Tingzhou fu
Encyclopedia
Tingzhou fu was a prefecture
in Fujian
province from the Tang Dynasty
(唐朝) down to the early 20th century.
(汀江), which originates in the north and runs through the county toward the south and enters the South China Sea
in Shantou
(汕头), Guangdong
(广东) province. Since early years Tingjiang river
has been serving as an important water path for traveling and, more importantly, shipping of goods between coastal areas and mountainous in-lands. It was said that the early Hakka
ancestors traveled from north through the same path to Guangdong
and the other parts of China
and overseas, so Tingjiang river
also gained its name as "Hakka's Mother River".
, county level administration was set up in the place where Changting county is currently seated. To administer the immmigrating northerners, the Tingzhou fu (汀州府) prefectural administration was set up in the 24th reign-year of Tang emperor
Kaiyuan
, ie 736 CE
.
Since then and until the end of Qing Dynasty
(清朝), Changting had been where Zhou(州), Jun(郡), Lu(路) and Fu(府) (all prefectural level administrations) were located, and economic and political center of western Fujian
(福建). During the Ming
and Qing
dynasties (明清朝), Tingzhou Fu encompassed eight counties including Changting (长汀)
, Ninghua (宁化
, often regarded as very first settlement place for Hakka people), Qingliu (清流)
, Guihua (归化, obsolete), Liancheng (连城)
, Shanghang (上杭)
, Wuping (武平)
and Yongding (永定). Being the first such territory set up by administration for migrant resettlement and one of the main concentration places for Hakka people, Tingzhou is also referred to as "Capital of Hakkas"(客家首府). Many Hakkas can trace their origins back to Tingzhou.
One of the most renowned Hakkas is Dr.Sun Yat-sen
(孙中山), the Father of Modern China, whose family migration path represents that of most Hakka people. According to the book by former Professor Luo Xianglin (罗香林),Origins of Father of the Nation's Family (国父家世源流考, 1942), Dr. Sun's ancestors migrated as early as the Tang Dynasty
from Chenliu, Kaifeng County
, in central China's Henan
Province (河南省开封县陈留) to Ningdu County
, Jiangxi
(江西宁都). After staying in Ningdu for five generations, the family migrated in the Song Dynasty
(宋朝) over to Tingzhou. After three generations the family migrated in the Ming Dynasty
(明朝) down to Guangdong
(广东), whence many family members scattered overseas.
, ie 1913. During Chinese Civil War
, the prefecture was the economic and financial centre of the Chinese Soviet Republic. Tens of thousands of people from "Changting" joined the Chinese Red Army - but not many survived the Long March
.
With the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Prefecture was renamed again ("Longyan" 龙岩地区
) and—minus several counties—its political centre was relocated to Xinluo
.
The former prefectural seat --"Tingzhou Town" (汀州镇)
-- now only a shiretown (or "county-town", 县城), memorialises the imperial-era prefecture. The name of its reduced purview --Changting (长汀)
-- recalls the prefecture in its ROC years.
Prefecture
A prefecture is an administrative jurisdiction or subdivision in any of various countries and within some international church structures, and in antiquity a Roman district governed by an appointed prefect.-Antiquity:...
in Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
province from the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
(唐朝) down to the early 20th century.
History
As early as 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, there were ancient Minyue(闽越) people thrived along the Tingjiang riverTingjiang river
The Ting River flows 300 km from Changting County in western Fujian south to the port and Special Economic Zone of Shantou, Guangdong.The former prefecture of Tingzhou fu or T'ingchow-fu was administered from a centre on the upper river, now the town of Tingzhou in Changting County; all these...
(汀江), which originates in the north and runs through the county toward the south and enters the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
in Shantou
Shantou
Shantou , historically known as Swatow or Suátao, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, with a total population of 5,391,028 as of 2010 and an administrative area of...
(汕头), Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
(广东) province. Since early years Tingjiang river
Tingjiang river
The Ting River flows 300 km from Changting County in western Fujian south to the port and Special Economic Zone of Shantou, Guangdong.The former prefecture of Tingzhou fu or T'ingchow-fu was administered from a centre on the upper river, now the town of Tingzhou in Changting County; all these...
has been serving as an important water path for traveling and, more importantly, shipping of goods between coastal areas and mountainous in-lands. It was said that the early Hakka
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
ancestors traveled from north through the same path to Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
and the other parts of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and overseas, so Tingjiang river
Tingjiang river
The Ting River flows 300 km from Changting County in western Fujian south to the port and Special Economic Zone of Shantou, Guangdong.The former prefecture of Tingzhou fu or T'ingchow-fu was administered from a centre on the upper river, now the town of Tingzhou in Changting County; all these...
also gained its name as "Hakka's Mother River".
Imperial
In Han DynastyHan Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
, county level administration was set up in the place where Changting county is currently seated. To administer the immmigrating northerners, the Tingzhou fu (汀州府) prefectural administration was set up in the 24th reign-year of Tang emperor
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
Kaiyuan
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang , also commonly known as Emperor Ming of Tang , personal name Li Longji , known as Wu Longji from 690 to 705, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 43 years was the longest during the Tang Dynasty...
