wealth. In the same way, the impact on the country of the number of our sons and soldiers who sacrificed their lives for territorial integrity is also of great significance, and those who offend china will be punished from afar.
This article is a knowledge sharing that tells the history of ancient Chinese map changes.
CHAPTER 01
From the ten thousand states to the Warring States Seven Heroes
1. The Xia Dynasty, from the 21st century BC to the 16th century BC, was the first hereditary dynasty recorded in Chinese history books.
Most scholars believe that the Xia Dynasty was probably located in the Iloilo River Valley centered on Luoyang, and its main basis is the "Chinese Zhou Yushang" record: "Xiilo exhausted and the summer died." ”
The territory of the Xia Dynasty probably reached the southern part of Shanxi Province in the north, reached the Yellow River and Tongguan area in the west, reached the Kaifeng area in the east, and probably reached the Area around Funiu Mountain in the south.
Since the Xia Dynasty, China's jurisdiction over the local areas has been divided into feudal systems, and the princes of the Xia Dynasty have divided the feudal clans, including the Hu clan, the Male clan, the Chou clan, the Tongcheng clan, the Chu clan, the Fei clan, the Qi clan, the Ji clan, the Xin clan, the Mu clan, and the Shu clan. Its ancestors in the Yue Kingdom were also divided into seals of the Xia Dynasty, probably in the early days along the upper reaches of today's Huai River, and later moved south to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas because of the Zhou Gong's Eastern Expedition.
2. Shang Dynasty from about 1600 BC to 1046 BC.
The Shang Dynasty originated in the Dongyi region, and its territory was larger than that of the Xia Dynasty. According to historical records and archaeological findings, the scope of activity of the Shang Dynasty was mainly in North China, mainly including Shandong Province, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, Shanxi Province, Henan Province, Jiangsu and the northern part of Anhui, which stretched from the Yellow River and Tongguan to the west, to the Huai River in the south, to the Yanshan Area in the north, and to the Shandong Peninsula in the east.
The Shang Dynasty also implemented a system of sub-feudalism, and its Wangqi region was located at the junction of Hebei, Henan, and Shandong, with its capital as Yin (Anyang), which was divided into Zheng, Wei, and Song in the early Western Zhou Dynasty.
3. Zhou Dynasty 1046-771 BC.
The Zhou people were mainly active in the Wei River Valley, a branch of the Northern Di of Xirong, and later relied on agriculture to rise. During the Period of Gong Liu, the state system was initially established, and it was further developed during the period of the ancient Gong Liu Father. During the Ji Dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty flourished, and was once named "priest" by the Shang Dynasty, known as the overlord of the west, and developed to the time of King Wen, officially called Wang, in opposition to the Shang Dynasty.
During the reign of King Wu of Zhou, he destroyed the Shang Dynasty and expanded his territory to the east. Zhou Gong's Eastern Expedition continued to talk about the expansion of the territory to the East China Sea and the Huanghuai area. Later, King Zhao of Zhou, King Mu of Zhou, King Xuan of Zhou, and others continued to use troops against the southern States of Chu and Xu, which made the territory of the Zhou Dynasty reach its peak. Its territory stretches from the Yanshan area in the north, to the sea in the east, to the upper reaches of the Wei River in the west, and to the Jianghanhuai region in the south. Western Zhou also implemented a system of sub-feudalism, with the main feudal states being Lu, Qi, Yan, Jin, Song, Wei, and Zheng.
It should be noted that the State of Chu is an opposite state to the Zhou Dynasty, the King of the State of Chu is called "Wang", and the King of Western Zhou is juxtaposed, and the Zhou Dynasty is only nominally crowning the King of Chu as "Chu Zi", so the State of Chu is not counted as the territory of Western Zhou. Throughout the history of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the war with the Chu State was almost unbroken.
In ancient times, there were three dynasties in the Yellow River Valley in the Xia-Shang Dynasty, while other states also existed in the southern region. For example, in the Sichuan Basin there are the State of Ba and the State of Shu, in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River there is the State of Chu, the State of Jianghuai is surrounded by the State of Xu, the State of Wu, the State of Yue and so on. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, people referred to the peoples outside the Central Plains as the "Four Yi", namely Xi Rong, Bei Di, Nan Man, Dong Yi, etc., while the Zhou people claimed to be Huaxia or Zhuxia.
