Origin of place names
During the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, Lingnan belonged to a part of the Baiyue region, while Guangxi belonged to a part of Baiyue.
According to the official history book “Geography Annals” in the Book of Han, “From Jiaozhi to Kuaiji, there are seven or eight thousand miles and a hundred and more miscellaneous places.”.
In the 17th year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (214 BC), the Qin Dynasty conquered Baiyue and established Guilin Commandery, Nanhai Commandery, and Xiang Commandery in Lingnan. Most of Guangxi today belongs to Guilin Commandery and Xiang Commandery, hence the name “Guangxi”. The name of Guangxi comes from two sources. One is in the third year of Xiantong (862 AD), when Lingnan Road was divided into two routes: east and west, and the Yongguan Jinglue was appointed as the Jiedushi of Lingnan West Road, becoming a first level independent political region; The administrative unit established by the Song Dynasty – Guangnan West Road, later abbreviated as Guangxi Road; [9] The second place is named after the ancient place name “Guangxin”. The two provinces are divided by Guangxin, with Guangdong to the east of Guangxin and Guangxi to the west of Guangxin. [10] This is the origin of the name “Guangxi”. In the 23rd year of the Yuanzhi era (1363), Guangxi Xingzhong Book Province was established, marking the beginning of Guangxi’s establishment as a province. During the Republic of China period, Guangxi was established as a province following the Qing system. In March 1958, Guangxi Province was renamed as “Guangxi Tong Autonomous Region”, and in October 1965, “Guangxi Tong Autonomous Region” was renamed as “Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region”.
In addition to being abbreviated as “Gui”, Guangxi has also been known as “West Guangdong”, “West Guangdong”, “Yue You”, “Ling You”, “Guang You”, “Gui Hai”, “Ba Gui” and other nicknames in history. [8]
Organizational History
Guangxi has a long history, and as early as 800000 years ago, there were primitive humans living in Guangxi. In the late Paleolithic period 40000 to 50000 years ago, there were “Liujiang people” and “Qilin Mountain people” working and living here. The Qilin Mountain Man, who lived 20000 to 10000 years ago, had learned and used stone tools for drilling and sharpening. The Zhengpi Rock Site in Guilin indicates that about 10000 to 6000 years ago, ancient humans in Guangxi began to engage in primitive agriculture, animal husbandry, and pottery making. The Zengpiyan Site is a typical cave site from the Neolithic period, dating back 12000 to 7000 years ago. It is not only one of the settlements of ancient ancestors of modern South Chinese and even Southeast Asian people, but also an important origin of ancient human pottery. [11]
During the pre Qin period, Lingnan was known as the land of Baiyue, while Guangxi belonged to Xiou and Luoyue. The earliest ancient country in Guangxi, as recorded in various documents, is the Cangwu ancient country. The ancient kingdom of Cangwu coexisted with Yao and Shun in the Central Plains. The distribution range of the ancient kingdom of Cangwu was mainly in the Xiangjiang River Basin and southern regions, the northern and northwestern parts of Guangdong, and the northwestern and eastern parts of Guangxi. [12] Around the Warring States period, in most parts of Guangxi and some parts of Guangdong, the two major Fangguo states, Xi’ou and Luoyue, emerged, marking the peak of Fangguo in the Lingnan region. [12] The Jucho Kingdom, which coexisted with the Western Ou and Luo Yue kingdoms, was also an entity established by the ancestors of the Zhuang ethnic group; Jumachi Province is located at the junction of Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces. In the history of the Lingnan region, there is very little mention of it in the historical records of the Central Plains, and it has always been described by later generations as a “land of transformation, a land of malaria and plague”; Many people believe that the beginning of Lingnan civilization was only after being conquered by the 500000 strong army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, when the local indigenous “Baiyue people” (Lingnan ancestors) leaped from the stage of primitive clans and tribes to feudal society. In recent years, research in the archaeological community has found that this viewpoint is a “historical misunderstanding” – a large number of unearthed cultural relics have empirically shown that the Lingnan region had a brilliant civilization of the Neolithic and Bronze Age, and is one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. [13]
In the 25th year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (222 BC), after unifying the six states, King Ying Zheng of Qin sent Tu Sui to lead 500000 Qin troops to attack Lingnan in order to conquer the ruler of Baiyue in the south; In 214 BC, the Qin army basically occupied Lingnan. Immediately, Emperor Qin Shi Huang established three commanderies, namely Guilin Commandery, Elephant Commandery, and Nanhai Commandery, in the captured Lingnan region. Guangxi is divided into Guilin County and Xiang County, which is the first time in the history of Guangxi that administrative regions have been divided.
