On the bank of the Eile River, the Yin Mountain leans on the shadow, and the sky is like a curtain, covering the four fields. In the vast world, the grass waves are rolling, and the wind blows the grass and the cattle and sheep are low. This folk song of the Ele nationality during the Northern and Southern Dynasties vividly outlines the majestic scenery of the vast grassland of Inner Mongolia in just 72 words.
At the foot of Qianli Yin Mountain, the sky is like a giant screen dome, vast and boundless, enveloping the four wildernesses. The sky is high and far, the mountains are steep, and the earth is vast and boundless;The breeze blows, the grass hangs low, and the herds of cattle and sheep loom in the background. The beautiful scenery of the Inner Mongolia prairie seems to leap in front of you, which is refreshing and fascinating!
Inner Mongolia is located in the northern part of the motherland, and is a province and region in China that straddles the three major geographical regions of Northeast China, North China and Northwest China, and is connected to 8 provinces and regions and 2 countries.
This land has the most beautiful grasslands and the most vast forests in China, with both the "plugging up the south of the Yangtze River" with thousands of miles of fertile fields, and the magnificent scene of "lonely smoke in the desert and sunset over the long river". However, Inner Mongolia's amazement lies not only in its magnificent natural landscapes, but also in its infinite extension!
On the map of China, there are two provinces with unique shapes. One is Gansu Province, which extends from Yumen Pass all the way to the Qinba Mountains, more than 1,600 kilometers long, showing a wonderful form of "thick at both ends and thin in the middle", just like a "small waist", and like a huge "Jade Ruyi", across the northwest of the motherland!
Another unique province is Inner Mongolia, whose topography runs northeast to southwest, stretching from the primeval forests of the Great Khing'an Mountains to the Alxa grasslands. How long is Inner Mongolia?Only those who have truly experienced it can understand it deeply.
From Hulunbuir, the northernmost prefecture-level city in Inner Mongolia, to Hohhot, the capital of the autonomous region, the distance is more than 1,100 kilometers in a straight line, and the road distance is more than 1,700 kilometers, and even the fastest drive takes 20 hours. Although there is a direct train between the two places, it can take up to 31 hours to travel by train.
It is worth mentioning that Hohhot is located in the center of the autonomous region. From Hulunbuir in the east of Inner Mongolia to Ejina in the west, the straight-line distance reaches 2,400 kilometers. This distance is only 100 kilometers longer than the straight-line distance from Beijing to Hainan Island. The distance across a province in Inner Mongolia is even longer than that from Beijing to Hainan.
The length of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is not limited to straight-line distances, and neither highways nor railway lines extend in a straight line, but rather zigzag and winding. From the westernmost Ejina Banner to the easternmost Oroqen Autonomous Banner, the shortest road is more than 2,750 kilometers, and even non-stop driving takes nearly 40 hours. This fact shows the staggering length of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Due to the wide area, there is still a two-hour time difference in Inner Mongolia. It was already dark in Hulunbuir in the east, while it was still dusk in Alxa in the west. The difference in climate is also significant, with Erguna in the north already heating up in September, while the Hetao in the west is still short-sleeved at noon.
In addition, the dialects of the Inner Mongolians also show obvious differences between the East and the West. For example, the Eastern Fourth League in the east borders the three eastern provinces, and its dialect, food and living Xi habits are almost the same as those of the three eastern provinces, full of strong Northeast style, and the Inner Mongolians of the Eastern Fourth League consider themselves to be Northeast people.
However, when you step into the central and western parts of Inner Mongolia, you will be surprised to find that the dialect here is completely different from the east, but pure Jin. This is also the historical witness of "going to the west exit" back then!
Because of the long and narrow territory of Inner Mongolia and the fact that the capital Hohhot is located in the central and western regions, it is too far away for the eastern cities. As a result, residents of the Eastern Fourth League are more likely to choose the three provincial capitals in the northeast as their destination for migrant work, as they are closer to each other and sometimes even more convenient than to travel to their capitals, Hohhot, or even Beijing and Tianjin.
As a result, many residents of the Eastern Fourth League may have never been to their capital, Hohhot, because it is too inconvenient to get there. For example, it takes 20 hours to get to Hohhot by train from Chifeng, and there is not even a direct high-speed train. In comparison, the high-speed train from Chifeng to Beijing takes only two and a half hours.
How did Inner Mongolia form such a unique territory?
The Mongol nation emerged in the northern steppes at the end of the Jin Dynasty and established the Great Mongol Empire across the Eurasian continent in the mid-13th century, which stretched from the East China Sea to the Mediterranean, covering a vast territory of East Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, and Eastern Europe.
In 1271, Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty in his territory as the Great Yuan, inheriting the rule of the Great Mongol Empire. However, only a hundred years later, the Yuan Dynasty quickly collapsed. In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, and the Mongol Empire's rule over the Central Plains ended, and its power withdrew to the Mongolian Plateau.
