The Population Change in Horqin in the 20th Century
20 世纪科尔沁的人口变化及其特征分析

This paper analyzes the population change of Horqin in recent 100 years based on the Mongolian, Chinese and Japanese documents. The findings show that the population of Horqin has increased rapidly in recent 100 years. The average population density increased from 2.4 peosons/km2 during the period of the Republic of China to 39.72 peosons/km2 in 2000, 17 times that at the beginning of the 20th century. The increased population is mainly migratory people before 1949, the immigrants and their offsprings after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The study area has witnessed two population peaks in recent 100 years. One peak appeared in the planned migration period after 1949, and the other is the migratory people of the Puppet Manchuria State. The distribution of immigrants in Horqin was affected by the distance from agricultural area, natural environment condition of Horqin and its changes, urbanization and so on. Population density has turned out to be in gradual decline in terms of spatial distribution characteristics, from the periphery to the centre of Horqin, from agricultural area to agri-pastoral area and pastoral area, from city to village and pastoral area. The immigrants became the chief peasants of Horqin during the 20th century.