| Zhili | |||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 直隸 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 直隶 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Directly Ruled [Region] | ||||||||
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Zhili,alternately romanized as Chihli,was a northern administrative region of China since the 14th-century that lasted through the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty until 1911,when the region was dissolved,converted to a province,and renamed Hebei in 1928.
The name Zhili means "directly ruled" and indicates regions directly ruled by the imperial government of China. Zhili province was first constituted during the Ming dynasty when the capital of China was located at Nanjing along the Yangtze River. In 1403,the Ming Yongle Emperor relocated the capital to Beiping,which was subsequently renamed Beijing. [1] The region known as North Zhili was composed of parts of the modern provinces of Hebei,Henan,Shandong,including the provincial-level municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin. There was another region located around the "reserve capital" Nanjing known as South Zhili that included parts of what are today the provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui,including the provincial-level municipality of Shanghai.
During the Qing dynasty,Nanjing lost its status as the "second capital" and Southern Zhili was reconstituted as a regular province,Jiangnan,while Northern Zhili was renamed Zhili Province. In the 18th century the borders of Zhili province were redrawn and spread over what is today Beijing,Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei,Western Liaoning,Northern Henan,and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.[ citation needed ]
After the collapse of Qing dynasty,in 1911,the National Government of the Republic of China converted Zhili into a province as Zhili Province. In 1928 the National Government assigned portions of northern Zhili province to its neighbors in the north and renamed the remainder Hebei Province.
The Grand Canal, known to the Chinese as the Jing–Hang Grand Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting in Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou, linking the Yellow River and Yangtze River. The oldest parts of the canal date back to the 5th century BC, but the various sections were first connected during the Sui dynasty. Dynasties in 1271–1633 significantly restored and rebuilt the canal and altered its route to supply their capital. The Grand Canal played a major role in reunifying north and south China. The canal was built by conscripted laborers and connected the Yellow River in the north with the Yangtze River in the south, which made it much easier to transport grain from the south to the centers of political and military power in north China.
Hebei or, is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0.3% Mongol. Three Mandarin dialects are spoken: Jilu Mandarin, Beijing Mandarin and Jin.
The provincial level administrative divisions are the highest-level administrative divisions of China. There are 34 such divisions claimed by the People's Republic of China, classified as 23 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities and two special administrative regions. The political status of Taiwan Province along with a small fraction of Fujian Province remain in dispute; those are under separate rule by the Republic of China, which is usually referred to as "Taiwan".
The history of the administrative divisions of China before 1912 is quite complex. Across history, what is called 'China' has taken many shapes, and many political organizations. For various reasons, both the borders and names of political divisions have changed—sometimes to follow topography, sometimes to weaken former states by dividing them, and sometimes to realize a philosophical or historical ideal. For recent times, the number of recorded tiny changes is quite large; by contrast, the lack of clear, trustworthy data for ancient times forces historians and geographers to draw approximate borders for respective divisions. But thanks to imperial records and geographic descriptions, political divisions may often be redrawn with some precision. Natural changes, such as changes in a river's course, or loss of data, still make this issue difficult for ancient times.
Jiangnan, also romanized as Kiangnan, Chiang-nan, and Jiang Nan, is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of its delta. The region encompasses the city of Shanghai, the southern part of Jiangsu Province, the southeastern part of Anhui Province, the northern part of Jiangxi Province and the northern part of Zhejiang Province. The most important cities in the area include Anqing, Changzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Wenzhou, Yangzhou and Zhenjiang.
Zongdu, usually translated as Viceroy, Head of State or Governor-General, governed one territory or more provinces of China during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Wang Kemin was a leading official in the Chinese republican movement and early Beiyang government, later noted for his role as in the collaborationist Provisional Government of the Republic of China and Wang Jingwei regime during World War II.
The Viceroy of Liangjiang or Viceroy of the Two Jiangs, fully referred to in Chinese as the Governor-General of the Two Yangtze Provinces and Surrounding Areas Overseeing Military Affairs, Provisions and Funds, Manager of Waterways, Director of Civil Affairs, was one of eight regional Viceroys in China proper during the Qing dynasty. The Viceroy of Liangjiang had jurisdiction over Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Anhui provinces. Because Jiangsu and Anhui were previously part of a single province, Jiangnan, they were thus known, along with Jiangxi, as the two jiangs, hence the name "Liangjiang".
