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Chahar (province)
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| Capital | Changchiakou Zhangjiakou Zhangjiakou, also known also by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province of North China, adjacent to Beijing to the southeast. Its administrative area has a population of 4.35 million, and covers... |
| Abbreviation | 察 |
| Chairman (1935–1936) | Zhang Zizhong Zhang Zizhong Zhāng Zìzhōng was a Chinese general of the National Revolutionary Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Born in Linqing in Shandong province, he was the highest-ranked officer and the only Army group commander of the NRA to die in the war... |
Chahar , also known as Chaha'er, Chakhar, or Qahar, was a province of China in existence from 1912 to 1936, mostly covering territory in what is part of eastern Inner Mongolia. It was named after the Chahar Mongolians.
Administration and history
Chahar Province is named after the Chahar, a tribal group of the MongolsMongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
who live in that area. Before the unification of the Mongol tribes under Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
, the area had seen intermittent Chinese influence over the native Mongols. After the Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
(1271–1368), the area was only intermittently controlled by China. The Chahar had become personal appange of the Khagans of Mongolia
Post-imperial Mongolia
The Northern Yuan Dynasty refers to the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty which continued to rule Mongolia after the expulsion of the Mongol court from China in 1368, until the emergence of the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century. The period was marked by factional struggles and the often only nominal...
since the reign of Batumongke Dayan Khan (r. 1479–1517). By the Qing Empire (1644–1912), Chahar was not yet a Chinese province, but a "Special Region" (Zhangyuan (張垣特區)), although Yao Xiguang (姚錫光) proposed making Chahar a province as early as 1908.
In 1913, the second year of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
, Chahar Special Administrative Region
Special administrative region (Republic of China)
In the subdivision of the Republic of China , "special administrative regions" were historically used to designate special areas, most of which were eventually converted into provinces...
was created as a subdivision of Zhili
Zhili
Zhílì was a northern province in China from the Ming Dynasty until the province was dissolved in 1928 during the Republic of China era.-History:...
(直隸) Province, containing 6 Banners and 11 counties:
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In 1928, it became a province. The last five counties on the above list (starting from Xinghe) were partitioned to Suiyuan province. And ten counties were included from Xuanhua Subprefecture
Subprefecture
Subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province.-Albania:There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is subdivided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures.-Brazil:...
(宣化府), Koubei Circuit (口北道), Hebei Province:
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All banners belong to the Shilingol Alliance (Шилийн гол чуулга, 锡林郭勒盟).
From 1937 to 1945, it was occupied by Japan and made a part of Mengjiang
Mengjiang
Mengjiang , also known in English as Mongol Border Land, was an autonomous area in Inner Mongolia, operating under nominal Chinese sovereignty and Japanese control. It consisted of the then-Chinese provinces of Chahar and Suiyuan, corresponding to the central part of modern Inner Mongolia...
, a Japanese-controlled region led by Mongol Prince Demchugdongrub
Demchugdongrub
Prince Demchugdongrub was the leader of a Mongol independence movement in Inner Mongolia. He was the chairman of Mengjiang, a Japanese puppet state in World War II....
of the Shilingol Alliance. The Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Army Alliance (察哈爾民眾抗日同盟軍) was established in Kalgan on May 26, 1933 by Feng Yuxiang (馮玉祥) and Ji Hongchang (吉鴻昌).
In 1952, six years after becoming communist, the province was abolished and divided into parts of Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
, Beijing Municipality, and Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
.
Geography
Chahar Province was divided north-south by the Great WallGreat Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
, with North Chahar being the larger in area and South Chanar, with the capital, Zhangjiakou, being far larger in population. It had an area of 278.957 km². In North Chahar most of the land was part of the northeastern extension of the Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
.
Bordered
- North: Xing'anXing'anXing'an or Hsingan refers to a former province, which once occupied western Heilongjiang and part of northwest Liaoning provinces of China. The name is related to that of the Greater Khingan Mountains...
- North and West: MongoliaMongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
- West and South : Suiyuan
- South: ShanxiShanxi' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
and HebeiHebei' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei... - East: ReheReheRehe , also known as Jehol, is a defunct Chinese Special administrative district and later province.-Administration:Rehe was located north of the Great Wall, west of Manchuria, and east of Mongolia. The capital of Rehe was the city of Chengde. The second largest city in the province was Chaoyang,...
and LiaobeiLiaobeiLiaobei also known as Liaopeh was a province in Manchuria, in what is now the People's Republic of China. It mostly covered territory which is now in Inner Mongolia.-See also:...