In the previous article, the author talked to you about a series of stories about the zoning changes in various provinces in my country, such as the zoning changes between Gansu Province and Qinghai Province, Hebei Province and Liaoning Province. Today, we talk about the zoning changes of Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province. In the 1970s, due to the needs of economic development, more than 90 villages in Sichuan Province were gradually placed under the management of Yunnan Province, and formed an important part of Shuifu County in Yunnan Province. Today, we will talk about the story of the division changes between Sichuan Province and Yunnan Province.
First, let’s talk about the basic situation of Sichuan Province. Sichuan Province is an important province in southwest my country. It is also a province with a large population, a large food supply, and a large economy. In 2021, Sichuan Province's total GDP will reach more than 5 trillion, which is at a very good level. Sichuan Province has a total population of more than 87 million, ranking very high among all provinces in the country. Sichuan Province has a moderate climate and a basin structure. Sichuan Province has a high grain output and a very rich variety.
Life in Sichuan Province is very comfortable, and there is a saying that "you will never leave Sichuan when you are young, and you will never leave Shu when you are old". Sichuan Province has a large jurisdiction, with 18 prefecture-level cities, 3 autonomous prefectures, and a total of 21 prefecture-level divisions. They are: Chengdu City, Zigong City , Panzhihua City, Luzhou City , Deyang City , Mianyang City , Guangyuan City , Suining City, Neijiang City , Leshan City , Nanchong City. , Meishan City , Yibin City , Guang'an City , Dazhou City , Ya'an City , Bazhong City , Ziyang City , Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture , Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture , Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture.
The border area between Sichuan Province and Yunnan Province has a very complex terrain, dominated by hills and mountains. In such a terrain environment, people's travel and communication are greatly restricted. Therefore, for a long time, the boundary division between Sichuan and Yunnan was very blurred. Before the Yuan Dynasty , all dynasties followed the two-level divisions of prefectures and counties, and there was no concept of provincial divisions. After the Yuan Dynasty unified the country in 1279, it established an empire with an unprecedentedly vast territory.
The two-level division of prefectures and counties in the Tang and Song Dynasties was not suitable for the Yuan Dynasty. Therefore, the Yuan Dynasty launched the provincial system after comprehensive improvement based on the Jin Kingdom Xing Shu Tai, and divided the country into 10 provinces, such as Yunnan Province , Sichuan Province, Huguang Province etc. Please note that at this stage, the divisions of Sichuan Province and Yunnan Province were hugely different from those of contemporary Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province. After the founding of the Ming Dynasty in 1368, the provincial system of the Yuan Dynasty continued to be used.
The Ming Dynasty had two capitals in the north and south, and then the divisional pattern of north and south Zhili and 13 provinces emerged. In the southwest region, the divisional pattern of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou was formed. In the middle of the 17th century, the Qing Dynasty gradually eliminated the various political regimes and peasant rebel forces in the Southern Ming Dynasty, and established its rule over the country. And according to its own needs, the divisions of each province were adjusted, forming a divisional pattern of 18 provinces. During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, the division of the southwestern provinces was adjusted on a large scale.
places Dongchuan Prefecture, Wumeng Prefecture, Zhenxiong Prefecture and other places in Sichuan Province into Yunnan Province. The Wusa Prefecture, Zhenxiong Prefecture and other places in Sichuan Province were included in Guizhou Province. Shuifu County is located at the angle between the confluence of the Jinsha River and the Hengjiang River. It belongs to the southern edge of the Sichuan Basin and the starting point of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. It is bounded by Hengjiang River and Jinsha River in the east and north respectively, and faces Yibin County in Sichuan Province across the river. In fact, Shuifu City only emerged in the 1970s and 1980s. In the process of the rise of Shuifu City, it involved the zoning changes of Sichuan Province and Yunnan Province.
After the founding of New China, with the end of large-scale wars, our country entered the stage of post-war reconstruction, resumption of production, and development and construction. Initially, due to practical management needs, Sichuan Province was divided into northern Sichuan, northern Sichuan, western Sichuan, and eastern Sichuan.After entering the 1950s, in the process of economic construction, overly complex zoning was detrimental to development. The four administrative areas were revoked and re-merged into Sichuan Province. It has to be said that Sichuan Province’s overall strength is very strong.
As we all know, our country started 156 important projects in the 1950s, and the demand for various resources such as steel, oil, and rubber was very large. Yunnan Province is rich in resources in all aspects, making it easy to develop the chemical, chemical industry and fertilizer industries. In the early 1970s, eight sets of chemical equipment imported from abroad were settled in Yunnan Province. According to the plan, they could produce large amounts of fertilizers and other products. However, there is a problem of water shortage. It has to be said that the chemical industry requires a large amount of water ( Yuntianhua ).
Due to the needs of construction and development, in 1974, three towns including Anfu Township, Shuidong Township and Shuihe Township in Yibin County, Sichuan Province. A total of more than 90 villages are included in the management of Zhaotong District of Yunnan Province. It must be said that after these towns were incorporated into Yunnan Province, the water resources in the Zhaotong area were rapidly increased. More importantly, it gives Yunnan Province an excellent opportunity to enter the Yangtze River waterway.
In the late 1970s, our country's economy entered a stage of sustained and rapid development. In order to meet the needs of economic development, various provinces have carried out large-scale zoning adjustments. The southwest region is restricted by terrain and geographical structure, and has great limitations in terms of transportation. However, Yunnan Province has a pivot point into the Yangtze River waterway. In August 1981, on the basis of the original Anfu Township, Shuidong Township, and Shuihe Township, plus the original Taiping Township, Liangwan Township, and other towns in Yunnan Province, Shuifu County was jointly established.
Shuifu County has great commercial value. It is the only channel for Yunnan Province to integrate into the Yangtze River waterway transportation. Its strategic location is very important. Through the transshipment of Shuifu Port , various materials in Yunnan Province can pass down the Yangtze River through the Yangtze River Water Transport Channel, and directly reach major cities such as Chongqing, Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing, and Shanghai. Yunnan Province attaches great importance to this advantage of Shuifu County. In order to build Shuifu County, a lot of manpower and material resources have been invested, such as expanding the size of the port, widening the river, etc., and it is planned to be able to navigate 3,000-ton merchant ships.
In 2018, Shuifu County was revoked and Shuifu county-level city was established, which further increased its importance. Located in the center of Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Chongqing in the southwest region, Shuifu City is the only county-level city in Yunnan Province with "five links" of railways, highways, water transportation, aviation, and natural gas. It is 10% away from Yunnan. The closest city in the Chongqing Twin Cities Economic Circle is about 150 minutes' drive from Chengdu and Chongqing. It is said to be "the first port of the Yangtze River and the northern gate of colorful Yunnan".
Seriously speaking, among the various towns and villages in Shuifu City, a considerable part are indeed included from Yibin, Sichuan. However, in the process of establishing Dukou City that year, more than 40 towns and villages in Yunnan Province located on the west side of the north bank of the Jinsha River were gradually placed under the management of Sichuan Province.
There are many more stories about the zoning adjustments in various regions in our country. The author will talk to you slowly in future articles.