, ie 736 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
.
Since then and until the end of Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
(清朝), Changting had been where Zhou(州), Jun(郡), Lu(路) and Fu(府) (all prefectural level administrations) were located, and economic and political center of western Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
(福建). During the Ming
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
and Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
dynasties (明清朝), Tingzhou Fu encompassed eight counties including Changting (长汀)
Changting County
Changting , also known as Tingzhou or Tingchow, is a county in western Fujian province, the People's Republic of China. With a population of 480,000 and an area of 3,099 square kilometers, Changting is the fifth largest county in Fujian province...
, Ninghua (宁化
Ninghua County
Ninghua is a county in Sanming municipality in Fujian province, China.Ninghua is located at the west of Sanming, next to Jiangxi Province. Shibi of Ninghua is well known as the Cradle of the Hakka...
, often regarded as very first settlement place for Hakka people), Qingliu (清流)
Qingliu County
Qingliu is a county of Fujian, China. It is under the administration of Sanming city.-Administration:The county executive, legislature, and judiciary are in Longjin Town, along with the CPC and PSB branches.-Township :*Donghua...
, Guihua (归化, obsolete), Liancheng (连城)
Liancheng County
Liancheng County is a county in the municipal region of Longyan, Fujian, southeastern China.-Geography:Liancheng borders Changting and Shanghang counties to the west and south, and Xinluo, the municipal seat, to the southeast...
, Shanghang (上杭)
Shanghang County
Shanghang is a populous county of Longyan Municipality in Fujian Province.-Transportation:Part of Shanghang County is accessed by National Route 319, coming west from Xinluo , the municipal seat...
, Wuping (武平)
Wuping County
Wuping is a county in the municipal region of Longyan, FJ.-Administration:The county executive, legislature and judicary are in the town of Pingchuan , together with the CPC and PSB branches.-Other Towns :*Taoxi *Zhongbao...
and Yongding (永定). Being the first such territory set up by administration for migrant resettlement and one of the main concentration places for Hakka people, Tingzhou is also referred to as "Capital of Hakkas"(客家首府). Many Hakkas can trace their origins back to Tingzhou.
One of the most renowned Hakkas is Dr.Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
(孙中山), the Father of Modern China, whose family migration path represents that of most Hakka people. According to the book by former Professor Luo Xianglin (罗香林),Origins of Father of the Nation's Family (国父家世源流考, 1942), Dr. Sun's ancestors migrated as early as the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
from Chenliu, Kaifeng County
Kaifeng County
Kaifeng County is a county of Henan, China. It is under the administration of Kaifeng city....
, in central China's Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
Province (河南省开封县陈留) to Ningdu County
Ningdu County
Ningdu County is a county, under the jurisdiction of Ganzhou, in Jiangxi province, People's Republic of China.The village of Xiaoyuan in Ningdu County was the site of the 1932 Ningdu Conference of the Communist Party of China during which Mao Zedong was removed from his leadership positions....
, Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
(江西宁都). After staying in Ningdu for five generations, the family migrated in the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
(宋朝) over to Tingzhou. After three generations the family migrated in the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
(明朝) down to Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
(广东), whence many family members scattered overseas.
Revolution Era
Tingzhou was renamed "Changting" (长汀) in the 2nd year of the Republic of ChinaRepublic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
, ie 1913. During Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
, the prefecture was the economic and financial centre of the Chinese Soviet Republic. Tens of thousands of people from "Changting" joined the Chinese Red Army - but not many survived the Long March
Long March
The Long March was a massive military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China, the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the Kuomintang army. There was not one Long March, but a series of marches, as various Communist armies in the south...
.
With the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Prefecture was renamed again ("Longyan" 龙岩地区
Longyan
Longyan is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Fujian province, China.-Geography:It is situated in the upper reaches of the Jiulong and Tingjiang rivers...
) and—minus several counties—its political centre was relocated to Xinluo
Xinluo District
Xinluo District is a county-level territory under the jurisdiction of Longyan, in Fujian Province, China.Xinluo District has a population of approximately 50,000....
.
The former prefectural seat --"Tingzhou Town" (汀州镇)
Tingzhou (town)
The town of Tingzhou is the seat of the Changting County government, Party and police.-History:For information on Tingzhou Town's colorful past, see the wiki pages on the county it seats and on the former prefecture it seated.-Reference of Place-name:...
-- now only a shiretown (or "county-town", 县城), memorialises the imperial-era prefecture. The name of its reduced purview --Changting (长汀)
Changting County
Changting , also known as Tingzhou or Tingchow, is a county in western Fujian province, the People's Republic of China. With a population of 480,000 and an area of 3,099 square kilometers, Changting is the fifth largest county in Fujian province...
-- recalls the prefecture in its ROC years.