Leagues of Inner Mongolia

This article is part of the series:
Administrative divisions of the
People's Republic of China

History of the political divisions of China

A league (Mongolian: (ᠠᠶᠢᠮᠠᠭ) ayimaγ or, historically, čiγulγan; Chinese: 盟, pinyin: méng) is an administrative unit in Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China.

Leagues are the prefectures of Inner Mongolia. The name comes from a kind of ancient Mongolian administrative unit used during the Qing Dynasty in Mongolia. To preempt any sense of Mongolian unity or solidarity, the Qing Dynasty executed divide and rule policies in which Mongolian Banners (county level regions) were separated from each other. Leagues had no true ruler-ship, they only had conventional assemblies consisting of banners. During the ROC era, the leagues had a status equivalent to provinces. Leagues contain banners, equivalent to counties.

After the establishment of the provincial level Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 1947, leagues of Inner Mongolia became equal to prefectures in other provinces and autonomous regions. The governments of the league, (Chinese: 行政公署; pinyin: xíngzhènggōngshǔ), is the administrative branch office dispatched by People's Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The leader of the league's government, titled as league leader (Chinese: 盟长; pinyin: méngzhǎng), is appointed by People's Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. So are deputy leaders of leagues. Instead of local level of People's Congress, league's working commissions of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are detached and supervise the league's governments, but can not elect or dismiss league's government officials.[1] In such a way, the league's working committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is instead of league's committee of CPPCC.

Just like prefectures, most leagues have been replaced by prefecture-level cities. There are only 3 leagues remaining in Inner Mongolia.

Leagues have existed since the Qing Dynasty as a level of government. The head of a league was chosen from jasagh or sula of the banners belonging to it. The original six leagues were Jirim, Juu Uda, Josutu, Xilingol, Ulanqab, and Yeke Juu (Ikh Juu). More were added in the subsequent centuries.

Today, leagues belong to the prefecture level of the Chinese administrative hierarchy. Of the 9 leagues that existed in the late 1970s, 6 have now been reorganized into prefecture-level cities.

Leagues of Inner Mongolia
Name Simplified
Chinese		 Pinyin Capital Date abolished Replaced with
Present-day leagues
Alxa 阿拉善 Ālāshàn Bayanhot    
Xilingol 锡林郭勒 Xīlínguōlè Xilinhot    
Hinggan 兴安 Xīng'ān Ulaanhot    
Former leagues
Bayan Nur 巴彦淖尔 Bāyànnào'ěr Linhe December 1, 2003 Bayan Nur prefecture-level city
Chahar 察哈尔 Cháhā'ěr Baochang October 1, 1958 merged into Xilingol League
Hulunbuir 呼伦贝尔 Hūlúnbèi'ěr Hailar October 10, 2001 Hulunbuir prefecture-level city
Hulunbuir-Nawenmuren 呼伦贝尔纳文慕仁 Hūlúnbèi'ěr Nàwénmùrén Hailar April 1, 1953 Dissolved into Hulunbuir
Jirim 哲里木 Zhélǐmù Tongliao January 13, 1999 Tongliao prefecture-level city
Josutu 卓索图 Zhuósuǒtú   before 1949 currently distributed among Fuxin, Chaoyang, Chifeng prefecture-level cities
Juu Uda 昭乌达 Zhāowūdá Chifeng October 10, 1983 Chifeng prefecture-level city
Nawenmuren 纳文慕仁 Nàwénmùrén Zhalantun April 11, 1949 merge into Hulunbuir-Nawenmuren
Ulanqab 乌兰察布 Wūlánchábù Jining December 1, 2003 Ulanqab prefecture-level city
Yeke Juu 伊克昭 Yīkèzhāo Dongsheng February 26, 2001 Ordos prefecture-level city

References

  1. ^ "The standing committee of the people’s congress of a province and autonomous region may set up administrative offices in the prefectures under its jurisdiction. " from Item 2, Article 53, Organic Law of the Local People’s Congresses and Local People’s Governments of the People’s Republic of China (2004 Revision)

See also