Tianshui has always been the territory of the state of Qin in the Zhou dynasty. It was called Yun County in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and was named Shang Yun in the Qin dynasty. Then why is it later called Tianshui? There is a magical legend behind it. According to legend, in the third year of Emperor Yuan Ding of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Shangguan experienced an unprecedented drought. That summer, the sun was like fire and the climate was hot, but it didn't rain for a long time. Watching the crops in the fields dry up day by day and drinking the only muddy and bitter water left in the river, people are worried and pray for rain from the gods every day.
It may be that people's sincerity finally touched the sky. In the middle of the night, just as people were falling asleep, there was a deafening thunder in the sky. This thunder mixed with lightning seems to be rolling from the horizon, getting stronger and stronger. For a time, the earth was full of strong winds, flying sand and stones. People were frightened by this formation and thought that God was angry. At this moment, a red light appeared on the ground, and then the earth shook constantly, as if it were about to crack.
Suddenly, with the thunder in the sky, there was a deafening noise under the ground, and the earth really cracked, just like opening its mouth, and white fog was floating at the crack. At the same time, I saw a thick river falling in the sky, just pouring into the cracked underground, as if God knew that the earth had been thirsty for a long time and used Tianhe water to quench his thirst. The scene was so spectacular that people opened their eyes in surprise.
The water in Tianhe has been flowing for a long time, until the wind stopped and the thunder stopped, and the earth was at peace again. People curiously ran to the crack in the earth and saw a big lake here. The water in the lake was clear, transparent, sweet and delicious. In the next few days, the sky has been drizzling, saving the whole world from drought and heat. With the moisture of water, everything becomes green, Shan Ye is green, and streams are gurgling.
After such a change, people thought it was the power of the gods, so they spread "Tianhe Water Injection" to the gods. In fact, as far as we are concerned today, this is probably just a natural phenomenon and a major earthquake. However, people at that time could not explain this, so they called the lake "Tianshuijing", and it was also said that the water "does not dry up in spring, does not overflow in summer, and the four seasons rise suddenly". Irrigated with this water, the grown seedlings are strong, the trees are lush, and even the raised girls are particularly handsome. Since then, Shangguan has become a veritable oasis in Longshang, and the story of "Tianhe Water Injection" has been handed down from generation to generation.
At that time, in order to better manage it, the Han Dynasty decided to divide Longxi County (today's water area) into two counties. After hearing the legend of "Tianhe Water Injection", Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty decided to build a ideal city on the shore of Shangao Lake, and set up a new county here, named it "Tianshui County". Tianshui got its name, from which it came.