Desinicization
Encyclopedia
Desinicization is a term that describes the act of the elimination of Chinese influence, which is the opposite of "sinicization
".
racially mixed with "barbarians" or desinicized Han Chinese who adopted steppe people's culture and way of life existed in the 6th and 7th centuries A.D., and served as the Tang dynasty
's elite troops
, the Communist Party of China
declared its intention to destroy the Four Olds
, namely: Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits and Old Ideas. As a result, many Chinese antiques, paintings and genealogy books were destroyed. People were also forbidden to worship their ancestors or have memorial ceremonies for Confucius
, the Yellow Emperor
and the Yan Emperor
. The simplification of Chinese character
launched by the Communist Party of China
in 1950s, resulting in the existence of Simplified Chinese characters, has been regarded by traditional Chinese culture enthusiasts in China
and Taiwan
as a form of desinicization, partly because much of the traditional Chinese culture meaning were lost in Simplified Chinese characters.
Chiang Kai-shek
was a former Republic of China
President and Kuomintang
Party leader. During his rule of Taiwan, Kuomintang
launched the Chinese Cultural Renaissance
in Taiwan as a cultural retaliation against the Cultural Revolution
of Communist Party of China
. Upon his death in the 1975 Chiang's name was posthumously honored by having the newly-built airport in Taoyuan named after him. Ever since it was built, the government of the People's Republic of China
and government-controlled media have referred the airport as the "Taoyuan Airport," so as to not mention the name of Chiang Kai-Shek, Communist leader Mao Zedong
's arch nemesis.
Products made in Taiwan used to be labeled as "Made in ROC"; it was changed to "Made in Taiwan" after protests from the People's Republic of China
.
According to the 2002 government document, Taipei
's National Pater Patriae memorial Hall
which is to honor the founding father of Republic of China can only be called as "Taipei's Sun Yat-sen memorial hall.
Chinese Kuomintang
is referred to as one of the "Taiwanese political parties." Presidents of the Republic of China
after 1949 are called "Taiwanese leaders" by the Chinese mainland government.
in 2001. It is mainly used by groups which oppose Taiwan independence
, such as the Kuomintang
, to describe what they are opposed to, and to distinguish it from the Taiwanization
.
The term exists to emphasize that anti-independence groups are not opposed to the development of a Taiwanese identity or symbols such as language, but are opposed to viewing such an identity and symbols as separate from a broader Chinese identity. On the other hand, pro-Taiwanization groups view Chinese identity as separate from Taiwanese identity and symbols.
When the Republic of China took over Taiwan from Japan after World War II, and especially after Kuomintang
lost control of mainland China to the communists and retreated to Taiwan, the ROC promoted Chinese cultures on local residents who were mostly ethnically Han Chinese. Those who attended school during the Japanese colonial period had to learn Japanese. The government launched policies to promote Chinese calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting
, folk art
, and Chinese opera
. Over times steps were also taken such as limiting the use of Taiwan's languages in schools and media in favour of Mandarin, putting educational focus on China rather than Taiwan, naming entities in Taiwan with "China" or "Chinese" to reflect the government's ideology that it is the sole legitimate government of China, and replacing Japanese place names with Chinese names, an example being the renaming of Taipei streets to reflect the geography of China and the ideals promoted by the Kuomintang. The culture of Taiwan is now dominated by Han Chinese
culture with a hybrid blend of other Chinese minorities, Japanese, European, American, global, local and indigenous influences which are both interlocked and divided between perceptions of tradition and modernity.
Since the Taiwan localization movement of the 1990s, Taiwan's cultural identity has experienced greater expression. Identity politics
, along with the fifty years of political separation from mainland China
has led to distinct traditions in many areas, including cuisine
and music
, efforts have been made to assert Taiwanese identity and culture and remove the focus on China and Chinese culture. Some steps that have been taken include:
The name changing issue was a topic in the Republic of China presidential elections in Taiwan in March 2008. Former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-Jeou
was elected as the President
. On 1 August 2008, the postal service resolved to reverse the name change and restore the name "Chunghwa Post". As of 1 January 2009, Tongyong Pinyin was abolished by the government in favour of Hanyu Pinyin.
