A 350-word essay on the origin of place names

For example: Qingdao

Qingdao, located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River Basin and on the coast of the Yellow Sea, is not only famous for its beautiful sea and mountains, but also for its long cultural history. It has become the cultural center of Shandong Province and a famous cultural city in northern my country. In 1994, it was named a "Historical and Cultural City" by the State Council.

Qingdao, also known as Little Qingdao, also known as Qindao, is not only a symbol of Qingdao’s beauty, but also the epitome of Qingdao’s beauty.

Qingdao, Xiao Qingdao and Qindao all refer to the small island on the north side of where Jiaozhou Bay enters the sea. This small island has an inseparable and important relationship with the historical development of Qingdao. It has always been valued by historians and praised by literati. However, there are indeed different explanations for the origin of the name of this small island and its relationship with the name of Qingdao on land, its development and changes, and the meaning of the name. There have been different opinions for decades. To this day, there is no unified view among various publications. This article attempts to examine the following issues based on the historical data that have been discovered over the past few decades.

一

Qingdao originally refers to the small island in the sea on the north side of the mouth of Jiaozhou Bay. It covers an area of ??only 0.012 square kilometers and is more than 17 meters above sea level. The north side is far from the land. More than one mile (about 720 meters). The "Island" entry in Volume 1 of the "Jimo County Chronicle" published in the Tongzhi Year of the Qing Dynasty records that "Qingdao is a hundred miles southwest of the county." It means that Qingdao is located in the sea a hundred miles southwest of Jimo County. This island in the sea is marked in the "Mountain and River Vein Map" and the "Qixiang Village Map". "Jiaoao Zhi" also clearly stated that "Qingdao is less than one nautical mile within Qingdao Bay" and is named Qingdao because of its "towering mountains and beautiful rocks and clear trees".

There is a lack of specific records about the age when Qingdao was named. Judging from the ancient books we can see now, the name of Qingdao has been recorded in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. It contains the name "Qingdao". In the sixth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1578), Xu Zheng, who was appointed as the magistrate of Jimo County, recorded in the article "Local Issues·Coastal Defense": "The southeastern coast of this county, which is the eastern boundary of China, has no end as far as the eye can see, only the island is Luozhi. In the meantime, the habitable part of the island is called Qing, and it is called Fu..." According to Jiaozhou Bay, it has become an important port in the north since the Tang and Song Dynasties, especially in the "Yuan Dynasty" (AD 1088)... Mizhou was established. Banqiao City Ship Division" (see "History of Song Dynasty? Food and Huo Zhi"), Banqiao Town is now Jiaozhou City on the bank of Jiaozhou Bay. The "Municipal Shipping Department" is similar to the current customs and port management agencies. It is responsible for inspecting ships entering and leaving the seaport, collecting commercial taxes, purchasing government monopoly products, and managing foreign businessmen. The establishment of the Banqiao Municipal Shipping Division made Jiaozhou Bay the only trading port with a municipal shipping division in northern China at that time. Shipping was frequent, and all cargo ships had to pass through the mouth of Jiaozhou Bay to reach Banqiao Town. Qingdao is located on one side of the important channel at the estuary of Jiaozhou Bay. It is impossible that there is no "Qingdao" or other names for Qingdao, but we have not seen records.

At the same time as the name "Qingdao" appeared, the name "Qingdao Pass" also appeared. The inscription "Reorganizing the Old Regulations" erected by Nv Gukou in Jiaozhou Bay clearly records: "Since the Ming Dynasty, I, the city of Yi, invited Duke Xu to request Qingdao, Nv Gu and others to allow shipping, so hundreds of things gathered and thousands of ships were gathered in the clouds. Goods from the north to the south will be connected, and the interests of farmers and merchants will be universal..." Xu Gong is Xu Ting. Starting from the Ming Dynasty, the place name "Qingdao" began to gradually move from the middle of the sea to the land. The bay to the north of Qingdao is called Qingdao Bay; the village on the bay is called Qingdao Village; the small river to the south of the village is called Qingdao River; and the mountain to the southeast of the village is called Qingdao Mountain.

