Xikang

Xikang (formerly romanized as Sikang or Hsikang, Template:Literal translation or 'Kham to the west [of Sichuan]') was a nominal province<ref> Template:Harvp: "Despite its almost entirely illusory nature, the so-called Xikang province was officially sketched out by Chinese map-makers, from whom it came to be known nation-wide. </ref> formed by the Republic of China in 1939 on the initiative of prominent Sichuan warlord Liu Wenhui<ref>Yajun Mo, "The New Frontier: Zhuang Xueben and Xikang Province", in "Chinese History in Geographical Perspective", edited by Yongtao Du and Jeff Kyong-McClain, p. 124, Lexington Books, 2013</ref> and retained by the early People's Republic of China. The former territory of Xikang is now divided between the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Sichuan province.

The idea behind Xikang province was to form a single unified province for the entire Kham region under direct Chinese administration, in effect annexing the western Kham region that was then under Tibetan control. Kham was entirely populated by Tibetan people called Khampas. The then-independent Tibet controlled the portion of Kham west of the Upper Yangtze River.<ref> Template:Harvp: "According to the Kuomintang, the boundary of this new Xikang province encompassed, not only part of the southwestern province of Sichuan that was then dominated by the Han Chinese warlord Liu Wenhui, but also a huge portion of the ethnographic Tibetan area west of the Upper Yangtze River that was then effectively administered by the autonomous Tibetan government." </ref> The nominal Xikang province also included in the south the Assam Himalayan region (Arunachal Pradesh) that Tibet had recognised as a part of British India by the 1914 McMahon Line agreement.<ref> Template:Harvp: "In addition, the newly carved provincial boundary also extended deep into the Tibetan-Assam tribal territory, including areas south of the theoretically existing McMahon Line that had been signed away to British India by Lhasa in 1914." </ref> The eastern part of the province was inhabited by a number of different ethnic groups, such as Han Chinese, Yi, Qiang people and Tibetan, then known as Chuanbian ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), a special administrative region of the Republic of China. In 1939, it became the new Xikang province with the additional territories belonging to Tibetan and British control added in. It was taken over by Chinese communist forces in 1949.

The provincial capital of Xikang was Kangding from 1939 to 1951 and Ya'an from 1951 to 1955. The province had a population of 3.4 million in 1954.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1955, its eastern half was merged into Sichuan, and its western half came under the administration of the TAR preparatory committee.

Overview

The idea of "Xikang" was to construct an independent province of China for the entire Kham region, which would be separate from Tibet as well as Sichuan. Even though it was defined in regulations and sketched out on maps, only the eastern Kham region was ever under the control of the Republic of China.Template:Cn

History

File:Simla Convention and ROC control in Kham.jpg

ROC's control in Kham: Light blue line on the west represents the boundary in 1912–1917, after which the ROC was pushed back to the brown line during 1918–1932. By 1945, it arrived at the dotted red line. The dark blue was the Simla Convention boundary that ROC turned down.

File:Xikang province in 1950 CIA map of Tibet.jpg

The Xikang province shown with a dark green line boundary (CIA, 1950)

Following the 1905 Batang uprising, Qing China appointed Zhao Erfeng as the Imperial Commissioner for the Sichuan-Yunnan Frontier.Template:Sfnp Zhao reduced all the autonomous native states in both the western and eastern Kham by 1910 and converted them into Chinese districts governed by magistrates.Template:Sfnp He signed an agreement with the Tibetan government setting the border between China and Tibet at Gyamda.Template:Sfnp This paved the way for the formation of a Xikang province, proposed by Zhang's successor Fu Songmu.Template:Sfnp

Following the Wuchang Uprising in October 1911, which led to the downfall of the Qing dynasty, the region subdued by Frontier Commissioners was established as the Chuanbian Special Administrative District ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) by the newly founded Republic of China.