, or Chinese characters, was banned in 1949 in North Korea
by Kim Il-sung
. Hangul
was made the official script of the Korean language, replacing Hanja
, and Hanja is not required to be learned until high school in South Korea. Some commentators also take the former Seoul
city mayor Lee Myung-bak
's move to change Seoul's official Chinese name from Hancheng to Shou'er in 2005 as a model of desinicization. The previous name, pronounced Hànchéng in Chinese
and Hanseong in Korean
, is an old name for Seoul
, literally meaning Han River
City, but can be misinterpreted as Han Chinese
City. The new name Shou'er carried no such connotation, and was close in both sound and meaning to Seoul
, which, uniquely among Korean place names, does not have a Sino-Korean
name. See also Names of Seoul
.
represent a less conscious process of desinicization, during which, over the course of a little more than a century (since the Hui Minorities' War), a Hui Chinese population became alienated from the literary tradition and local culture of Shaanxi
and Gansu
.
Sinicization
Sinicization, Sinicisation or Sinification, is the linguistic assimilation or cultural assimilation of terms and concepts of the language and culture of China...
".
Historical
Some Han chineseHan Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
racially mixed with "barbarians" or desinicized Han Chinese who adopted steppe people's culture and way of life existed in the 6th and 7th centuries A.D., and served as the Tang dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
's elite troops
Desinicization by the Communist Party of China
During the Cultural RevolutionCultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
declared its intention to destroy the Four Olds
Four Olds
The Four Olds or the Four Old Things were Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Ideas. One of the stated goals of the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China was to bring an end to the Four Olds...
, namely: Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits and Old Ideas. As a result, many Chinese antiques, paintings and genealogy books were destroyed. People were also forbidden to worship their ancestors or have memorial ceremonies for Confucius
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
, the Yellow Emperor
Yellow Emperor
The Yellow Emperor or Huangdi1 is a legendary Chinese sovereign and culture hero, included among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Tradition holds that he reigned from 2697–2597 or 2696–2598 BC...
and the Yan Emperor
Yan Emperor
The Yan Emperor, or Yandi was a legendary Han Chinese ruler who lived in pre-dynastic China. Modern scholarship has identified the Sheep's Head Mountains just north of Gaoping in Shanxi Province as his homeland and territory....
. The simplification of Chinese character
Chinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
launched by the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
in 1950s, resulting in the existence of Simplified Chinese characters, has been regarded by traditional Chinese culture enthusiasts in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
as a form of desinicization, partly because much of the traditional Chinese culture meaning were lost in Simplified Chinese characters.
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
was a former 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...
President and Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
Party leader. During his rule of Taiwan, Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
launched the Chinese Cultural Renaissance
Chinese Cultural Renaissance
The Chinese Cultural Renaissance or the Chinese Cultural Renaissance Movement was a movement promoted in Taiwan to undo the cultural destructions caused by the Communist Party of China during the Cultural revolution.-Movement:...
in Taiwan as a cultural retaliation against the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
of Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
. Upon his death in the 1975 Chiang's name was posthumously honored by having the newly-built airport in Taoyuan named after him. Ever since it was built, the government of the People's Republic of China
Government of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
and government-controlled media have referred the airport as the "Taoyuan Airport," so as to not mention the name of Chiang Kai-Shek, Communist leader Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's arch nemesis.
Products made in Taiwan used to be labeled as "Made in ROC"; it was changed to "Made in Taiwan" after protests from the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
According to the 2002 government document, Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
's National Pater Patriae memorial Hall
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
The National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is located in Taipei, Republic of China . It is a memorial to the Republic of China's National Father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and was completed on 1972. The total building area covers in an open space of...
which is to honor the founding father of Republic of China can only be called as "Taipei's Sun Yat-sen memorial hall.
Chinese Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
is referred to as one of the "Taiwanese political parties." Presidents of the Republic of China
President of the Republic of China
The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...
after 1949 are called "Taiwanese leaders" by the Chinese mainland government.