"Qingdao Mouth" generally refers to the bay around Qingdao, ranging from the current Lu Xun Park to the headlands around Tuandao. It is the place name "Qingdao", a name that transitions from the sea to the land. Its connotation includes both Haikou and the land by the sea. The "Haikou Map" of the "Jimo County Chronicle" published by Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty has marked "Qingdao Port" on the land.

Qingdao Village was established in the early Ming Dynasty. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, guards and stations were established all over the country, and Fushan Station was built in the east of Qingdao. According to Fushan Suo’s Genealogy of the Su Family: “Hongwu Dingding was granted the title of hereditary military virtue general. Thousands of households were given titles and imperial certificates. Fushan Suo of Aoshan Guard was enfeoffed. Nine were granted the same title to thousands of households... and four were granted the same title to hundreds of households. , Ding, Zhan, Hou and Ge were granted the title of thirteen households..." According to the "Ding Family Genealogy", one branch of the Ding family moved from Fushan to Qingdao Village and settled in Qingdao Village. The population was small at first, so it was called. It's called Dingjiazhuang. Later, some military households and coastal fishermen also settled here, and it gradually developed into a large village and was renamed Qingdao Village (formerly Qingdao Village and Shangqingdao Village). "Jiaoao Zhi" said: "Qingdao Village was originally a gathering place for fishing boats. There were three or four households in the old days, most of whom were engaged in fishing." Qingdao Village is located on the opposite bank of Qingdao. Why it is called Qingdao Village has not been recorded. , but from the analysis of the characteristics of place naming in my country, can we say that Qingdao Village was named after its proximity to Qingdao, and the Haikou, creeks and hills near Qingdao Village were also named after Qingdao. After its initial establishment, most of the residents of Qingdao Village were fishermen. With the gradual opening of Qingdao Port to shipping, the number of sailors from the north and south has gradually increased. Fishermen and crew often prayed to the sea god for protection and safety when they went to sea, so in the third year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1467), a Tianhou Palace was built on the west side of Qingdao Village to worship the "Tianhou". "Jiaoao Zhi" says: "The worship of the Queen of Heaven is not found in official history, but the fishing and shipping industry worshiped Weijin, so there are always temples on the coast." In the past few years, "Qingdao Evening News" carried out the article "Qingdao was originally a small fishing village" During the discussion, several opinions emerged on the question of whether Qingdao was a small fishing village before the German occupation.

Judging from the historical data we have, before Germany invaded Jiao'ao, Qingdao was no longer a small fishing village, but a prosperous town. In order to explain this problem, we have to start from the time when Qingdao Village was established. As mentioned earlier, Qingdao Village was built in the early Ming Dynasty as a place for military households to farm. Later, some fishermen also settled here and developed into a large village. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Qingdao Port in front of Qingdao Village was opened as a maritime trade port, where "hundreds of things gathered and thousands of ships gathered there." It should be said that Qingdao Village at this time was no longer a small fishing village, but a trading port of a certain scale.