In the early Han Dynasty, Zhao Tuo, the captain of Nanhai Commandery, conquered Guilin Commandery and Xiang Commandery, establishing the South Yue Kingdom. In the sixth year of Yuanding (111 BC), Emperor Wu of Han pacified Nanyue, and Cangwu Guangxin (the ancient capital of Jiaozhou during the Han Dynasty, located in the present-day areas of Wuzhou, Hezhou, Guangxi, and Fengkai in Guangdong) became the administrative center of nine counties in the Jiaozhi tribe. The Han Dynasty divided South Vietnam into 9 counties. Among them, it is located in the Jiaozhi Department of Guangxin County, Cangwu County. During the Western Han Dynasty, Hepu was one of the starting ports of China’s “Maritime Silk Road”. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Jiaozhi tribe was renamed Jiaozhou. Today, Guangdong Province includes the entire Nanhai County under Jiaozhou’s jurisdiction, as well as a part of Cangwu County, Hepu County, Guiyang County in Jingzhou, and Yuzhang County in Yangzhou. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Jiaozhou included the southern and central parts of present-day Vietnam, as well as Guangxi and Guangdong in China.
During the Three Kingdoms and Two Jin dynasties, Guangxi first belonged to Wu, and later to Jin and the constantly changing regimes of Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen in the Southern Dynasties. During the Three Kingdoms period, in the 22nd year of Jian’an (217 AD), the state of Wu divided Jiaozhou into Guangzhou and Jiaozhou. Bu Zhi relocated the capital of Jiaozhou from Guangxin to Panyu. Jin belongs to Guangzhou. During the Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen dynasties, Guangxi belonged to Xiangzhou and Guangzhou.
Sui belonged to the Yangzhou tribe. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Guangxi was occupied by Xiao Mi. In the early Tang Dynasty, local governments established prefectures and counties. The 45 prefectures of Lingnan are divided into five prefectures, namely Guangzhou, Guizhou, Rongzhou, Yongzhou, and Annan (also known as the Lingnan Five Governors), and are under the jurisdiction of Lingnan Road. After the sixth year of the Yonghui reign of the Tang Dynasty (655 AD), all five prefectures were under the jurisdiction of Guangzhou, and their officials were called the Five Prefectures (Governors) and were concurrently held by the Governor of Guangzhou. In the sixth year of the Zhide reign of Emperor Suzong (756 AD), he was promoted to the position of Governor of the Five Prefectures and appointed as the Governor of Lingnan.
In the third year of the Xiantong reign of the Tang Dynasty (862 AD), Lingnan Road was divided into Lingnan East Road and Lingnan West Road. The Yongguan Governor was promoted to Lingnan West Road Jiedushi, which was the earliest independent administrative region in Guangxi. During the Tang Dynasty, Guangxi’s economy and culture achieved significant development, and “Guibu” was well-known far and wide; The rise of important towns such as Gui, Yong, Liu, and Rong; The famous water conservancy project Xiangsidai was built to connect the Guijiang and Liujiang rivers.
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Chu and Southern Han competed for Guangxi for a long time. In the Song Dynasty, Guangnan Road was divided into Guangnan East Road and Guangnan West Road, with Guangnan West Road abbreviated as Guangxi. The name Guangxi originated from this.
During the Song Dynasty, Hengshanzhai in Yongzhou (now Pingma Town, Tiandong County), Yongpingzhai (now Ningming County), and the three major trade centers in Qinzhou became international markets for Southwest ethnic markets or trade with Jiaozhi and other places; The production of non-ferrous metals tin and lead ranks among the top in the country; Wuzhou Yuanfeng Supervisor became one of the six major coin minting supervisors in Jiangnan; Textiles, especially ramie fabrics, are of superior quality, and the fabrics produced in Zuojiang are rich in color. The Yuan Dynasty’s rule over Guangxi mainly focused on military control, deploying troops near major passes and implementing military style land reclamation; During the Yuan Dynasty, Guangxi was under the jurisdiction of Huguang Xingzhongshu Province.
