Southwestern China | |
|---|---|
 Government-defined region of Southwest China. Red: controlled by China; light red:disputed territory | |
| Country |  China |
| Largest city | Chongqing |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,365,900 km2 (913,500 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 192,979,243 |
| • Density | 82/km2 (210/sq mi) |
| GDP | 2022[2] |
| - Total | ¥13.713 trillion $2.039 trillion |
| - Per Capita | ¥71,060 $10,565 |
Southwestern China (Chinese:西南;pinyin:Xīnán) is a region in thePeople's Republic of China. It consists of five provincial administrative regions, namelyChongqing,Sichuan,Guizhou,Yunnan, andTibet.
Southwestern China is a rugged and mountainous region, transitioning between theTibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese coastal hills (东南丘陵) and plains to the east. Key geographic features in the region include theHengduan Mountains in the west, theSichuan Basin in the northeast, and thekarsticYungui Plateau in the east. The majority of the region is drained by theYangtze River, which forms theThree Gorges in the northeast of the region.[3]
The narrowest concept of Southwestern China consists ofSichuan,Chongqing,Yunnan, andGuizhou, while wider definitions often includeGuangxi and western portions ofHunan.[4] The officialgovernment definition of Southwestern China includes the core provinces of Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, and Guizhou, in addition to theTibet Autonomous Region.[3]
Portions of Southwestern China, including the land that is modern day Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, were incorporated into China in 230 BCE byQin dynasty emperorShi Huangdi.[5] Independent states would continue to exert influence within the region, with notable examples being theNanzhao Kingdom in the 8th and 9th centuries CE and theDali Kingdom in 10th and 11th centuries CE. The region was largelypacified and incorporated into the Ming domain.[4] In the 13th century CE, the Mongol ledYuan dynasty expanded its frontiers to include the Tibetan Plateau, which now defines China's current southwest frontier.[5]
In the 18th century CE, control of the Tibetan Plateau area was important in theGreat Game confrontations between the imperial powers of Russia, Britain, and China.[5]
After the warlord governments of China's Republican era replaced the Manchu ledQing dynasty, government policy towards the southwest largely became one of inaction.[6]
TheSecond Sino-Japanese War prompted the Nationalist government to focus increasingly on state-building tasks in the southwest.[6] The city ofChongqing served as the capital of Chinese resistance to imperial Japanese expansion.
After their defeat in theChinese Civil War, parts of theNationalist army retreated south and crossed the border into Burma as thePeople's Liberation Army entered Yunnan.[7]: 65 The United States supported these Nationalist forces because the United States hoped they would harass the People's Republic of China from the southwest, thereby diverting Chinese resources from theKorean War.[7]: 65 The Burmese government protested and international pressure increased.[7]: 65 Beginning in 1953, several rounds of withdrawals of the Nationalist forces and their families were carried out.[7]: 65 In1960, joint military action by China and Burma expelled the remaining Nationalist forces from Burma, althoughsome went on to settle in theBurma-Thailand borderlands.[7]: 65–66
Western strategies to contain China in the 20th century CE included intervention in the Tibetan Plateau until almost the mid-1970s.[5] Tibet became an increased area of concern in China's southwest after theSino-Soviet split when Soviet soldiers on the border of Mongolia and China threatened to close theGansu corridor,[5] which would have left Tibet as the only reliable Chinese route toXinjiang.[5]
During thereform and opening up era, China began to look more seriously towards integrating its southwest regions.[8] China's increased focus on trade-led development and its transition to asocialist market economy helped trigger a reorientation to the southwest as its lagging development became increasingly seen as an impediment to growth.[9] China's southwest development initiatives reflect an awareness that economic engagement is the most cost-effective way to decrease political unrest and remedy underdevelopment along this frontier.[10]
The diverse areas of Southwestern China carry strong regional identities and have been historically considered more rural than the more developed eastern regions of China.[4] Rapid development since the late 1970s has helped transform many parts of the region with modern advancements. In the early 21st century, Southwestern China contained 50% of the country'sethnic minority population which, in turn, formed 37% of the region's population.[4]Han Chinese migration has been largely concentrated in the urban centres, while the rural areas are still predominantly made up of minority populations, including theZhuang,Miao,Yi, and others.
Inhabitants of Southwestern China primarily speak a dialect ofMandarin Chinese known asSouthwestern Mandarin. This variant uses the same written language as Mandarin but is only approximately 50%mutually intelligible withStandard Chinese. As of 2012, there were approximately 260 million speakers of Southwestern Mandarin.[11]
In the first half of the 20th century,industrial development in China's southwest was state-led.[12]: 13
| GB[13] | ISO No.[14] | Province | Chinese Name | Capital | Population | Density | Area | Abbreviation/Symbol | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yú | 50 | Chongqing Municipality | 重庆市 Chóngqìng Shì | Chongqing | 28,846,170 | 350.50 | 82,300 | CQ | 渝 |
| Chuān (Shǔ) | 51 | Sichuan Province | 四川省 Sìchuān Shěng | Chengdu | 80,418,200 | 165.81 | 485,000 | SC | 川(蜀) |
| Guì (Qián) | 52 | Guizhou Province | 贵州省 Gùizhōu Shěng | Guiyang | 34,746,468 | 197.42 | 176,000 | GZ | 贵(黔) |
| Yún (Diān) | 53 | Yunnan Province | 云南省 Yúnnán Shěng | Kunming | 45,966,239 | 116.67 | 394,000 | YN | 云(滇) |
| Zàng | 54 | Tibet Autonomous Region Xizang Autonomous Region | 西藏自治区 Xīzàng Zìzhìqū | Lhasa | 3,002,166 | 2.44 | 1,228,400 | XZ | 藏 |
| # | City | Urban area[15] | District area[15] | City proper[15] | Prov. | Census date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chongqing[a] | 8,894,757 | 12,084,385 | 16,044,027 | CQ | 2010-11-01 |
| 2 | Chengdu | 6,316,922 | 7,415,590 | 14,047,625 | SC | 2010-11-01 |
| 3 | Kunming[b] | 3,140,777 | 3,272,586 | 6,432,209 | YN | 2010-11-01 |
| 4 | Guiyang | 2,520,061 | 3,034,750 | 4,322,611 | GZ | 2010-11-01 |
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