In June 1930, eastern Kham (later Xikang) was invaded by the army of Tibet, precipitating the Sino-Tibetan War. With the district locked in internal struggles, no reinforcements were sent to support the Sichuanese troops stationed here. As a result, the Tibetan army captured Garzê and Xinlong Counties without encountering much resistance. When a negotiated ceasefire failed, Tibetan forces expanded the war, attempting to capture parts of southern Qinghai province. In March 1932, their force invaded Qinghai but was defeated by the local Hui warlord Ma Bufang in July, who routed the Tibetan army and drove it back to this district.Template:WhichTemplate:Citation needed

The Hui army captured counties that had fallen into the hands of the Tibetan army since 1919. Their victories threatened the supply lines of the Tibetan forces in Garzê and Xinlong. As a result, part of the Tibetan army was forced to withdraw.Template:Citation needed

In 1932 Liu Wenhui in cooperation with the Qinghai army, sent out a brigade to attack the Tibetan troops in Garzê and Xinlong, eventually occupying them, Dêgê and other counties east of the Jinshajiang River. The 1934 Khamba Rebellion led by the Pandatsang family broke out against the Tibetan government in Lhasa. The Khampa revolutionary leader Pandatsang Rapga was involved.Template:Citation needed

In January 1939, the Chuanbian Special Administrative District officially became a province of the Republic, the Hsikang Province. Kesang Tsering was sent by the Chinese to Batang to take control of Xikang, where he formed a local government. He was sent there for the purpose of propagating the Three Principles of the People to the Khampa.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1949, the People's Liberation Army took control of Xikang. In 1955, western Xikang was merged into Sichuan, and eastern Xikang came under the administration of the Preparatory Committee for the Tibet Autonomous Region.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Administrative divisions

1939–1950

Name	Administrative Seat	Traditional Chinese	Subdivisions	Comments
First Administrative Circuit	Kangding County	第一行政督察區	4 counties, 1 bureau	Later the Xikang Province Tibetan Autonomous Region
Second Administrative Circuit	Yingjing County	第二行政督察區	7 counties	Later the Ya'an Division
Third Administrative Circuit	Xichang County	第三行政督察區	9 counties, 3 bureaus	Later the XIchang Division
Fourth Administrative Circuit	Garzê County	第四行政督察區	15 counties	Later the Xikang Province Tibetan Autonomous Region
Fifth Administrative Circuit	—	第五行政督察區	13 counties	Chamdo Region; de facto controlled by Tibet

1950–1955

Name	Simplified Chinese	Hanyu Pinyin	Subdivisions
Ya'an (1951–1955)	lang}}	Yǎ'ān shì	1 city Ya'an
Ya'an Division	lang}}	Yǎ'ān Zhuānqū	8 counties Ya'an (1950–1951), Baoxing, Lushan, Tianquan, Yingjing, Hanyuan, Mingshan (1951–1955), Shimian (1951–1955)
Xichang Division	lang}}	Xīchāng Zhuānqū	13 counties Xichang, Yanyuan, Yanbian, Huili, Ningnan, Dechang, Zhaojue (1950–1952), Yuexi, Mianning, Jinkang (1952–1955), Muli (1952–1955), Miyi (1952–1955), Huidong 3 bureaus Puge (1950–1952), Ningdong (1950–1952), Luoning (1950–1952)
Xikang Province Tibetan Autonomous Region	lang}}	Xīkāng Shěng Zàngzú Zìzhìqū	20 counties direct controlled Kangding, Danba, Qianning, Yajiang, Luding, Jiulong 1 bureau Jintang Ganzi Regional Office (1951–1955) Ganzi, Shiqi, Dengke, Dege, Baiyu, Zhanghua→Xinlong, Luhuo, Daofu Litang Regional Office (1951–1955) Litang, Batang, Derong, Dingxiang→Xiangcheng, Daocheng, Yidun
Liangshan Yi Autonomous Region (1952–1955)	lang}}	Liángshān Yízú Zìzhìqū	8 counties Zhaojue, Puge, Ningdong, Xide, Butuo, Jinyang, Meigu, Puxiong

List of governors

Chairperson of the Provincial Government

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" rowspan=2| 1	File:Liu Wenhui.jpg	Liu Wenhui 劉文輝 Liú Wénhuī (1895–1976)	1 January 1939	9 December 1949	Kuomintang
Defected to the Communists.
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" rowspan=2| 2	File:He Guoguang (cropped).jpg	Ho Kuo-kuang 賀國光 Hè Guóguāng (1885–1969)	25 December 1949	March 1950	Kuomintang
Fled to Taiwan via Haikou after fall of Xichang.

Xikang CCP Committee Secretary

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" rowspan=2| 1		Liao Zhigao 廖志高 Liào Zhìgāo (1913–2000)	1950	1955	Chinese Communist Party
Province abolished.

People's Government Chairperson/Governor

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;" rowspan=2| 1		Liao Zhigao 廖志高 Liào Zhìgāo (1913–2000)	26 April 1950	September 1955	Chinese Communist Party
Province abolished.

See also

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• Kham

Bibliography

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