View source for Chahar Province

{{Short description|Province of the Republic of China}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
| native_name            = {{nobold|{{lang|zh|察哈爾省}}<br>{{MongolUnicode|ᠴᠠᠬᠠᠷ <br>ᠮᠣ᠊᠊ᠵ᠊ᠢ}}}}
| conventional_long_name = Chahar Province
| common_name            = Chahar
| subdivision            = 
| nation                 = Republic of China
| status_text            = [[History of the administrative divisions of China (1912–1949)|Province]] of the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] (1928–1948)<br>[[Province of China|Province]] of the [[China|People's Republic of China]] (1948–1952)
<!-- General information -->| life_span              = 1948–1952
| capital                = [[Zhangjiakou|Changyuan]]{{efn|[[Zhangjiakou]] Subprefecture ({{zh |t = 張家口廳 |p = Zhāngjiākǒu Tīng }}), also known as the Zhang Capital ({{zh |t = 張垣 |p = Zhāng Yuán }}), and referred in some older Western literature as Kalgan (Хаалга: [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]] for gate). Now Zhangjiakou City, [[Hebei]].}}
| today                  = [[China]]<br /> '''∟''' [[Inner Mongolia]]<br /> '''∟''' [[Hebei]]<br /> '''∟''' [[Beijing]]
<!-- Rise and fall, events, years and dates -->
<!-- Only fill in the start/end event entry if a specific article exists. Don't just say "abolition" or "declaration". -->| date_pre               = 1914
| event_pre              = Chahar Special Administrative Region established
| year_start             = 1928
| year_end               = 1952
| event_start            = <!-- Default: "Established" -->
| date_start             = 
| image_map              = Republic of China edcp location map (disputed territories) Chahar.svg
| image_map_caption      = Map of Chahar within the ROC


<!-- Flag navigation: Preceding and succeeding entities "p1" to "p5" and "s1" to "s8" -->
| p1                     = Zhili
| flag_p1                = 
| p2                     = 
| s1                     = Hebei
| s2                     = Shanxi
| stat_year1             = 1947
| stat_area1             = 278,957
| stat_pop1              = 2,150,054
}}
'''Chahar''' ({{langx|mn|{{MongolUnicode|ᠴᠠᠬᠠᠷ}}/ Чахар}}; {{zh|t = 察哈爾|p = Cháhā'ěr|first = t}}), also known as '''Chaha'er''', '''Chakhar''' or '''Qahar''', was a [[Provinces of China|province]] of the [[Republic of China (1912-1949)|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)|Chahar]] Mongols.

== Administration and history ==
Chahar Province is named after the [[Chahar (Mongols)|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 dynasty|Han]], [[Tang dynasty|Tang]], [[Liao dynasty|Liao]], and [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|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" ({{lang|zh-hant|張垣特區}}), although Yao Xiguang ({{lang|zh-hant|姚錫光}}) proposed making Chahar a province as early as 1908.<ref>{{citation |last = Yao |first = Xiguang |year = 1908 |script-title =zh:籌蒙芻議 |trans-title = A Humble Suggestion on Planning of Mongolia |oclc = 32634034 }}</ref><ref>Facsimile reprinted in 1965 in Taipei by Wen-Hai Press {{OCLC|24615818}}</ref>