Taiwan
Desinicization is a term which appeared in the political vocabulary of TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in 2001. It is mainly used by groups which oppose Taiwan independence
Taiwan independence
Taiwan independence is a political movement whose goals are primarily to formally establish the Republic of Taiwan by renaming or replacing the Republic of China , form a Taiwanese national identity, reject unification and One country, two systems with the People's Republic of China and a Chinese...
, such as the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
, to describe what they are opposed to, and to distinguish it from the Taiwanization
Taiwanization
Taiwanization , also known as the Taiwanese localization movement, is a political term used in Taiwan to emphasize the importance of a separate Taiwanese culture rather than to regard Taiwan as solely an appendage of China...
.
The term exists to emphasize that anti-independence groups are not opposed to the development of a Taiwanese identity or symbols such as language, but are opposed to viewing such an identity and symbols as separate from a broader Chinese identity. On the other hand, pro-Taiwanization groups view Chinese identity as separate from Taiwanese identity and symbols.
When the Republic of China took over Taiwan from Japan after World War II, and especially after Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
lost control of mainland China to the communists and retreated to Taiwan, the ROC promoted Chinese cultures on local residents who were mostly ethnically Han Chinese. Those who attended school during the Japanese colonial period had to learn Japanese. The government launched policies to promote Chinese calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting
Chinese painting
Chinese painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. The earliest paintings were not representational but ornamental; they consisted of patterns or designs rather than pictures. Early pottery was painted with spirals, zigzags, dots, or animals...
, folk art
Chinese folk art
Chinese folk art are artistic forms inherited from a regional or ethnic scene in China. Usually there are some variation between provinces. Individual folk arts have a long history, and many traditions are still practiced today...
, and Chinese opera
Chinese opera
Chinese opera is a popular form of drama and musical theatre in China with roots going back as far as the third century CE...
. Over times steps were also taken such as limiting the use of Taiwan's languages in schools and media in favour of Mandarin, putting educational focus on China rather than Taiwan, naming entities in Taiwan with "China" or "Chinese" to reflect the government's ideology that it is the sole legitimate government of China, and replacing Japanese place names with Chinese names, an example being the renaming of Taipei streets to reflect the geography of China and the ideals promoted by the Kuomintang. The culture of Taiwan is now dominated by Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
culture with a hybrid blend of other Chinese minorities, Japanese, European, American, global, local and indigenous influences which are both interlocked and divided between perceptions of tradition and modernity.
Since the Taiwan localization movement of the 1990s, Taiwan's cultural identity has experienced greater expression. Identity politics
Identity politics
Identity politics are political arguments that focus upon the self interest and perspectives of self-identified social interest groups and ways in which people's politics may be shaped by aspects of their identity through race, class, religion, sexual orientation or traditional dominance...
, along with the fifty years of political separation from mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
has led to distinct traditions in many areas, including cuisine
Taiwanese cuisine
Taiwanese cuisine has several variations. In addition to the following representative dishes from the people of Hoklo ethnicity , there are also Aboriginal, Hakka, and local derivatives of Chinese cuisines .Taiwanese cuisine itself is often associated with influences from mid to southern...
and music
Music of Taiwan
Taiwan is densely-populated and culturally diverse, including a majority of Bensheng ren , a powerful faction waishengren who arrived with Chiang Kai-shek in the middle of the 20th century and the minority of aboriginal peoples.With the arrival of the KMT led Republic of China government in 1949,...
, efforts have been made to assert Taiwanese identity and culture and remove the focus on China and Chinese culture. Some steps that have been taken include:
- In 2002, Taiwan's Department of Education chose to invent its own romanization system, Tongyong PinyinTongyong PinyinTongyong Pinyin was the official Romanization of Mandarin Chinese in the Republic of China between 2002 and 2008. The system was unofficially used between 2000 and 2002, when a new romanization system for the Republic of China was being evaluated for adoption. The ROC's Ministry of Education...
