The origin of the name Tianshui
Tianshui has always been a territory of the Qin State during the Zhou Dynasty. It was called Gui County during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and was named Shanggui County in the Qin Dynasty. So why was it called Tianshui later? There is a magical legend behind it. It is said that in the third year of Yuanding reign of Emperor Wu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Shanggui experienced an unprecedented severe drought. That summer, the sun was blazing and the climate was hot, but it didn't rain for a long time. Seeing the crops in the fields drying up day by day and drinking the only turbid and bitter water in the river, people were anxious and prayed devoutly to the gods for rain every day.
Perhaps people's sincerity finally moved God. In the middle of the night, just as people were falling asleep, a deafening thunder suddenly sounded in the sky. The thunder mixed with lightning seemed to be rolling from the sky, getting stronger and stronger. For a time, strong winds were blowing across the land, and sand and rocks were flying. People were frightened by this formation and thought God was angry. At this moment, a red light appeared on the ground, and then the earth continued to shake, as if it was about to crack.
Suddenly, with a thunder in the sky, there was a deafening sound from the ground. The earth really cracked, as if it had opened its mouth, and white mist drifted from the crack. At the same time, I saw a thick river of water falling from the sky, just pouring into the cracked underground, as if God knew that the earth had been thirsty for a long time, and used the water of the Tianhe to quench his thirst. The scene was so spectacular that people opened their eyes wide in surprise.
The water of the Tianhe River continued to flow like this for a long time, until the wind stopped, the thunder subsided, and the earth returned to peace. People curiously ran to the crack in the earth to take a look, and a large lake appeared here. The water in the lake was crystal clear, sweet and delicious. Over the next few days, a steady drizzle fell from the sky, rescuing the entire world from drought and heat. With the moisture of water, everything becomes green, the mountains and fields are green, and the streams are gurgling.
After experiencing such a change, people thought it was the power of the gods, so they spread the legend of "water filling of the Tianhe". In fact, from our perspective today, this is probably just a natural phenomenon, a major earthquake. But people at that time could not explain this, so they called the lake "Tianshui Well". It was also said that the water "never dries up in spring, never overflows in summer, and is beautiful all year round." Use this water to irrigate, and the seedlings that grow are strong, the trees are lush, and even the girls they raise are particularly beautiful. Since then, Shanggui has become a veritable oasis in Longshang, and the story of "Tianhe Water Filling" has been passed down from generation to generation.
At that time, for better management, the Han Dynasty decided to divide Longxi County (today's Shui District) into two counties. After hearing the legend of "Tianhe filling water", Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ordered to build a city by Shanggui Lake and set up a new county here, named "Tianshui County". Tianshui got its name from this