Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture (; Hmu language: ; Kam language: ), also known as Southeast Qian Autonomous Prefecture of Miao and Dong and shortened as S.E. Qian Prefecture (), is an autonomous prefecture in the southeast of Guizhou province in the People's Republic of China, bordering Hunan to the east and Guangxi to the south. The seat of the prefecture is Kaili. Qiandongnan has an area of .

History During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the area of present-day Qiandongnan belonged to the states of Zangke, Yelang and Chu. Under the Qin and Han dynasties, it was administered under various commanderies, with its administrative affiliations continuing to change through the Wei, Jin, Northern, Sui, Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the region came under the administration of several prefectures and military guards in Guizhou, while Qing authorities also established a number of sub-prefectures in the area. During the Republic of China, the traditional prefectural system was abolished in 1913 and replaced by counties. The area was successively administered under Qiandong Circuit, direct provincial administration and several administrative inspectorates following a series of territorial reorganizations.

Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Zhenyuan Special District was established in the area in 1949. In 1956, the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture was created with its seat at Kaili, initially comprising 16 counties. The counties were temporarily consolidated into seven in 1958 before the original administrative structure was restored between 1961 and 1962. Kaili was elevated from a county to a county-level city in 1983 and the city was formally established in 1984.

Geography Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture borders Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture to the west, the prefecture-level cities of Zunyi and Tongren to the north, Huaihua of Hunan to the east and Liuzhou of Guangxi to the south. The prefecture covers a total area of 30,337 square kilometres (11,713 sq mi), with its administrative seat in Kaili. The whole state governs one city of Kaili and 15 counties. The prefecture lies in the transitional zone between the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau and the hills and basins of Hunan and Guangxi. The terrain is predominantly mountainous, with elevations descending from west to east. Its highest point is Huangyang Mountain in Leishan County, the principal peak of Leigong Mountain, at 2,178.8 m (7,148 ft) above sea level, while the lowest point, at 137 m (449 ft), is located at Jinglang Village in Liping County.

The prefecture is situated in the upper reaches of both the Yangtze and Pearl river systems. Its principal rivers include the Qingshui, Wuyang and Duliu rivers. The Qingshui and Wuyang rivers belong to the Yuan River basin of the Yangtze watershed, while the Duliu River forms part of the Liu River basin within the Pearl River system. Qiandongnan is rich in mineral resources, with 58 identified mineral types, including coal, iron, gold, mercury, zinc, lead, antimony, copper, phosphate, limestone, barite, dolomite and clay. The prefecture possesses some of China's largest barite reserves, while its quartz sandstone for glass production and antimony reserves rank among the largest in Guizhou.

Subdivisions

The prefecture is subdivided into 16 county-level divisions: 1 county-level city and 15 counties. County level city: Kaili City () Counties: Shibing County () Congjiang County () Jinping County () Zhenyuan County () Majiang County () Taijiang County () Tianzhu County () Huangping County () Rongjiang County () Jianhe County () Sansui County () Leishan County () Liping County () Cengong County () Danzhai County ()

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Political structure +TitleCCP Committee SecretaryPeople's Congress ChairmanGovernorQiandongnan CPPCC ChairmanNameLi JianLiu KaishuYang GuangjieGao FengEthnicityTujiaDongMiaoGelaoBornAssumed officeOctober 2023January 2026October 2023January 2026

Demographics As of 2018, Qiandongnan had a huji population of 4,811,900, with 3,538,300 (73.53%) of whom were living in the region. 81.3% of the huji population were ethnic minorities: 43.2% were Miao and 30.4% were Dong. There are 33 ethnic groups living in the territory, including Miao, Dong, Han, Buyi, Shui, Yao, Zhuang, and Tujia. According to the seventh census data in China, as of 00:00 on November 1, 2020, the resident population of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture was 3,758,622.

According to the 2010 census, Qiandongnan has 3,480,626 inhabitants. Among them, 1,821,262 (52.33%) were male and 1,659,364 (47.67%) were female. 865,119 (24.86%) were aged 0–14, 2,271,506 (65.26%) were aged 15–64 and 344,002 (9.88%) were aged 65 or above. The urban population was 905,659 (26.02%) while the rural population was 2,574,967 (73.98%).

+ Ethnic groups in Qiandongnan, 2010 census Ethnic group Miao Dong Han Sui Bouyei Tujia She Unrecognized Zhuang Yao Others Population 1447257 1010352 756587 55357 34599 33676 31397 28189 24618 21732 38127 Percentage of total population 41.57 29.02 21.73 1.59 0.99 0.97 0.90 0.81 0.71 0.62 1.10 Percentage of ethnic minorities 53.10 37.07 --- 2.03 1.27 1.24 1.15 1.03 0.90 0.80 1.40

Notable people Ayouduo, Chinese singer Lei Yan, Chinese singer Bi Gan, Chinese film director

References

External links Citadel of the Dong Magazine article on the Dong minority village of Zengchong. National Geographic article about the Dong of Dimen, Liping County, by Amy Tan (2008) NPR story about Dong folk songs, featuring Amy Tan, April 2008