770-256 BC
4. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou Dynasty declined, and Xi Rong, Northern Di, and Southern Man (Chu) invaded the Central Plains countries. In order to protect themselves, the Great Powers of Qi and Jin in the Central Plains began to maintain order in China under the banner of "Honoring the King" and gradually evolved into a war for hegemony.
In the struggle for hegemony among various countries, the Chu state, Wu Yue and Yue state were successively incorporated into the Chinese system, and the culture of the Central Plains countries was absorbed on a large scale.
In the early Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Chu also called itself "I am a barbarian and do not talk to China", and by the late Spring and Autumn Period, these countries have basically integrated into Chinese civilization. The Jin state continued to swallow the lands of Northern Di to the north, the State of Qi continued to annex the small state of Dongyi, and the State of Qin continued to expel Xi Rong, all of which promoted the new integration of the nation.
5. During the Warring States period, the expansion of countries to the surrounding areas was further intensified. The State of Qin further annexed the Xirong Yiqu region and annexed the two ancient states of Bashu; the State of Zhao destroyed Zhongshan, occupied the land of Linhu and Loufu, basically annexed Northern Di, and extended its territory to the Hetao region; while the State of Yan opened up land to Liaodong; the State of Chu destroyed the State of Yue and occupied the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
The continuous annexation and expansion between countries has led to unprecedented ethnic integration with the Chinese peoples in the past, such as the Northern Di, Xirong, Nanman, Dongyi, and even Wuyue and Bashu, laying the foundation for the formation of the Han nationality.
CHAPTER 02
The establishment and division of a unified, centralized state
1. Qin Dynasty 221-207 BC.
In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang finally destroyed the Six Kingdoms and established the Qin Dynasty. After that, the Qin state also went north to the Xiongnu and recovered the Hetao region; the southern conquest of the land of Baiyue, and finally the establishment of Minzhong County (Fujian) in Ouyue, Nanhai County (Guangdong) in South Vietnam, Guilin County (Guangxi) in Xi'ou, and Xiang County (North Vietnam) in Luoyue.
The unification and expansion of Qin Shi Huang established the first unified centralized state in Chinese history, and for the first time included Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Vietnam in the territory.
2. Western Han Dynasty 202 BC - August 12.
At the time of the Qin and Han Dynasties, due to the continuous wars in the Central Plains, South Vietnam, Ouyue and other places lost control. The territory of the early Western Han Dynasty corresponded to the territory at the beginning of the unification of the Qin Dynasty, about 2 million square kilometers.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, several large-scale campaigns were launched against the Xiongnu, the Hetao region was recovered, and later the Shuofang Thorn History Department was set up; the Battle of Hexi was launched, the Hexi Corridor was captured, and four counties of Hexi were set up: Wuwei County, Zhangye County, Jiuquan County, and Dunhuang County. He also destroyed Ouyue and brought it under the jurisdiction of Huiji Commandery; destroyed the State of Nanyue and set it up as 9 counties, whose jurisdiction included Hainan Island; after that, he also operated the southwest Yi region, setting up Mumu County in Yelang, Yizhou County in Yunnan, and Qianwei County in northern Guizhou, etc., and for the first time included the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in its territory; Emperor Wudi of han also destroyed Wei Manchu Korea and included Korea in The territory of China for the first time. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty operated the countries of the Western Regions, stationed troops in the Western Regions, and controlled the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains.
By 60 BC, the Han Dynasty officially established the Western Regions Capital Protectorate in the Western Regions. At this time, the area of the Han Dynasty was close to 6 million square kilometers, which was one of the largest countries in the world at that time.
3. Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 years).
In the last years of the Western Han Dynasty, due to the chaos caused by Wang Mang's reforms, there was a peasant war throughout the country. By 25, Liu Xiu declared himself emperor and established the Eastern Han Dynasty, but it was not until 36 years that the separatist forces at the turn of the two Han Dynasties were unified, and the unification was basically completed.
During the reign of Emperor Ming of Han, he once again defeated the Xiongnu and established the Western Regions Capital Protectorate in the Western Regions. The territory of the Eastern Han Dynasty was basically the same as that of the Western Han Dynasty, but there were changes in a few regions: for example, in the southwestern Yi region, the state of Ailao was incorporated into the territory and set up Yongchang County; in the western region, the state of Wusun was out of control; in the northeast region, Goguryeo was established, and the Han Dynasty's power on the Korean Peninsula gradually withdrew.