In the 23rd year of the Yuanzhi era (1363), Guangxi Xingzhong Book Province was established, marking the beginning of Guangxi’s establishment as a province.
During the Ming Dynasty, the name of a province in the Yuan Dynasty was abolished and a three-level regional system was established, including a department, prefecture (prefecture), and county (prefectural). The country is divided into 13 administrative bureaus. In June of the second year of Hongwu (1369), Lianzhou and Qinzhou, which were originally under the jurisdiction of Guangxi, were transferred to the jurisdiction of Guangdong. In the ninth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1376), the Guangxi Chengxuan Political Bureau was established, and the name “Guangxi” was thus fixed. The Guangxi Governor General’s Office is divided into 11 prefectures and 3 Zhili prefectures to govern each county. The 11 prefectures are: Guilin Prefecture (governed by Lingui County, now Guilin), Liuzhou Prefecture (governed by Maping, now Liuzhou), Qingyuan Prefecture (governed by Yishan), Sien Prefecture (first governed by Qiaoli, now Mashan Territory, later relocated to Wuyuan, now Wuming Territory), Siming Prefecture (governed by Siming Tuzhou, now Ningming), Pingle Prefecture (governed by Pingle), Wuzhou Prefecture (governed by Cangwu, now Wuzhou), Xunzhou Prefecture (governed by Guiping), Nanning Prefecture (governed by Xuanhua, now Nanning) Taiping Prefecture (governed by Chongshan, now Chongzuo) and Zhen’an Prefecture (governed by Debao); The three Zhili prefectures are: Guishun Prefecture (now Jingxi), Tianzhou (now Tiandong), and Sicheng Prefecture (now Lingyun). In addition, Quanzhou was originally part of Hunan Province. In the 27th year of the Hongwu reign (1394), Quanzhou (now Quanzhou, Guanyang, and Ziyuan) was transferred from Huguang Yongzhou Prefecture to Guangxi, and the present-day Guangxi region was largely formed. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there were 13 prefectures, 4 prefectures, 44 counties, 34 prefectures, 6 counties, and 5 administrative offices in Guangxi today. Ming Xianzong established the Governor General’s Office in Wuzhou, and by the 45th year of the Jiajing reign (1566), the Governor General of Guangdong and Guangxi was transferred from Wuzhou to Zhaoqing, Guangdong. [14]
During the Qing Dynasty, four levels were implemented: province, road, prefecture (Zhili Department) or prefecture (Zhili Prefecture), and county. Reorganize Guangxi Province, with the provincial capital located in Guilin Prefecture (now Guilin City).
Guangxi Province is divided into 11 prefectures, 2 Zhili prefectures, and 2 Zhili prefectures, which respectively govern each state, city, and county. The 11 prefectures are: Guilin Prefecture (governing Linggui, now Guilin), Liuzhou Prefecture (governing Maping County, now Liuzhou), Qingyuan Prefecture (governing Yishan), Sien Prefecture (governing Wuyuan, now Wuming), Sicheng Prefecture (governing Lingyun), Pingle Prefecture (governing Pingle), Wuzhou Prefecture (governing Cangwu, now Wuzhou), Xunzhou Prefecture (governing Guiping), Nanning Prefecture (governing Xuanhua, now Nanning), Taiping Prefecture (governing Chongshan, now Chongzuo), and Zhen’an Prefecture (governing Tianbao, now Debao); The two Zhili halls are: Shangsi Zhili Hall (governing present-day Shangsi) and Baise Zhili Hall (governing present-day Baise); The two Zhili prefectures are: Yulin Zhili Prefecture (now Yulin) and Guishun Zhili Prefecture (now Jingxi). In addition, Lianzhou Prefecture (now Hepu) and Qinzhou Zhili Prefecture (now Qinzhou) are both under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. Libo County was originally part of Guangxi Province and was placed under the jurisdiction of Guizhou Province in the tenth year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign (1732). At the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were 13 prefectures, 4 prefectures, 44 counties, 34 prefectures, 6 counties, 10 tusi, and 3 chief officials in Guangxi today.
The Xinhai Revolution overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established the Republic of China in the first year of the Republic of China (1912).
