Why did Dihua change its name to Urumqi?

According to historical records, Urumqi is its original name, which was changed to Dihua after being conquered by Mongols. With the peaceful liberation of Xinjiang, Dihua was renamed Urumqi.

Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is called "beautiful pasture" in Mongolian. But there was a history in Urumqi called Dihua, and few people knew it.

Di Hua cheng Jian

Urumqi used to be the territory of the ancient Cheshi kingdom. After Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions, Wang Chaocai in the Central Plains began to know the existence of this place. Later, the Mongols conquered this place. In the 13th year of Zhengde in Ming Wuzong (A.D. 15 18), it was divided into four Wei Lats, which were occupied by Heshuo Special Department.

In the Qing Dynasty, this was the territory of Junggar Department, which refused to obey Wang Hua and launched many rebellions, which became the main hidden danger of the northwest frontier in the early Qing Dynasty. In the 20th year of Qianlong (AD 1755), there was a conflict between Davatchi and Amur Sana 'a in Junggar. The Qing court thought that the time was ripe to completely destroy Junggar, and eliminated two rebels one after another, thus completing the reunification of the northwest. And collectively referred to as "Xinjiang", which means "Xinjiang territory" of Gansu.

Dihua was founded in this period. After the defeat of Dawaqi in Qianlong twenty years, the Qing court built a tucheng here, named "Urumqi". After Junggar was destroyed, in order to consolidate local rule, the imperial court first set up a general's office in Yili as a military and political center in the 22nd year of Qianlong (AD 1757), and then expanded to Urumqi to the north the following year. Emperor Qianlong changed his name to Dihua, which means enlightenment and consciousness, but the name "Urumqi" is still common.

With the improvement of the administrative system. In the thirty-sixth year of Qianlong (A.D. 177 1), the court set up counsellors, directors and judges in Dihua County. The following year, the new city "Gongning", the old city, was expanded in Bali, west of the city, which means "consolidating peace". In two years, Dihua County will be promoted to Zhili Prefecture, which belongs to Chief Secretary of Gansu Province. At the same time, the Counsellor was changed to Commander-in-Chief, assisting General Yili, the official in charge of the northern Tianshan Mountains, and commanding the garrison in Dongjiang.

Dihua can be seen by the Qing court, which is naturally inseparable from superior location conditions. It is a fertile soil suitable for farming and nomadic: "The southeast is close to Qilian, surrounded by mountains and water, and it is the most fertile soil. Not because of the deep water and thick soil, Chengdu is rich, and the surrounding water springs are abundant, which is suitable for farming and grazing. " At the same time, it is also the "gateway and throat of Yili", a transportation hub connecting the northern and southern Tianshan Mountains and the Central Plains to the western regions, which provides the necessary conditions for the prosperity of Dihua.

After the city was built, the Qing court also practiced the policy of reclaiming farmland and immigrated from Gansu and Zhongyuan. After vigorous immigration development, Dihua has gradually developed into a city that is "prosperous and rich, and feels at home outside the customs". During his exile in Dihua, Ji Yun, a scholar, observed the local customs and left more than 60 pieces of1Urumqi Miscellaneous Poems, one of which described the nightlife in Dihua City: "There is a restaurant building in the south and north of the city. In the pear garden outside Chunmingmen, the scenery is still vaguely wandering. "

The central position of modern times

By 1864, under the impact of the "unprecedented change in three thousand years", the Qing Dynasty ceded a large territory because of a piece of paper "China and Russia demarcated the northwest border", and Dihua gradually replaced Yili as the political, economic and cultural center of Xinjiang.

At the same time, Agubo, a general of a vast country in Central Asia, took the opportunity to invade Xinjiang and captured Urumqi in the ninth year of Tongzhi (AD 1870). The chaotic situation in Xinjiang gave Britain and Russia the opportunity to compete for spheres of influence, and Russia even brazenly occupied Ili and its surrounding areas. Self-reliant Agubo is also willing to collude with Britain and Russia and betray national sovereignty at will.

In the face of a new round of border crisis, there was a dispute between coastal defense and fortress defense in the Qing court. Finally, Zuo advocated solving the problem of fortress defense first: "Shut down Long Xinping, do not return the old land of the country in time, but cut it off and make it a country." This will be a disaster for yourself. If Pasha can't get it, the west will not merge with Britain, or it will turn north and enter Russia. If we sit down and retreat, we will lose everything and we will not be able to reduce the number of border guards. It is useless to defend the sea and defeat the national prestige, which is long and chaotic. This is essential. "

In the first year of Guangxu (A.D. 1875), Zuo was appointed as an imperial envoy to command the Xiang army, which lasted for more than two years and wiped out Akuta's aggressive forces. Agubo himself said that he committed suicide by taking poison. However, the Russians still stayed in Yili. After Zuo recovered Xinjiang, the Qing court went to Russia as an imperial envoy to negotiate with Chonghou about the return of Ili. Russia insisted on trading, demarcation and compensation, and Chonghou was forced to agree.

Chonghou's traitorous behavior caused unanimous opposition from the ruling and opposition parties. The Qing court refused to recognize the treaty, and in the sixth year of Guangxu (A.D. 1880), it sent Ceng Jize to renegotiate. In order to cooperate with the statement, Zuo also went to Hami to gather troops and prepare to recover Ili by force. Russia finally gave in, the two countries re-signed the Ili Treaty, and China recovered the southern border of Ili, partially safeguarding sovereignty.