During the Qing Dynasty, the Jurchens were powerful, and many nomads gradually attached themselves to the Qing Dynasty and pledged their allegiance to it. The Mongolian region maintained frequent contacts with the Qing Dynasty, and many Mongolian tribes married into close contacts with the Qing royal family.
In order to distinguish the different tribes in the Mongolian region, the Qing Dynasty called the early subordinate tribes of Monan Mongolia as "Neizasak Mongols", and the Khalkha and Erut tribes that were annexed later successively as "Waizasak Mongols". Later, "Neizasak Mongolia" gradually evolved into "Inner Mongolia".
During the Xinhai Revolution, Tsarist Russia took advantage of the fact that China was unable to sustain itself, and colluded with the Khalkha Mongolian elite to seek secession from China in a sinister attempt to expand its territory. Eventually, the Khalkha Mongols became independent, which is what is now the state of Mongolia, while Inner Mongolia was placed under the rule of the Chinese.
In 1928, in order to strengthen the control of the northern region, Ningxia, Rehe, Suiyuan and Chahar provinces were established one after another. These four provinces all contain parts of Inner Mongolia and are also known as the four provinces outside the Saiwai.
In 1947, the Inner Mongolia People's Congress was held at Wangye Temple (present-day Ulanhot), bringing together representatives of various ethnic groups from most of the Inner Mongolian Union Banners. The meeting decided to establish the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region**, covering parts of Chahar Province, Rehe Province, Heilongjiang Province and Suiyuan Province. At that time, the newly established Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region included only the eastern part of the region, and it was only half the length of the current region.
In the following 30 years, the territory of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has undergone many adjustments and changes.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, for the sake of the unified management of the country and the convenience of ethnic autonomy, the administrative divisions of the first period were adjusted. At that time, the threat from the north had disappeared, and the four provinces were withdrawn one after another.
In 1952, Chahar Province was abolished and its territory was incorporated into the Inner Mongolia Chahar LeagueIn 1954, Suiyuan Province was also abolished and merged into Inner Mongolia, and the original capital of Suiyuan Province was renamed Hohhot City, becoming the capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous RegionIn the same year, Ningxia Province was revoked and placed under the jurisdiction of Gansu Province.
In 1955, Rehe Province was abolished, and the three counties and three banners in the Chifeng area were assigned to the Zhaowuda League of Inner Mongolia. At the same time, the Bayanhot Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture and Ejina Autonomous Banner in Gansu were transferred to Inner Mongolia. At this point, the length of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has nearly doubled, and its territory has roughly taken shape.
In July 1969, due to the needs of the situation at that time, the state made a major adjustment to the political regions of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Hulunbuir League was transferred to Heilongjiang Province;The Molidawa Daur Autonomous Banner and the Oroqen Autonomous Banner participated in the formation of the Great Khing'an Mountains.
Tuquan County, Horqin Right Wing Front Banner and Zhelimu League were assigned to Jilin Province;The Zhaowuda League was transferred to Liaoning Province;Part of the Alxa Left Banner and the Alxa Right Banner of the Bayannur League were transferred to the Ningxia Hui Autonomous RegionThe rest of the Alxa Right Banner and the Ejina Banner were assigned to Gansu Province.
After this adjustment, Inner Mongolia only retained a section of territory in the central part of the country, and the area was reduced by nearly 2 3.
In 1979, the territory of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region underwent another major adjustment
The Hulunbuir League, the Oroqen Autonomous Banner and the Molidawa Daur Autonomous Banner in the Daxinganling Mountains of Heilongjiang Province, the Zhelimu League of Jilin Province and the Tuquan County and Horqin Right Wing Front Banner of the Baicheng Region, and the Zhaowuda League of Liaoning Province were all assigned to Inner Mongolia.
The Alxa Left Banner of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in the western region, and the Alxa Right Banner and Ejina Banner of Gansu Province were also successively returned to the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This adjustment restored the territory of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to its pre-1979 shape.
Since then, the territory of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has remained stable and has continued to be the same shape to this day, with only some adjustments made in terms of internal administrative divisions. The Hulunbuir League, the Zhelimu League, the Zhaowuda League, the Ulanqab League, the Yikezhao League, and the Bayannur League have successively abolished the league level and established city-level administrative units.
Today, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has jurisdiction over 9 prefecture-level cities and 3 leagues, spanning the three major geographical regions of Northeast, North China and Northwest, with a total area of 1.18 million square kilometers, ranking third in the country. In recent years, various undertakings in the district have developed rapidly and vigorously developed. As the local tourism slogan says: "The motherland is in the north, beautiful Inner Mongolia". 100 help plan