, designed by a Taiwanese scholar rather than adopting the internationally well-known Hanyu Pinyin system developed by the People's Republic of China and used in other countries such as SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Malaysia.
- From 2004, the map of "Republic of China" no longer includes mainland ChinaMainland ChinaMainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
.
- In late 2004, President Chen Shui-bian proposed to rename all state-owned enterprises bearing the name "China" to "Taiwan". This was opposed by the Kuomintang. Private businesses in Taiwan which have China in their names are also rumored to have been asked to rename. For example, China AirlinesChina AirlinesChina Airlines is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of Republic of China . Although not directly state-owned, the airline is owned by China Airlines Group, which is owned by the China Aviation Development Foundation...
confirmed that it was asked to change its name. This, however, was denied by the government.
- On February 12 of 2007, Chen's government changed the names of Chunghwa PostChunghwa PostThe Chunghwa Post Co., Ltd. , formerly Taiwan Post Co. , is the official postal service of the Republic of China , providing mail service for Taiwan Area of the Republic of China. It also provides a savings account service...
(China Post) to Taiwan Post. February 7 of 2007, Chinese Petroleum Company was changed to "CPC Corporation, Taiwan. China Shipbuilding Corporation to "CSBC Corporation, TaiwanCSBC Corporation, TaiwanCSBC Corporation, Taiwan , CSBC for short, formerly known as China Shipbuilding Corporation is a state-owned enterprise of the Republic of China...
".
The name changing issue was a topic in the Republic of China presidential elections in Taiwan in March 2008. Former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-Jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
was elected as the President
President of the Republic of China
The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...
. On 1 August 2008, the postal service resolved to reverse the name change and restore the name "Chunghwa Post". As of 1 January 2009, Tongyong Pinyin was abolished by the government in favour of Hanyu Pinyin.
Korea
Using HanjaHanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
, or Chinese characters, was banned in 1949 in North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
by Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
. Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
was made the official script of the Korean language, replacing Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
, and Hanja is not required to be learned until high school in South Korea. Some commentators also take the former Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
city mayor Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
's move to change Seoul's official Chinese name from Hancheng to Shou'er in 2005 as a model of desinicization. The previous name, pronounced Hànchéng in Chinese
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
and Hanseong in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, is an old name for Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, literally meaning Han River
Han River (Korea)
The Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amnok, Duman, and Nakdong rivers. It is formed by the confluence of the Namhan River , which originates in Mount Daedeok, and the Bukhan River , which originates on the slopes of Mount...
City, but can be misinterpreted as Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
City. The new name Shou'er carried no such connotation, and was close in both sound and meaning to Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, which, uniquely among Korean place names, does not have a Sino-Korean
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
name. See also Names of Seoul
Names of Seoul
Seoul has been known in the past by the successive names Wiryeseong , Namgyeong , Hanseong or Hanyang . During the period of Japanese colonial rule , Seoul was named Keijō or Gyeongseong...
.
Kyrgyzstan
The Dungans of KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
represent a less conscious process of desinicization, during which, over the course of a little more than a century (since the Hui Minorities' War), a Hui Chinese population became alienated from the literary tradition and local culture of Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
and Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
.
See also
- Politics of the People's Republic of ChinaPolitics of the People's Republic of ChinaThe politics of the People's Republic of China take place in a framework of a single-party socialist republic. The leadership of the Communist Party is stated in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China...
- Politics of the Republic of ChinaPolitics of the Republic of ChinaThe politics of the Republic of China ,takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is head of state and the premier is head of government, and of a dominant party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative...
- Chinese political partiesChinese political partiesThe first major political party in China was the Kuomintang which moved to Taiwan in 1949. It was founded in Guangdong Province on August 25, 1912 from a union of several revolutionary groups. The Republic of China was founded by Kuomintang's leader Dr. Sun Yat-sen later that year...
- Two ChinasTwo ChinasThe term Two Chinas refers to the two states with "China" in their official names: People's Republic of China , commonly known as "China", established in 1949, controlling mainland China and two special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau...
- Special state-to-state relations