During the period of the Republic of China, Guangxi was referred to as a province after the Qing Dynasty, and its territory was roughly the same as that of the Qing Dynasty. From the establishment of Guangxi Province until the Republic of China, the provincial capital was in Guilin. From the first year of the Republic of China (1912) to the 25th year of the Republic of China (1936), it was temporarily relocated to Nanning. In the first year of the Republic of China, Zhili Prefecture and its prefectures were converted into prefectures, and the province was divided into 10 prefectures: Guilin Prefecture, Pingle Prefecture, Liuzhou Prefecture, Qingyuan Prefecture, Wuzhou Prefecture, Xunzhou Prefecture, Nanning Prefecture, Taiping Prefecture, Zhen’an Prefecture, and Sien Prefecture, which respectively governed each county. In the second year of the Republic of China (1913), the government system was abolished and all counties were directly under the jurisdiction of the province. In 1917, the province was divided into six roads: Guilin Road (now Guilin), Liujiang Road (now Liuzhou), Nanning Road (now Nanning), Cangwu Road (now Wuzhou), Zhennan Road (now Longzhou), and Tiannan Road (now Baise), which respectively governed each county. The measures of returning land and flowing back to the jurisdiction of local officials, which began in the Ming and Qing dynasties, were all completed in 1929, and all Tuzhou and Tuxian counties were replaced with new counties. In 1926, based on the principle of military and political integration, the Daoist system was abolished and the entire province was divided into several districts. In 1930, the province was divided into 12 militia districts. On December 16, 1927, Huang Shaohong led the Gui clique to pledge their allegiance to fight against Guangdong in Wuzhou, and the Guangdong Guangxi War broke out, leading to the Guangzhou Incident. On December 11th, Communist Party members launched the Guangzhou Uprising, as key members of the Guangdong clique launched a rebellion in Guangzhou. After the Guangxi clique launched the Guangdong Guangxi War, they divided their troops into two routes to attack Guangzhou and successively occupied areas such as Zhaoqing, Sanshui, and Hekou. The Fourth Army of the Guangdong Army made every effort to capture Dongjiang and returned to Guangzhou to intercept the Guangxi Army. The Guangxi Army changed its plan and turned to attack Dongjiang. [15] In 1934, the Mintuan District was renamed as the Administrative Supervision District. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the people of Guangxi actively fought against the enemy. During this period, Guangxi was ruled by the new and old Gui clique warlords for 28 years.
In 1949, as of the eve of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the province was divided into 1 city (Guilin), 15 districts (1-15 districts), and 99 counties. Qinzhou, Hepu, Lingshan, and Fangcheng are still under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. From the establishment of Guangxi as a province until the Republic of China period, the provincial capital was mostly located in Guilin. Only from the first year of the Republic of China to the 25th year (1912-1936) did it move to Nanning. Guangxi was a model province in China during the period of the Republic of China’s Xin Gui system, serving as the base for Chinese Gui clique warlords.
On December 11, 1949, the People’s Liberation Army of China liberated all of Guangxi and established Guangxi Province. The provincial capital is in Nanning.
From 1951 to 1955, Qinzhou and Lianzhou (now Qinzhou, Fangchenggang, and Beihai) were transferred from Guangdong to Guangxi.
On December 10, 1952, the Guixi Tong Autonomous Region was established in the three special regions of Yongning, Yishan, and Baise;
From 1955 to 1965, Qinzhou and Lianzhou were once again incorporated into Guangdong. In March 1956, Guixi Tong Autonomous Region was renamed Guixi Tong Autonomous Prefecture. In October, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed the initiative to establish Guangxi Tong Autonomous Region. In December, in view of the ongoing preparations for the establishment of Guangxi Tong Autonomous Region, the State Council meeting made a decision to revoke the Guixi Tong Autonomous Prefecture.
In June 1957, the State Council made a decision to establish the Guangxi Tong Autonomous Region and passed the corresponding resolution at the Fourth Session of the First National People’s Congress held in July of the same year.
On March 5, 1958, Guangxi Province was renamed as “Guangxi Tong Autonomous Region”, and the provincial-level “Guangxi Tong Autonomous Region” was established.
In 1965, Qinzhou and Lianzhou were once again incorporated into Guangxi. On October 12 of the same year, with the approval of the State Council, “Guangxi Tong Autonomous Region” was renamed “Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region”.
Since 1978, the anniversary of the establishment of the autonomous region has been set as December 11th, which is consistent with the days when the People’s Liberation Army of China liberated the entire Guangxi region, the Right Jiangsu Soviet, and the Red Seventh Army were established. [