4. Three Kingdoms 220-280 years.
The Western Han Dynasty established the Thirteen Prefectures Of Thorn History in the interior, and in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Thorn History became the highest local administrator, called "State Pastor", which laid hidden dangers for the later Great Schism.
In 189 AD, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, the Eastern Han Dynasty existed in name only, and China entered the era of great division between the Three Kingdoms and the Two Jin Dynasties. After the merger and reorganization of local forces, the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu were formed in 220. During this period, the States of Wu and Shu continued to strengthen the development of the southern regions, while the State of Wei reduced its control over the Western Regions and Liaodong, and basically lost control of the Northern Shaanxi Region. The State of Wei moved the population of Liaodong inwards in large numbers, thus providing conditions for the strength of Goguryeo.
5. Western Jin Dynasty 266 AD - 316 AD.
In 249, Sima Shi launched the Gaopingling Rebellion and took control of the Wei state; in 263, Sima Shi destroyed the Shu state, and two years later officially changed the name of the state to Jin, known as the "Western Jin Dynasty"; in 280, Sima Shi destroyed the State of Wu. In this way, the Three Kingdoms were destroyed by the Sima family, and the briefly unified Western Jin Dynasty was established.
However, the Western Jin Dynasty adopted a policy of dividing the feudal seals, which eventually triggered the "Rebellion of the Eight Kings", which led to the reign of the Western Jin Dynasty being severely attacked. From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Western Jin Dynasty, a large number of ethnic minorities such as xiongnu and Xianbei settled in the Central Plains, and due to the cruel rule of the Western Jin Dynasty, it eventually stimulated the "Yongjia Rebellion" launched by ethnic minorities, and the Western Jin Dynasty perished.
6. Eastern Jin Dynasty 317-420.
After the fall of the Western Jin Dynasty, its remnants established the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the southeast. During this period, the ethnic minorities in the north were constantly at war and were known as the "Sixteen Kingdoms".
The Eastern Jin Dynasty tried many times to unify the Central Plains in the Northern Expedition, but eventually failed due to infighting; and the "Former Qin" established by The Northern Jian also once unified the North and tried to conquer the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the south, but failed in the Battle of Shuishui, and the North was once again plunged into war. However, the territory of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was also expanded to a certain extent through the Continuous Northern Expedition, and later the Bashu and Jianghuai areas were included in the territory.
7. Nanbokucho 420-589.
In 420, Liu Yu replaced the rule of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, established the Song Dynasty, and began the rule of the Southern Dynasty, after which the Southern Dynasty went through the three eras of Qi, Liang, and Chen. The theme of this era is the contrast between the north and the south, and people refer to the six northeastern dynasties of Eastern Wu, Eastern Jin, Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen as the "Six Dynasties".
In the north, in 386, the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei tribe established the Northern Wei, and finally unified the north in 439, beginning the "Northern Dynasty". In the middle of the Northern Wei Dynasty, a comprehensive Sinicization reform was implemented in the country, which made the Xianbei and other ethnic minorities integrate into the Han nationality, which laid the foundation for the later unification of the Sui Dynasty.
In 534, Northern Wei split into two parts, the east was controlled by the Gao family, and the west was controlled by the Yuwen family, eventually forming Northern Qi and Northern Zhou. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the territory of the Southern Dynasty was always shrinking, and by the end of the Chen Dynasty, the Bashu region and the Jianghuai area were already under the control of the Northern Dynasty.
From the Three Kingdoms to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, due to internal disunity, the control over the frontier areas was constantly weakened, the Western Regions, Liaodong and other places lost control, and the Turks, Goguryeo, Tuguhun and other countries became stronger, threatening the Central Plains. In the southern region, local forces in Jiaozhou and Yunnan-Guizhou gradually formed, so that the later Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties had to adopt a policy of restraint to govern.
CHAPTER 03
Sui and Tang dynasties to the two Song dynasties: another expansion and contraction of the empire
1. Sui Dynasty 581-619.
In 581, Yang Jian replaced the rule of Northern Zhou and established the Sui Dynasty. In 589, Yang Jian ordered Yang Guang to destroy the Chen Dynasty and declare the reunification of China again. After Yang Guang came to power, he continued to exhaust his troops and expand his territory, he once eliminated Tuguhun, established xihai, heyuan and other counties, for the first time incorporated the Qinghai region into the territory of the central dynasty, and established Dunhuang and the last two counties in the eastern part of the western region; destroyed Linyi, and achieved control of the central region of Vietnam. However, Yang Guang's three wars against Goguryeo were defeated, which also triggered a major domestic rebellion, and eventually the Sui Dynasty collapsed in 618.
