The place names below were formed in different historical periods and are "living fossils" of the social activities and economic development of various ethnic groups. The place names of some cities and counties in our country are named after various factors. Some place names come from social and economic development, some place names are related to history and geography, and some are related to myths and legends. Understanding the historical formation process of place names can help you become familiar with and remember place names. The origin of some city and county place names is briefly described as follows:
Jiangxi [Gan]
Ganzhou has Zhangshui in the east and Gongshui in the west. The city is between the two rivers. The name of the water is combined with the character "gan", hence the name.
Jingdezhen was renamed "Jingdezhen" during the Jingde period of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, the imperial porcelain produced in the area had the words "Made in Jingde Year" on it.
Wuyuan is named because it is located at the source of Wu River.
Fenyi is named after Yichun County where it is located.
Hengfeng is named after Hengfeng Mountain in the north of the county.
Zhejiang [Zhejiang]
Hangzhou Legend has it that Dayu arrived here when he was controlling floods, and Shehang landed. "Hang" and "Hang" are the same pronunciation, so it was called "Hangzhou".
Ningbo is named after Dinghai County, which means "Hai Ding Ze Bo Ning". Because there is the Yongjiang River in the territory, it is also referred to as "Yong".
Shaoxing In the first year of Shaoxing, Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, Yuezhou was promoted to be the capital, and it was named "Shaoxing" after the reign name.
Jiangsu [苏]
Nanjing was named Jinling because Chu State built a city here during the Warring States Period and established Jinling City. During the Wu Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms, it was called Jianye and also called Stone City. In the Jin Dynasty, it was called health. Ming An is called Nanjing. During the Qing Dynasty, it was governed by Jiangning Prefecture, so it was referred to as "Ning".
Suzhou is named after Gusu Mountain.
Wuxi was rich in copper and tin during the Zhou and Qin Dynasties. By the Han Dynasty, tin mining had been completed, hence the name "Wuxi".
Yangzhong is named because it is located in the middle of the Yangtze River.
Lianyungang is named after one of the two characters because it is located between Yuntai Mountain and the East and West Islands.
Huaiyin was named because the place was south of the ancient Huaihe River.
Jiangyin is named because it is located in the south of the Yangtze River.
Siyang is located in the north of the ancient Si River, hence its name.
Liyang got its name from the north of the ancient Lishui River.
Haimen is named because it is located near the estuary on the north bank of the Yangtze River.
Henan [Henan]
Kaifeng It is said that in the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Zheng Zhuang ordered Kaifeng City to be built as a place to store grain and millet, so it was named because it meant to open up the frontier.
Xiuwu was named Ningyi in the Shang Dynasty. King Wu of Zhou conquered Zhou and crossed the river from Mengjin to the east. When he got here, he encountered rain and rested for three days, so Ningyi was renamed Xiuwu.
Yanshi According to legend, King Wu of Zhou conquered Zhou and succeeded in turning the army. He built a city here and stopped the Yanrong army, so it was named Yanshi.
Yanling is named after the ancient Yanling Pagoda.
Shanxi [Jin]
Hebend is located at the bend of the Yellow River, so it is named after the meaning of "the Yellow River meanders for thousands of miles".
Jiexiu It is said that during the Spring and Autumn Period, the Marquis of Jin Dynasty Jie Zhizhi did not mention his salary, but hid in Jieshan Mountain with his mother until his death. Hence the name "Jiexiu".
The Divine Pond is named after the Divine Pond.
Wenxi It is said that when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty came here, he heard that Nanyue was defeated, so he established Wenxi County.
Shandong [Lu]
Jinan is named Jinan because the city is located south of the ancient Jishui River. Jinan has seventy-two springs since ancient times, so it is known as the "Spring City".
Yantai was an important place for coastal defense in the Ming Dynasty, with beacon towers set up to guard against Japanese pirates, hence the name Yantai.
Hebei [Hebei]
Hejian is named because it is located on the Hutuo River that has dried up and the Ziya River flows through the territory. The county seat is located between the two rivers.
The former name of the Weichang is Mulan Weichang ("Mulan" means sentry deer). It was a hunting place for the rulers of the Qing Dynasty. It was named "Weichang" in the early years of Guangxu.
Fujian [闽]
Fuzhou The name of Fuzhou began in the eighth century during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty. It was named after Mount Fu in the northwest of the state. It is also called "Rong City" because there are many banyan trees planted in the city.
Others
Hefei [Wan] The fertilizer water comes out of Zipeng Mountain and is divided into two branches. After flowing here, the two branches merge into one, hence the name "Hefei".
Eryuan [Dian] is named because it is located at the source of Erhai Lake.
Wuhan [E] Wuhan includes three parts: Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang. Wuchang was named after Sun Quan, who meant "prosperity due to martial arts" during the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Hankou is named after it is located at the mouth of the Han River. After liberation, Wuhan City was established in 1949.
Guiyang [Guizhou] was named Guizhusi and Guizhu Township in the Ming Dynasty, and Guizhu County in the Qing Dynasty, so Guiyang was shortened to "Zhu".
Yinchuan [Ning] The place name Yinchuan comes from the description of the beautiful geographical scene of "Fortress on the South of the Yangtze River" with crisscrossing channels and dense pastoral fields between Helan Mountain and the Yellow River. Also known as Ningxia City, referred to as "Yincheng".
Huangyuan [青] is named because it is located at the source of Huangshui.
Chongqing [Sichuan] was named Yuzhou in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, so it was called "Yu" for short. The name Gongzhou in the Song Dynasty was the residence of Song Guangzong Zhao Chun before he ascended the throne. After Zhao Chun ascended the throne, Gongzhou was renamed "Chongqing".
Kunming [Dian] is named after the Kunming tribe, one of the ancient Dian tribes.
Shennongjia [E] According to legend, Shennong settled here to farm in ancient times, tasted all kinds of herbs, and collected medicines to treat diseases. Due to the high mountains and numerous cliffs, even the powerful Shennong could only build a frame to climb up the mountain, hence the name "Shennongjia".
Chifeng [Mongolian] is named after the red solitary peak within its territory.
Xiuyan [Liao] "Xiu" refers to a mountain with caves. Xiuyan County is located on the coast of the Yellow Sea. Many caves were formed by the impact of the ocean tide on the rocks, hence its name.
Wuwei [Anhui] During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao and Sun Wu fought and built a city. After that, because the attack on Wu was ineffective, it was named Wuwei City.
Huangling [Shaanxi] It is said that there is a tomb of the Yellow Emperor on Qiaoshan in the north of the city, so it is named after it.
Liuzhou [Gui] The Tang Dynasty writer Liu Zongyuan once lived here. In order to commemorate him, it was named after him.
Place names commemorating revolutionary martyrs:
Zhongshan City (Guangdong Province), formerly known as Xiangshan County, was named in 1925 in memory of our country’s great revolutionary pioneer, Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
Jingyu County (Jilin Province) Sorry, we only found so many....