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Sichuan (Chinese: 四川; pinyin: Sìchuān; Wade-Giles: Ssu-ch`uan; non-standard transliteration: Szechwan) is a province in central-western China with its capital at
Chengdu.
History
The territory of the province and its vicinity were the cradle of unique local civilizations, which can be dated to at least
15th century BC (i.e. later years of Shang Dynasty). Beginning from 9th century
BC, Shu (today Chengdu) and Ba (today Chongqing City) emerged as
cultural and administrative centres where two rival kingdoms were established.
Shu's existence was unknown until a 1986 archaeological discovery at a small village
named Sanxingdui (三星堆 Sān Xīng Duī) in
Guanghan (廣漢 Guǎng Hàn) County. Believed to be an ancient city of
the Shu Kingdom, the excavations yielded invaluable archaeological information.
Although the Qin Kingdom destroyed the civilizations of Shu and Ba, the government accelerated the technological and
agricultural advancements comparable to that of the Huang He Valley. The Dujiangyan
(都江堰 Dū Jiāng Yàn) irrigation system, built in 3rd century BC under the inspection of Li Bing (李冰 Lǐ Bīng), was the symbol of
modernization of that period. Composed of a series of dams, it redirected the flow of Min
Jiang, a major tributary of Chang Jiang (The Yangtze River), to fields and
relieved the damage of seasonal floods. The construction and various other projects greatly increased the harvest of the area
which thus became the main source of provision and men for Qin's unification of China.
Various ores, especially iron, were abundant. Adding to its significance, the area was also on the trade route from Huang He Valley to foreign countries of the southwest, especially India.
Military importance matches the commercial and agricultural values. As the area is actually a basin and is surrounded by the
Himalayas to the west, Qinling Range to the north, and mountainous areas of
Yunnan to the south, its climate is often heavily foggy. Since Chang Jiang flows through the basin and thus is upstream to areas of eastern China,
whoever controlled the area could easily sail navies downstream. Therefore, the area was always the base of numerous ambitious
militarians and was the refuge of Chinese governments throughout history. A few independent regimes were founded; the most famous
was Shu Han of the Three Kingdoms. The Jin Dynasty
first conquered Shu Han on its path of unification. During the Tang
Dynasty, it was a front against Tibet. The Southern Song Dynasty established coordinated defense
against the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty in Sichuan and Xiangyang, which proved successful as Mongke Khan died of illness in Sichuan. The line of defence was finally broken through after the first
use of firearms in history during the six-years siege of Xiangyang. Foggy climate hindered the accuracy of Japanese bombing of the basin and Chongqing where the capital of Republic of China had moved to during World War II.
Sichuan's borders have remained relatively constant for the past 500 years. This changed in 1997 when the city of Chongqing as
well as the surrounding towns of Fuling and Wanxian were formed into the new Chongqing
Municipality. The new municipality was formed to spearhead China's effort to develop its western regions as well as to
coordinate the resettlement of refugees from the Three Gorges Dam
project.
Subdivisions
The current immediate administrative divisions of Guangdong consist of 18 prefecture-level cities and 3 autonomous prefectures:
- Chengdu(成都)
- Mianyang(绵阳)
- Deyang(德阳)
- Yibin(宜宾)
- Panzhihua(攀枝花)
- Leshan(乐山)
- Nanchong(南充)
- Zigong(自贡)
- Luzhou(泸州)
- Neijiang(内江)
- Guangyuan(广元)
- Shuining(遂宁)
- Ziyang(资阳)
- Guang'an(广安)
- Yaan(雅安)
- Meishan(眉山)
- Dazhou(达州)
- Bazhong(巴中)
- Aba Tibetan Qiang Autonomous
Prefecture(阿坝藏族羌族自治州)
- Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous
Prefecture(甘孜藏族自治州)
- Liangshan Yi Autonomous
Prefecture(凉山彝族自治州)
Geography
The area is actually a basin and is surrounded by the Himalaya to the west,
Qinling Range to the north, and mountainous areas of Yunnan to the south. The Chang Jiang flows through the basin and thus is upstream to areas of eastern
China.
The climate is often heavily foggy. Several cities are quite polluted and seldom get sunny days.
Bordering provinces: Chongqing Municipality,
Tibetan Autonomous Region, Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi, Guizhou and Yunnan.
Economy
The Three Gorges Dam, the largest dam ever constructed, is being built on the Yangtze River in
nearby Hubei province to control flooding in the Sichuan Basin, neighboring Yunnan province, and downstream. The plan is hailed by some as a Chinese effort to shift
towards alternate energy sources and to further develop its industrial and commercial bases but others have criticised it for its
potential harmful effects, such as massive resettlement of refugees, loss of archeological sites, and ecological damage.
Demographics
The majority of population is Han Chinese, who are found scattered
throughout the province. Significant minorities of Tibetans, Yi, Qiang and Naxi reside
in the western portion, which used to be part of historic Tibet's Kham region.
Culture
Tourism
UNESCO World
Heritage Sites:
Miscellaneous topics
Professional sports teams in Sichuan include:
Colleges and universities
External links
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