2. Tang Dynasty 618-907.
After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, in 623, the whole country was unified and began to open up the road of territorial expansion. In the early Tang Dynasty, it eliminated the powerful minority regimes such as the Eastern Turks, Goguryeo, Xueyantuo, and Goguryeo, and brought the Mongolian Plateau, the Western Regions, and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula under its jurisdiction.
The Tang Dynasty established ten provinces (later changed to fifteen provinces) in the interior, and established 6 major capital protectorates in the frontier areas, which carried out military control, namely and the Andong Protectorate, which controlled Liaodong, Liaoxi, and Korea; the Annam DuhuFu, which controlled Lingnan (including northern Vietnam) and Yungui; the Anxi Duhufu, which controlled the area south of the Tianshan Mountains; the Beiting Du Protectorate, which controlled the area north of the Tianshan Mountains; the Anbei Du Protectorate (Yanran Du Protectorate, Hanhai Du Protectorate), which governed the Mongolian plateau north of the Yin Mountains; and the Shan Yu Du Protectorate (Yunzhong Du Protectorate) governed the Inner Mongolia Plateau.
However, the heyday of the Tang Dynasty only maintained its territory for about 20 years, and by the time of Wu Zetian, the Western Turks of Central Asia and the Eastern Turks of the Mongolian Plateau were restored, and both Central Asia and the Mongolian Plateau were out of control.
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the territory of the Tang Dynasty reached as far west as the Pamir area, and there was a war with the Arab Empire at Qiluo.
After the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty entered a late period. In the late Tang Dynasty, its internal feudal towns were constantly divided, and the Tang Dynasty's forces in the Western Regions, Liaodong, and Western Liaoning also retreated to the interior, so that Tubo occupied the Western Regions, and the Khitans became strong in the Liao River Valley. Under the influence of Han culture, some relatively powerful Sinicization regimes began to appear around the Tang Dynasty, such as the Nanzhao State and the Bohai State.
3. Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 907-979.
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the famous Huangchao Rebellion occurred, and the Tang Dynasty existed in name only. After the collapse of the Tang Dynasty, more than 10 large and small regimes appeared in the interior, known in history as the "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms".
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the Khitan became strong, occupied the northeast region, and occupied the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun, leaving the northern part of the Central Plains without danger; in the south, the Wu Dynasty split from the Southern Han regime, which was the beginning of Vietnam's independence; in the northwest, the Dangxiang clan occupied the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region, which was the source of the later Western Xia state. The State of Dali in the southwestern region replaced the State of Nanzhao.
4. Song Liaojin 960-1279.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, it only unified the scope of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and failed to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. In the south, the war against the Lê Dynasty was lost, and Vietnam evolved from a local divided regime into a relatively independent vassal state; in the southwest, a permanent peace with Dali was declared.
The Song Dynasty only achieved more victories in the war with the Western Xia. In the late Northern Song Dynasty, after Wang Anshi changed the law, the combat effectiveness of his army was once strengthened, occupying the northern part of Qinghai and Gansu, and establishing the Longyou Capital Protectorate. But soon the Northern Song Dynasty perished.
In 1127, the Southern Song Dynasty was established, which was located in the southeast. Its territory is probably located south of the Huai River in the Qinling Mountains, and it is basically stable. Since Emperor Gaozong of Tang, the scope of control of the regime established by the Han has been shrinking, and with the maturity of a few dynasties, the Han have basically lost the ability to open up territory. Today's newly established Liao, Jin and other regimes are very strict, and their forms of political organization are incomparable to those of the Xiongnu and Turks in the past.
The Liao and Jin dynasties have both nomadic and agricultural characteristics, and their advantages are also difficult for simple nomadic peoples and simple farming peoples to compete. Since then, the heavy responsibility of China's territorial expansion has basically been handed over to the hands of ethnic minorities.
CHAPTER 04
From the great unification of the Yuan Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty: the final laying of China's territory
1. Yuan Dynasty 1271-1368.
In 1206, Genghis Khan unified the Mongolian plateau and established the Mongol Khanate. The Mongols then passed through three times, establishing the Mongol Empire across Asia and Europe.
