In Chinese history, the division of provinces began in the Yuan Dynasty. Historically, provinces were under the jurisdiction of state capitals and other units. Nowadays, for more than 30 provinces in China, prefecture-level cities are the main units under their jurisdiction. Among them, provinces such as Shandong, Henan, and Anhui generally have more than ten prefecture-level cities under their jurisdiction. However, as far as Guangdong Province is concerned, it governs 21 prefecture-level cities (including two sub-provincial cities) including Guangdong and Shenzhen, which is the most among provinces. In addition, Guangdong Province has become China's largest economic province and the most populous province.
一
First of all, in ancient Chinese history, the name Guangdong evolved from Lingnan East Road, Guangnan East Road, , referred to as "Guangdong". Guangdong is an important inheritance place for Lingnan culture. It has unique styles in terms of language, customs, living habits, history and culture. Before the Qin Dynasty, the Nanyue people in Guangdong, as the ancestors of the Chinese nation, had been engaged in agricultural activities. In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang established the Qin Dynasty by annihilating the six kingdoms of Qi, Chu, Yan, Wei, Zhao, and Han. After the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang focused his attention on the Lingnan region including Guangdong. After the Nanping Baiyue War, Guangdong and other regions were included in the territory of the Qin Dynasty, and their economic and cultural exchanges with the Central Plains became increasingly close.
二
Entering the historical stage of the Tang Dynasty, the 45 Lingnan states belonged to the five governorates (also known as the five Lingnan governorates): Guangzhou, Guizhou, Rongzhou, Yongzhou, and Annan. In 862 AD, Lingnan Road was divided into East and West Roads. The East Road governed Guangzhou, and Guangdong belonged to the Lingnan East Road. This is the origin of the word "East" in the name of Guangdong Province, and it was also the beginning of the division of into east and west. During the Song Dynasty, today's Guangdong Province included 14 states on Guangnan East Road and 7 states on Guangnan West Road, a total of 61 counties. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, due to factors such as the war in the Central Plains and the southward migration of the population, the economic center of gravity increasingly moved southward, and the economy in Guangdong developed rapidly.
三
During this historical stage, Guangzhou became China's largest port, along with it. With the opening and operation of the "Maritime Silk Road", Guangdong's shipping trade has become increasingly prosperous. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the regional outline of Guangdong Province was basically formed. During this historical period, Guangdong had 10 prefectures, 1 Zhili prefecture, and 7 prefectures and 75 counties. During the Qing Dynasty, the name "Guangdong Province" was officially used, and its jurisdiction was the same as that of the Chief Envoy of Guangdong in the Ming Dynasty. In addition, the Qing Dynasty established a governor-general to govern Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, called the "Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi". He was first stationed in Zhaoqing. When Emperor Qianlong was in power, the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi moved to Guangzhou. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Guangdong's economy continued to maintain a rapid development trend. Guangdong merchants, Hui merchants, and Shanxi merchants were also known as the three major business gangs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
四
Finally, at present, Guangdong Province has 21 prefecture-level cities, which are divided into four regions: the Pearl River Delta, Eastern Guangdong , Western Guangdong and Northern Guangdong . The Pearl River Delta includes: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan , Dongguan , Zhongshan , Zhuhai , Jiangmen , Zhaoqing , Huizhou ; Eastern Guangdong includes: Shantou, Chaozhou , Jieyang , Shanwei ; Western Guangdong includes: Zhanjiang , Maoming , Yangjiang ; Northern Guangdong includes: Shaoguan , Qingyuan , Yunfu , Meizhou , Heyuan . As of 2014, Guangdong Province covers an area of 179,700 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 107.24 million. In addition, in the 2016 provincial GDP rankings, Guangdong Province continued to maintain its first position.
Text/History of Feelings
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