However, Russia has annexed the northwest frontier. At this time, Yili was too isolated to continue to assume the political center of Xinjiang. In the 10th year of Guangxu (A.D. 1884), the Qing court announced the establishment of a province in Xinjiang, with Liu Jintang, the general of Xiang Army, as the first governor, and the capital moved from Yili to Dihua.

With the improvement of Dihua's political status, the scale of the city will also expand. During the Agubai rebellion, Gongning City was destroyed by war. In the 12th year of Guangxu (A.D. 1886), Dihua was promoted from a state to a government, and the Manchu-Han area merged, which laid the foundation for the urban form of modern Urumqi.

After reconstruction, Dihua quickly became a commercial hub in the northwest. Russians were the first people to see this place. Article 12 of the Ili Treaty stipulates: "Russian citizens are allowed to trade in Ili, Talbahatai, Kashgar, Urumqi and the northern and southern cities of the Tianshan Mountains outside the customs without paying taxes for the time being."

Dihua became a commercial port open to Russia, and Russian businessmen monopolized the market by virtue of the privileges granted by the treaty to obtain huge profits. In the 21st year of Guangxu (A.D. 1895), the Qing court allowed Russia to draw a trade circle in Nanliang, Dihua. The affairs in the trade circle are managed by consulates, while Russian businessmen set up foreign firms in the circle and enjoy import and export privileges without paying taxes, just like concessions.

According to Mr. Shi Jian Ya, the first sign of the national economic rise in the late Qing Dynasty was the trade and other economic exchanges between commercial cities in various regions. Although Dihua is not as good as the coastal commercial port, it can also attract business travelers from all over China, especially from Tianjin: "After Gengzi, business travelers in Tianjin were tired one after another, and merchants were entangled in southern Xinjiang. Outside southern Xinjiang, Russian businessmen are influenced by consuls, especially those who moved to Kazakhstan, so people are mixed and customs are uneven. "

A separatist country of the Republic of China

However, the Qing dynasty, which was heading for the end of the road, found it increasingly difficult to maintain control over local governments. During the national disaster of Gengzi, the southeast governors reached a mutual protection agreement with the powers in private, which actually declared the demise of the imperial authority. After the Revolution of 1911, the Qing emperor abdicated, but * * * did not come, but the warlords scuffled. Xinjiang is far from the border, and the separatist forces are stronger. It is difficult for both Beiyang government and Nanjing national government to effectively rule it. After warlords Yang Zengxin and Jin were overthrown, power finally fell into Sheng's hands.

In order to consolidate his power, Sheng chose to turn to the Soviet Union for help in exchange for Soviet assistance. 19331February, Sheng reached a secret agreement with the representative of the Soviet Union, Bogodin, to get military assistance from the Soviet Union at the expense of ceding the rights of mining, oil and gold in Xinjiang and the right to build the Zhuguchak-Dihua railway.

After eliminating political enemies, Sheng Cai's family followed the Soviet system to rebuild Xinjiang, and made a three-year plan with the assistance of consultants. Due to the deterioration of the relationship between Sheng and the Soviet Union, the three-year plan was actually implemented only in the second round, but Dihua still made great progress during this period.

In order to meet the requirements of the construction of the rear area of the Anti-Japanese War, 1940 established Dihua Municipal Committee to prepare for Dihua's upgrading from county to city. The following year, the urban planning of Dihua Street was released, and the residential area, education area, industrial area and other areas were planned: "There are houses, libraries, markets, parks and so on. In the south of Hongshan; There are education areas, industrial areas and hospitals in the north. Among them, industrial land is the first phase, the second phase and the third phase from south to north. " Scientific planning, away from the war zone, Dihua has taken on a new look.

But Soviet aid obviously comes at a price. With the deepening of Soviet control over Xinjiang, Sheng felt more and more in danger of becoming a puppet, and finally chose to submit to the National Government. From 1942, while the Soviet Union was busy fighting Germany, the National Government gradually completed its control over Xinjiang. On August 6th, 1944, Zhu Shaoliang, commander of the Eighth Theater, flew to Dihua to take over the situation. Desperate Sheng announced his resignation, and the rule of reactionary warlords ended.

Change back to "Urumqi"

After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, the People's Liberation Army began to rapidly liberate the north and south of the great river, and the peaceful liberation of the northwest was also promoted.

1September, 949, the * * * peace talks broke down again, and the Chinese representative, General Zhang Zhizhong, was determined to leave the dark for the bright future and stay in Peiping. With the help of General Zhang Zhizhong, Xinjiang's military and political leaders, Bao Erhan and Tao Zhiyue, declared an uprising on September 25th, and Xinjiang was peacefully liberated.

Finally, according to the new national law, "in order to strengthen national unity, the names of ethnic minorities and the names, tablets and plaques of ethnic minorities left over from history should be changed, sealed or stored." Description, 1 954 February1,"Dihua" was officially changed back to "Urumqi". The name "Dihua" represents the modern history of Xinjiang, and it was renamed to bid farewell to that semi-colonial and semi-feudal humiliating era.