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Chahar Province察哈爾省 ᠴᠠᠬᠠᠷ ᠮᠣ᠊᠊ᠵ᠊ᠢ
Province of the Republic of China (1928–1948) Province of the People's Republic of China (1948–1952)
1948–1952
Map of Chahar within the ROC
Map of Chahar within the PRC
Capital	Changyuan
Area
• 1947	278,957 km (107,706 sq mi)
Population
• 1947	2,150,054
History
• Chahar Special Administrative Region established	1914
• Established	1928
• Disestablished	1952
Preceded by Succeeded by Zhili Hebei Shanxi
Today part of	China ∟ Inner Mongolia ∟ Hebei ∟ Beijing

Chahar (Mongolian: ᠴᠠᠬᠠᠷ/ Чахар; Chinese: 察哈爾; pinyin: Cháhā'ěr), also known as Chaha'er, Chakhar or Qahar, was a province of the Republic 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 Mongols.

Administration and history

Chahar Province is named after the Chahar, a tribal group of the Mongols who live in that area. The area was controlled (in part or fully) by various empires that ruled over China's north including the Han, Tang, Liao, and Jin dynasties. After the unification of the Mongol tribes under Genghis Khan, the area came under Yuan rule. After the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), the area was a battleground between the Ming dynasty and Northern Yuan. Then the Chahar tribe became the personal appanage of the monarchs of the Northern Yuan dynasty since the reign of Batumongke Dayan Khan (r. 1479–1517). By the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), Chahar was a "Zhangyuan Special Region" (張垣特區), although Yao Xiguang (姚錫光) proposed making Chahar a province as early as 1908.

Republic of China era

In 1913, the second year of the Republic of China, Chahar Special Administrative Region was created as a subdivision of Zhili Province, containing 6 Banners and 11 counties:

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 (宣化府), Koubei Circuit (口北道), Hebei Province:

All banners belong to the Shilingol League (ᠰᠢᠯᠢ ᠶᠢᠨᠭᠣᠤᠯ, 锡林郭勒盟).

From 1937 to 1945, it was occupied by Japan and made a part of Mengjiang, a Japanese-controlled region led by Mongol Prince Demchugdongrub 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).

1948–1952

In 1952, six years after becoming communist, the province was abolished and divided into parts of Inner Mongolia, Beijing Municipality and Hebei.

Geography

Chahar Province was divided north-south by the Great Wall, with North Chahar being the larger in area and South Chahar, with the capital, Zhangjiakou, being far larger in population. It had an area of 278.957 km (107.706 sq mi). In North Chahar most of the land was part of the northeastern extension of the Gobi Desert.

Bordered

• North: Xing'an
• North and West: Mongolia
• West and South : Suiyuan
• South: Shanxi and Hebei
• East: Rehe and Liaobei

See also

• Inner Mongolia § Republic of China and the Second World War periods

Notes

1. Zhangjiakou Subprefecture (Chinese: 張家口廳; pinyin: Zhāngjiākǒu Tīng), also known as the Zhang Capital (Chinese: 張垣; pinyin: Zhāng Yuán), and referred in some older Western literature as Kalgan (Хаалга: Mongolian for gate). Now Zhangjiakou City, Hebei.

References

1. Yao, Xiguang (1908), 籌蒙芻議 [A Humble Suggestion on Planning of Mongolia], OCLC 32634034
2. Facsimile reprinted in 1965 in Taipei by Wen-Hai Press OCLC 24615818
3. ^ Aberle, David Friend; Vreeland, Herbert Harold (1957). Chahar and Dagor Mongol Bureaucratic Administration: 1912–1945 (2nd ed.). New Haven, Connecticut: HRAF Press. OCLC 7421313

v t e Provincial-level divisons of the Republic of China
Current	Fukien Kaohsiung New Taipei Taichung Tainan Taipei Taiwan Taoyuan
Claimed	Antung Chahar Chekiang Hokiang Hsingan Jehol Liaopeh Nunkiang Sikang Sungkiang Suiyuan Tibet Yunnan
Most of the provincial-level administrations are abolished

v t e Defunct provincial divisions of the People's Republic of China
Greater administrative region	Huabei Region Dongbei Region Huadong Region Zhongnan Region Xibei Region Xinan Region
Provinces	Andong → Liaodong Liaoxi Pingyuan Qahar Rehe Songjiang Suiyuan Xikang
Municipalities	Anshan Benxi Changchun Fushun Guangzhou Harbin Lüda Nanjing Shenyang Xi'an
Administrative territories	Chuanbei Chuandong Chuannan Chuanxi Subei Sunan Wanbei Wannan Lüda
Other provincial divisions	Chamdo Region

43°N 115°E / 43°N 115°E / 43; 115

• States and territories established in 1928
• States and territories disestablished in 1952
• Provinces of the Republic of China (1912–1949)
• Former provinces of China
• History of Inner Mongolia
• States and territories established in 1912
• States and territories disestablished in 1936
• 1912 establishments in China
• History of Zhangjiakou