=== Republic of China era ===
In 1913, the second year of the [[Republic of China (1912-1949)|Republic of China]], Chahar [[Special administrative regions of China#ROC special administrative regions|Special Administrative Region]] was created as a subdivision of [[Zhili Province]], containing 6 [[Banner (Inner Mongolia)|banners]] and 11 [[County (People's Republic of China)|counties]]:<ref name="Aberle">{{cite book |last1 = Aberle |first1 = David Friend |last2 = Vreeland |first2 = Herbert Harold |year = 1957 |title = Chahar and Dagor Mongol Bureaucratic Administration: 1912–1945 |edition = 2nd |publisher = HRAF Press |location = New Haven, Connecticut }} [http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/7421313 OCLC 7421313]</ref>
{|
|
* {{lang|zh-Latn|Zhāngbèi}} ({{lang|zh-hant|張北}})
* {{lang|zh-Latn|Duōlún}} ({{lang|zh-hant|多倫}})
* {{lang|zh-Latn|Gǔyuán}} ({{lang|zh-hant|沽源}})
* {{lang|zh-Latn|Shāngdū}} ({{lang|zh|商都}})
|
* {{lang|zh-Latn|Bǎochāng}} ({{lang|zh-hant|寶昌}})
* {{lang|zh-Latn|Kāngbǎo}} ({{lang|zh|康保}})
* {{lang|zh-Latn|Xīnghé}} ({{lang|zh-hant|興和}})
* {{lang|zh-Latn|Táolín}} ({{lang|zh|陶林}})
|
* {{lang|zh-Latn|Jíníng}} ({{lang|zh-hant|集寧}})
* {{lang|zh-Latn|Fēngzhèn}} ({{lang|zh-hant|豐鎮}})
* {{lang|zh-Latn|Liángchéng}} ({{lang|zh-hant|涼城}})
|}

In 1928, it became a province. The last five counties on the above list (starting from Xinghe) were partitioned to [[Suiyuan|Suiyuan province]]. And ten counties were included from Xuanhua [[Subprefecture]] (宣化府), Koubei [[Circuit (political division)|Circuit]] (口北道), [[Hebei Province]]:<ref name="Aberle" />
{|
|
* Xuānhuà (宣化)
* Chìchéng (赤城)
* Wànquán (萬全)
* Huáilái (懷來)
|
* Yù (蔚)
* Yángyuán (陽原)
* Lóngguān (龍關)
* Yánqìng (延慶)
|
* Huái'ān (懷安)
* Zhuōlù (涿鹿)
|}

All banners belong to the Shilingol League ({{MongolUnicode|ᠰᠢᠯᠢ ᠶᠢᠨ}}{{MongolUnicode|ᠭᠣᠤᠯ}}, 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]].
{| class="wikitable"  style="font-size:90%;" align=center
|-
! Name
! Administrative Seat
! Simplified Chinese
! Hanyu Pinyin
! Subdivisions
|-
|Zhangjiakou
|Zhangjiakou
|<span style="font-size:125%;">{{lang|zh-hans|张家口市}}</span>
|Zhāngjiākǒu Shì
|''none''
|-
|Datong
|Datong
|<span style="font-size:125%;">{{lang|zh-hans|大同市}}</span>
|Dàtóng Shì
|''none''
|-
|Yanbei Division
|Datong County
|<span style="font-size:125%;">{{lang|zh-hans|雁北专区}}</span>
|Yànběi Zhuānqū
|13 counties
|-
|Qanan Division
|Xuanhua County
|<span style="font-size:125%;">{{lang|zh-hans|察南专区}}</span>
|Chánán Zhuānqū
|11 counties
|-
|Qabei Division
|Zhangbei County
|<span style="font-size:125%;">{{lang|zh-hans|察北专区}}</span>
|Cháběi Zhuānqū
|9 counties
|}

== Geography ==
Chahar Province was divided north-south by the [[Great Wall of China|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 {{convert|278.957|km2|abbr=on}}. In North Chahar most of the land was part of the northeastern extension of the [[Gobi Desert]].

=== Bordered ===
* North: [[Xing'an Province|Xing'an]]
* North and West: [[Mongolia]]
* West and South: [[Suiyuan]]
* South: [[Shanxi]] and [[Hebei]]
* East: [[Rehe (province)|Rehe]] and [[Liaobei]]

== See also ==
* {{section link|Inner Mongolia#Republic of China and the Second World War periods}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Defunct Chinese provinces}}
{{Suspended ROC provinces}}
{{Defunct PRC provinces}}
{{Authority control}}
{{coord|43|N|115|E|display=title}}

[[Category:Provinces of the Republic of China (1912–1949)]]
[[Category:Former provinces of China]]
[[Category:20th century in Inner Mongolia]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1912]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1936]]
[[Category:1912 establishments in China]]
[[Category:History of Zhangjiakou]]