Beizhili, formerly romanized as Pei-chih-li, Pechili, Peichili, etc. and also known as North or Northern Zhili or Chih-li, was a historical province of the Ming Empire. Its capital was Beijing, from which it is also sometimes known as Beijing or Peking Province. Beizhili mostly covered the area of the Yuan province of Zhongshu—the "Central Administration"—and took its own name—Chinese for "Northern Directly Administered Area"—from Beijing's status as the Ming's national capital following the Yongle Emperor move there from Nanjing, which oversaw Nanzhili or the Southern Directly Administered Area. During the early Qing Dynasty, Beizhili's name was shortened Zhili after Nanjing lost its status as a secondary capital. Under the Republic and People's Republic of China, it was divided into Hebei and the provincial-level municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin.
"Beijing" is from pinyin Běijīng, which is romanized from 北京, the Chinese name for this city. The pinyin system of transliteration was approved by the Chinese government in 1958, but little used until 1979. It was gradually adopted by various news organizations, governments, and international agencies over the next decade.
The Jiangnan Examination Hall, near the Confucius temple, is located in the southern part of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. It is the largest examination hall for imperial examination in ancient China.
Yangzhou, Yangchow or Yang Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China mentioned in historical texts such as the Tribute of Yu, Erya and Rites of Zhou.
Xuzhou as a historical toponym refers to varied area in different eras.
The History of the administrative divisions of China after 1949 refers to the administrative divisions under the People's Republic of China. In 1949, the communist forces initially held scattered fragments of China at the start of the Chinese Civil War. By late 1949, they controlled the majority of mainland China, forcing the Republic of China government to relocate to Taiwan.
Jiangnan, formerly romanized as Kiangnan, was a historical province of the early Qing Empire. Its capital was Jiangning, from which it is sometimes known as Nanjing or Nanking Province. Established in 1645 during the Manchu conquest of Ming China, it administered the area of the earlier Ming province of Nanzhili, reaching from north of the Huai River—at the time the course of the Yellow River—to south of the Yangtze River in East China. Its territory was later divided into the separate provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1736–1795), although the exact timing is disputed. Under the Republic and People's Republic of China, an area of Jiangsu also became the provincial-level municipality of Shanghai.
The Jianghuai people are people from Jianghuai over the floodplains and the estuary of the Yangtze River region. The word Jianghuai is a geographical and cultural definition of the people group living in the historical Liangjiang (两江) area, southeastern Henan province, Suzhou, and the central region of Anhui province.
The Northern Expedition was a failed campaign by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom against the Qing dynasty during the Taiping Rebellion. Its purpose was to capture Beijing and then complete an encirclement of northern and western China. Launched in May 1853, the Northern Expedition would travel from Jiangsu to Zhili before being destroyed in early 1855.
Nanzhili, formerly romanized as Nan-chih-li and also known as South or Southern Zhili or Chih-li, was a historical province of the Ming Empire. Its capital was Nanjing, from which it is also sometimes known as Nanjing or Nanking Province. Nanzhili combined areas of the Yuan provinces of Henan Jiangbei and Jiangzhe and took its name—Chinese for "Southern Directly Administered Area"—from Nanjing's status as the Ming's national capital under the Hongwu Emperor and as the secondary capital after the Yongle Emperor's move to Beijing, which oversaw Beizhili or the Northern Directly Administered Area. During the early Qing Dynasty, Nanzhili was renamed Jiangnan and then divided into the separate provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui. Under the Republic and People's Republic of China, an area of Jiangsu also became the provincial-level municipality of Shanghai.
The National Pacification Army (NPA), also known as the Anguojun or Ankuochun, was a warlord coalition led by Fengtian clique General Zhang Zuolin, and was the military arm of the Beiyang government of the Republic of China during its existence.
The early Qing emperors adopted the bureaucratic structures and institutions from the preceding Ming dynasty but split rule between the Han and Manchus with some positions also given to Mongols. Like previous dynasties, the Qing recruited officials via the imperial examination system until the system was abolished in 1905. The Qing divided the positions into civil and military positions, each having nine grades or ranks, each subdivided into a and b categories. Civil appointments ranged from an attendant to the emperor or a Grand Secretary in the Forbidden City (highest) to being a prefectural tax collector, deputy jail warden, deputy police commissioner, or tax examiner. Military appointments ranged from being a field marshal or chamberlain of the imperial bodyguard to a third class sergeant, corporal or a first or second class private.