In East Asia, the Mongols destroyed the Western Liao, Western Xia, Jin, Dali, and conquered Goryeo and Tubo, but due to the Mongol system of sub-feudalism, the empire soon fell apart.
In 1260, Kublai Khan declared his succession to the Mongol Great Khan, thus triggering a dispute over the Khan's throne. In the end, although Kublai Khan won the victory, the other four khanates lost control, which also announced the official collapse of the Mongol khanate.
In 1271, Kublai Khan officially proclaimed his successor to the throne as Emperor of China in Beijing, establishing the Yuan Dynasty.
In 1276, the Yuan Dynasty destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty and officially completed the new unification. At this time, the Yuan Dynasty had inherited the jurisdiction and control of the Mongol Khanate over the Western Xia, Jin Kingdom, Tubo, Dali, Goryeo and other places, and for the first time included the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the territory of China. The Yuan Dynasty implemented the provincial system throughout the country, and this system has been used until now.
2. Ming Dynasty 1368-1644.
After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty inherited the Yuan Dynasty's control in the Han region, while the Mongols retreated to the northern desert. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the limitations of its agrarian peoples' control over the nomadic areas were once again exposed, and the Ming Dynasty not only never controlled the Mongolian plateau north of its Great Wall, but also lost control of the Qinghai-Tibet region, and only nominally carried out some canonization. In the Heilongjiang River Basin, it was controlled for more than 20 years only during the Yongle period by setting up nuer gandusi.
In the heyday of the Ming Dynasty, its territory stretched from the Nuergan North Sea (Sea of Okhotsk) in the north, to central Vietnam in the south, and to the area around Jiayuguan in Gansu in the west. However, this territory lasted only 20 years. After the Yongle Emperor, with the abolition of the Nuer Gandu Division and the JiaozhiBu Zhengsi, the territory of the Ming Dynasty basically retreated in the interior, with a territory of about 4 million square kilometers.
During the Ming Dynasty, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was also controlled by the Tubo tribes, and in 1642 it was unified by the Heshuo Mongols and established the Heshuo Khanate. The Mongolian plateau is divided into three parts, namely the Moxi Weirat Mongolia (Walla), the Southern Desert Mongolia (Inner Mongolia) and the Northern Khalkha Mongolia (Outer Mongolia). In the northeast, the Jurchens gradually moved towards unification, and by 1616 the "Houjin" was established.
Subsequently, the Qing Dynasty rose. During the Emperor Taiji period, he conquered Korea in the east, the southern Mongolia in the west, the Savage Jurchen (Heilongjiang) in the north, and the western Liaoning in the south, and prepared for the entry of the Qing Dynasty into the customs.
In 1644, the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, and by 1661, it had basically unified the interior, and later established the Eighteen Provinces of Han China.
In 1683, the Qing Dynasty unified the island of Taiwan, which was the first time that Taiwan was included in the territory of the Central Dynasty.
3. Qing Dynasty 1636-1912.
After the Qing Dynasty unified the interior, it began to compete with the Dzungars for peripheral living space. Kangxi defeated the Russian colonial powers and signed the Treaty of Nebuchu with Russia in 1689, which defined the eastern border between China and Russia.
Subsequently, three pro-expeditions to Kaldan began, and finally the Khalkha Mongols were incorporated into the territory of the Qing Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty later established general UlyaSutai here. Later, the Dzungar Khanate destroyed the Heshuo Khanate, kangxi ordered the army to enter the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, expelled the Dzungars, and incorporated Qinghai and Tibet into the territory, and later the Qing Dynasty established the Lhasa Affairs Minister and the Xining Affairs Minister here, and stationed the army.
In 1757, Qianlong directly eliminated the Dzungar Khanate, and after a gap of 1,000 years, re-incorporated the western region into the territory of China, so it was called "Xinjiang" and established the jurisdiction of general Ili here. At this time, the territory of the Qing Dynasty was bounded by Siberia in the north, the Waixing'an Mountains in the northeast, the Onion Ridge (Pamir) and Lake Balkhash in the northwest, the Himalayas in the southwest, and the South China Sea in the south, covering an area of more than 13 million square kilometers, laying the foundation for the territory of modern China.
4. Sun Yat-sen, Provisional President of the Republic of China from 1912 to 1949 (38 years).
5. People's Republic of China 1949-present.