Zhili,
alternately romanized as Chihli, was a northern administrative region of China since the 14th-century that lasted through the
Ming dynasty and
Qing dynasty until 1911, when the region was dissolved, converted to a
province, and renamed
Hebei in 1928.
History
The name ''Zhili'' means "directly ruled" and indicates regions directly ruled by the imperial government of China. Zhili province was first constituted during the
Ming dynasty when the capital of China was located at
Nanjing along the
Yangtze River. In 1403, the Ming
Yongle Emperor relocated the capital to Beiping, which was subsequently renamed
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 2 ...
.
[Susan Naquin, ''Peking: Temples and City Life, 1400-1900'', p xxxiii] The region known as
North Zhili
North Zhili, formerly romanized as , was a province of Imperial China in Ming dynasty. It was composed of the modern provinces of Hebei, the direct-administered municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, as well as a small parts of Henan and Sha ...
was composed of parts of the modern provinces of
Hebei,
Henan,
Shandong, including the provincial-level municipalities of Beijing and
Tianjin. There was another region located around the "reserve capital" Nanjing known as
South Zhili that included parts of what are today the provinces of
Jiangsu and
Anhui
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...
, including the provincial-level municipality of
Shanghai.
During the
Qing dynasty, Nanjing lost its status as the "second capital" and Southern Zhili was reconstituted as a regular province,
Jiangnan
Jiangnan or Jiang Nan (; formerly romanized Kiang-nan, literally "South of the River" meaning "South of the Yangtze") is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, incl ...
, while Northern Zhili was renamed Zhili Province. In the 18th century the borders of Zhili province were redrawn and spread over what is today
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 2 ...
,
Tianjin and the provinces of
Hebei, Western
Liaoning, Northern
Henan, and the
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
.
After the collapse of
Qing dynasty, in 1911, the
National Government of the Republic of China converted Zhili into a province as
Zhili Province. In 1928 the National Government assigned portions of northern Zhili province to its neighbors in the north and renamed the remainder
Hebei Province.
See also
*
Sili Province, a similar administrative region during the Han dynasty
*
Zhongshu Sheng, a similar administrative region during the Yuan dynasty
*
North Zhili
North Zhili, formerly romanized as , was a province of Imperial China in Ming dynasty. It was composed of the modern provinces of Hebei, the direct-administered municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, as well as a small parts of Henan and Sha ...
and
South Zhili, similar administrative regions during the Ming dynasty
Gallery
File:ROC Div Hebei.svg , Zhili during the Republican era Republican Era can refer to:
* Minguo calendar, the official era of the Republic of China
It may also refer to any era in a country's history when it was governed as a republic or by a Republican Party. In particular, it may refer to:
* Roman R ...
File:CEM-36-Regno-della-China-2355.jpg, A 1682 map of the "Kingdom of China, Presently Called Cathay
Cathay (; ) is a historical name for China that was used in Europe. During the early modern period, the term ''Cathay'' initially evolved as a term referring to what is now Northern China, completely separate and distinct from China, which ...
and Mangi", using the names "Peking" (Beijing) and "Nangking" (Nanjing) to refer to the Northern and Southern Zhilis
File:CEM-44-La-Chine-la-Tartarie-Chinoise-et-le-Thibet-1734-East-2570.jpg , The eastern half of D'Anville
Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville (; born in Paris 11 July 169728 January 1782) was a French geographer and cartographer who greatly improved the standards of map-making. D'Anville became cartographer to the king, who purchased his cartographic ...
's 1734 map of China, Chinese Tartary, and Tibet, displaying "Pe-tche-li" (North Zhili) after its southern counterpart became known as "Kiang-nan" (Jiangnan)
File:Qing Dynasty 1820.png, The Qing Empire
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-speaki ...
in 1820, with pinyin romanization
File:1861 Johnson Map of China - Geographicus - China-johnson-1861.jpg, A map from 1861, which shows "Chihli" (Zhili). The former Jiangnan had already been divided between "Kiangsu" (Jiangsu) and "Nganhwui" (Anhui)
References
External links
*
Complete Map of the Seven Coastal Provincesfrom 1821 to 1850
{{coord missing, China
Administrative divisions of ancient China
Provinces of the Republic of China (1912–1949)
States and territories disestablished in 1928