Tingzhou fu () was a
prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
in
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...
province from the
Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
() down to the early 20th century, when it was renamed ().
History
As early as 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, the
She people
The She people (; Shehua: ; Cantonese: , Fuzhou: ) are an ethnic group in China. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China.
The She are the largest ethnic minority in Fujian, Zhejiang, and J ...
thrived along the
Tingjiang river(), which originates in the north and runs through the county toward the south, and enters the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...
in
Shantou
Shantou, alternately romanized as Swatow and sometimes known as Santow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong, China, with a total population of 5,502,031 as of the 2020 census (5,391,028 in 2010) and an administrative ...
(),
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
() province. Since early history, the
Tingjiang river has been serving as an important water path for travel and, more importantly, the shipping of goods between coastal areas and mountainous terrain. It was said that the early
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
ancestors traveled from north through the same path to
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
and the other parts of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
and overseas, so
Tingjiang river also gained its name as "Hakka's Mother River".
Imperial
During the
Han Dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...
, county-level administration was established where Changting county is currently seated. To take on immigrating northerners, the Tingzhou fu () prefecture administration was set up in the 24th reign-year of the
Tang emperor Kaiyuan, i.e. 736
CE.
Since then and until the end of
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 ...
(), Changting had been where Zhou(), Jun(), Lu() and Fu() (all prefectural level administrations) were located, and economic and political center of western
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...
(). During the
Ming
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...
and
Qing
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 ...
dynasties (), Tingzhou Fu encompassed eight counties including
Changting (长汀),
Ninghua (宁化), often regarded as very first settlement place for Hakka people),
Qingliu (清流), Guihua (归化, obsolete),
Liancheng (连城),
Shanghang (上杭),
Wuping (武平) and
Yongding (永定). Being the first such territory set up by administration for migrant resettlement and one of the main concentration places for Hakka people, Tingzhou vies with
Meixian (Mei County) in nearby eastern Guangdong in being referred to as the "Capital of the Hakkas"(). Today many Hakkas can trace their origins back to Tingzhou.
Revolution Era
Tingzhou was renamed "Changting" () in the 2nd year of 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 northeas ...
, i.e. 1913
(Year Two of the Chinese Republic). During
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 main ...
, the prefecture was the economic and financial centre of the
Chinese Soviet Republic
The Chinese Soviet Republic (CSR) was an East Asian proto-state in China, proclaimed on 7 November 1931 by Chinese communist leaders Mao Zedong and Zhu De in the early stages of the Chinese Civil War. The discontiguous territories of t ...
. Tens of thousands of people from "Changting" joined the
Chinese Red Army - but not many survived the
Long March
The Long March (, lit. ''Long Expedition'') was a military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Army of the Chinese ...
.
With the founding of
the People's Republic of China, the Prefecture was renamed again (
"Longyan" 龙岩地区) and—minus several counties—its political center was relocated to
Xinluo
Xinluo District (; Hakka: Sîn-lò-khî) is a district of Longyan, Fujian Province, China, with a population of approximately 842,000.
It was formerly named Longyan County ().
As Xinluo is a part of the Minnan Hokkien territory, the Longyan ...
.
The former prefecture seat --
"Tingzhou Town" (汀州镇)—now only a shiretown (or "county-town", 县城), commemorates the imperial-era prefecture. The name of its reduced purview --
Changting (长汀)—recalls the prefecture in its ROC years.
Real reorganisation only came in the early years of the
People's Republic (1949-- ), which established a ''Diqu'' (地区, "region") --since upgraded to the ''Diji Shi'' (地级市, "
prefecture-level city
A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure.
During the Republican era, many of Chi ...
")-- called
Longyan
Longyan (; Hakka: ''Liùng-ngàm''; Longyan dialect: ''Lengngia'') is a prefecture-level city in south-western Fujian Province, China, bordering Guangdong to the south and Jiangxi to the west.
History
In 736 AD, (the Tang dynasty), the prefec ...
. Two counties of the Imperial- and Republican eras,
Ninghua and
Qingliu, were detached. The remaining seven have henceforth been administered from a new centre,
Xinluo (新罗), which is more accessible to the province's heavily populated coast.
Note on Usage
By Chinese convention the prefectural name would also refer, depending on context, to the city which was the seat of its government. Thus
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; also Romanization of Chinese, romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the List of national founde ...
's
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
column is said to have taken ''Changting'' in 1929, meaning that his column exercised real control over what is now Tingzhou town.
Notable individuals from Changting
* Yang Chengwu (), 1914-2004 Revolutionarian and General of
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the China, People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five Military branch, service branches: the People's ...
*
Chen Pixian (), 1916-1995 Revolutionarian and CPC official
*
Fu Lianzhang (), 1894-1968
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
,
practitioner of western medicine,
Long March
The Long March (, lit. ''Long Expedition'') was a military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Army of the Chinese ...
veteran, PRC Health Ministry official and
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...
victim.
Notes and references
External links
*http://www.changting.gov.cn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tingzhou Fu
Former prefectures in Fujian
Prefectures of the Tang dynasty
Prefectures of the Ming dynasty
Prefectures of the Qing dynasty
Prefectures of the Song dynasty
History of Fujian
Prefecture-level divisions of Fujian