Baarin Left Banner ( Mongolian: ; zh, c=巴林左旗), or Bairin, is a

banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

of eastern

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...

, China, under the administration of the

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province of China, province and above a Counties of the People's Republic of China, county in China's ...

Chifeng Chifeng,; also known as Ulanhad ( (Улаанхад хот), ''Ulaɣanqada qota'', , "red cliff") also known as Ulankhad in Mongolian, is a prefecture-level city in Southeastern Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China. It borders Xilin Gol Le ...

. The banner spans an area of 6,644 square kilometers, and as of 2018, has a population of 340,020. Baarin Mongols live here. The distinct Mongolian dialect of this region is called Baarin. It is located at the intersection of two national highways: China National Highway 303 and 305.

History

Balin Left Banner has a long history, with archaeological digs dating to the 40th Century BC. Archaeological relics uncovered in the banner are believed to include those of the Hongshan culture and the Fuhe culture. Around the time China was undergoing the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

, the area of Bairin Left Banner was home to the Shanrong and

Donghu people The Donghu (; ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic Hu (people), Hu people that were first recorded from the 7th century BCE and was taken over by the Xiongnu in 150 BCE. They lived in northern Hebei, southeastern Inner Mongolia and the western ...

. Later, the area would be home to the

Wuhuan The Wuhuan (, < Eastern Han Chinese: *''ʔɑ-ɣuɑn'', <

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multiling ...

. During the first few centuries of the

Common Era Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the ...

, the area was home to the

Khitan people The Khitan people (Khitan small script: ; ) were a historical Eurasian nomads, nomadic people from Northeast Asia who, from the 4th century, inhabited an area corresponding to parts of modern Mongolia, Northeast China and the Russian Far East. ...

and the Kumo Xi. In 918 CE, the capital of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty, Shangjing ( zh, c=上京), was built in present-day Bairin Left Banner. From 918 CE to 938 it was known as Huangdu ( zh, labels=no, s=皇都, t=, p=). During the time of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, many

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

began moving to the area. On March 1, 1933, the banner, then known as Lindong County ( zh, labels=no, s=林东县, t=林東縣, p=), was invaded by Japanese forces, who occupied the county until August 10, 1945. On June 1, 1946, the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

established its local government in the area, the Lindong Administrative Committee ( zh, labels=no, s=林东行政委员会, t=林東行政委員會, p=). From the establishment of the People's Republic of China throughout the early 1980s, the area underwent numerous administrative reorganizations, culminating in October 1983, with the placement of the Bairin Left Banner under the

Climate

Baarin Left Banner has a

continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''BSk''), with very cold and dry winters, hot, somewhat humid summers, and strong winds, especially in spring. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, with the annual mean at . The annual precipitation is approximately , with more than half of it falling in July and August alone. Due to the aridity and elevation,

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...

often exceeds in spring, averaging annually. There are 2,934 hours of bright sunshine annually, with each of the winter months having over 70% of the possible total, and this percentage falling to 52 in July.

Administrative divisions

Bairin Left Banner is divided into 2 subdistricts, 7

towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

, 2 townships and 2 sums. The banner's seat of government is the town of Lindong.

Demographics

References

{{authority control Banners of Inner Mongolia Chifeng