Zhejiang or Chekiang is a ''de jure'' province in the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

according to the ROC law, as the ROC government formally claims to be the legitimate government of the whole China. Founded after the collapse of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

, it was ''de facto'' abolished after the ROC Forces, ROC government officials and local residents were evacuated from Dachen to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

in 1955 following the military defeat of the ROC by

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

forces of the newly-founded

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

during the

Battle of Dachen Archipelago The Battle of Dachen Archipelago () was a struggle between the Nationalists and the Communists for the control of several archipelagos just off the coast of Zhejiang, China, during the Chinese Civil War in the post-World War II era, and it was ...

. After the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

, the Kuomintang-led Republic of China government lost its control in

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

and only held several islands east of mainland Chekiang Province, including

Dachen The Dachen Islands, Tachen Islands or Tachens () are a group of islands off the coast of Taizhou, Zhejiang, China, in the East China Sea. They are administered by the Jiaojiang District of Taizhou. Before the First Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1955, ...

Yijiangshan The Yijiangshan Islands () are two small islands eight miles from the Dachen Islands, located off the coast of Taizhou, Zhejiang in the East China Sea. During the First Taiwan Strait crisis the islands were captured in January 1955 by the People's ...

, Pishan, Toumenshan,

Yushan Island Yushan Island () is in Xiangshan County in northeast Zhejiang province, Eastern China. It is the most southeastern island in Xiangshan, located 27 miles from Shipu Town (), near Ningbo City. It is situated in the north and south ocean current in ...

and

Nanji Nanji is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Azim Nanji, Kenyan-born professor of Islamic studies *Shenaaz Nanji Shenaaz Nanji (born 8 October 1954) is an Indian Canadian children's and young adult author. She lives in Calgary, ...

. After losing the mainland, the Nationalists used the islands to stage commando raids into Zhejiang, occasionally penetrating as far as the area around

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

. The

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

governments withdrawn to the islands from the mainland included seven counties, namely

Wenling Wenling ( Wenling dialect: Ueng-ling Zy ; ) is a coastal county-level city in the municipal region of Taizhou, in southeastern Zhejiang province, China. It borders Luqiao and Huangyan to the north, Yuhuan to the south, Yueqing to the west, loo ...

Linhai Linhai (; Tai-chow dialect: Lin-he) is a county-level city in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province situated on the banks of the Lin River in Eastern China. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,114,146 inhabitants even though its built-up (''or met ...

Huangyan ( Tai-chow dialect: Wông-ngæn K'ü; ) is a district of Taizhou, a city in Zhejiang Province, China. Huangyan has an area of and a population of approximately 570,000. It has an average annual precipitation of and an annual average temperatur ...

, Pinyang, Sanmen, Leqing and

Yuhuan Yuhuan () is a county-level city of Taizhou, at the midsection along the coast of southeastern Zhejiang Province, China. Yuhuan, with total area of including land area of , has a total population of 392,800 containing a permanent population of 9 ...

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

, the late

President of the Republic of China The president of the Republic of China, now often referred to as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Republic of China (ROC), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The position once had aut ...

, appointed

Hu Zongnan Hu Zongnan (; 16 May 1896 – 14 February 1962), courtesy name Shoushan (壽山), was a Chinese general in the National Revolutionary Army and then the Republic of China Army. Together with Chen Cheng and Tang Enbo, Hu, a native of Z ...

, the

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

of the ROC Armed Forces, to establish the "Government of Chekiang Province" on the Dachen Islands in September 1951. Its purpose was to fight against the mainland which was controlled by the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

. In 1952, the Chekiang Government reorganized the seven counties into four counties, which were

, Pinyang and Yuhuan. Sanmen county was reorganised as " Yushan Administrative Bureau", and " Zhuyu Administrative Bureau" was also established. These administrative bureaus were originally intended to be used as the "special region" for direct economic

trading Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

with Mainland China, however they were abolished one year later. In 1953, the Chekiang Government office moved to Taiwan. In 1955, the People's Liberation Army conquered Yijiangshan Island during the

Battle of Yijiangshan Islands The Battle of Yijiangshan Islands () was a conflict between forces of the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of China and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the People's Republic of China, over one of the last strongholds ...

. The Republic of China evacuated the military garrison and civil residents from Dachen and Nanji to the island of Taiwan with the assistance of the

United States Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...

. The Chekiang Government on Taiwan was abolished soon afterwards, and the

successfully occupied the offshore islands, establishing control over the whole of Zhejiang Province. Tachen Island Evacuation History
/ref> However, the ROC does not recognize changes in administrative divisions made by the PRC, including this province, official maps of the ROC government shows Chekiang Province in its pre-1949 boundaries.

List of governors

Military governors

Civil governors

Chairperson of the Provincial Government

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Administrative divisions of Taiwan navbar Provinces of the Republic of China (1912–1949) History of Zhejiang 1912 establishments in China 1955 disestablishments in Taiwan 1955 disestablishments in China Territorial disputes of the Republic of China