By the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the trade at Qingdao Port was more developed than before. The connotation of Qingdao's name has also undergone substantial changes. The name of Qingdao has moved from Qingdao in the sea to land. The land near Qingdao Village is generally called Qingdao. In June of the fourth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1865), in the "Inscription on the Recruitment to Build a Theater Building" for the reconstruction of Tianhou Palace, it was clearly recorded: "It has been rumored that it has been more than a hundred years since Qingdao was founded, and tourists and businessmen have gathered here... "This is the earliest record of "Qingdao" we have seen. The scope of "Qingdao" refers to the land near the entrance of Qingdao. It can be said to be the earliest "Qingdao area". Furthermore, "it has been more than a hundred years since Qingdao was founded." This hundred years, starting from Tongzhi, should be the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1795). In this way, Qingdao has a history of more than 200 years since it opened as a port. The historical development time of "Qingdao" has been advanced by more than a hundred years. In March of the 13th year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1874), another existing inscription in Tianhou Palace records: "Gai heard that Tianhou became a god with filial piety, loved the people with kindness, protected the sea country with benevolence, and visited Bochen. And travelers and businessmen gathered here. Especially because the waves are not rising and the stormy waves are calming down, everyone wants to reward the sage. In Qingdaokou, Moyi, there used to be Tianhou Palace to honor the gods, but it was not large enough to be spectacular... Honggelian. The huge ships are connected to each other, and they are made of old style. They are open with courtyards and high with classes. They are tax-saving and colorful. They are magnificent and can be said to be powerful all over the world... "Big ships and giant ships are connected end to end and anchored at Qingdao Port." This area has a busy economic and trade scene. The scale of Thean Hou Temple has greatly expanded compared to before, and it has become a famous port. Can a commercial port of this size be called a small fishing village? In the twelfth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1886), Xu Jingcheng, the Minister of the Qing Dynasty in Germany, said in his "Regulations on Matters to be Handled by the Navy": "When the port of Qingdao was not opened in Yantai, there were a lot of sailing and merchants, and there was a lot of gathering, and it was not a scattered place. The wilderness is comparable." After Xu Jingcheng learned that the Western powers coveted Jiaozhou Bay, he suggested that the Qing government set up defenses in Jiao'ao. In the same year, the Qing court sent Taoist priest Liu Hanfang and general soldier Langweili to inspect the area. Liu Hanfang said in "Investigation of Jiaozhou Bay": "... Jiaozhou Aokou, east of Qingdao, is 47 or 80 feet high. It is related to the city. The land belongs to Jimo, and the mountain range comes from Laoshan." It is clearly stated that Qingdao at this time There are already cities and related areas. "City" should refer to market trade, and "Guan" refers to the customs that collects taxes. In June of the 17th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1891), the Qing government decided to fortify Qingdao and dispatched Zhang Gaoyuan, the commander-in-chief of Dengzhou Town, to move to Qingdao and built the commander-in-chief's office next to Qingdao Village. Qingdao became an important fortification town. In March of the 23rd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1897), more than half a year before the German occupation, there were more than 60 trading shops in Qingdaokou: "In addition to the recent arrivals from Jimo, Pingdu, Jinkou and Haiyang to rent houses here, There are six temporary campers, nine are carriages and horses, inns, one is a furnace, three are ready-made clothes, a clothing store, and a pheasant hairdresser, six are an oil shop, a mill, and a dyeing shop, seven are shops selling groceries, bamboo mats, and porcelain, two are medicine shops, one is a pawn shop, and weaving nets are 8, hemp, oil baskets, wood, six meat, fish and salt shops, one each for shoes, hats and leather goods, three gauze and silk shops, Guangyang grocery store, nine taverns and restaurants, one each for soy sauce garden and tofu shop, three cakes and tea, six in total Fifteen companies,” and conduct bulk import and export trade. "The most exported goods are pigs, peanuts, raw oil, soybean oil, bean cakes, white wax, and green pears; the most imported goods are Guangyang groceries, fine white cotton cloth, cotton yarn, silk satin, sugar, tung oil, and bamboo wood." (See Hu Cunyue. "Records of Haiyundang"). Before the German occupation, Qingdao was by no means a small fishing village, but a prosperous maritime town.

In November of the 23rd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1897), Germany sent troops to invade and occupy Qingdao. At that time, the Qingdao area was called Jiaoao. On March 6, 1898, Germany forced the Qing government to sign the "Jiao-ao Lend Treaty". According to the Japanese book "Jiaozhou Bay", on October 12, 1899, Kaiser Wilhelm II borrowed the original name of Qingdao and named the new urban area of ??the Jiaozhou Protected Area Qingdao. This new urban area is divided into Qingdao, Baodao and Butou districts, and its scope is only part of the current Shinan District and Shinan District. Qingdao is only a part of the entire Jiaoao. In 1922, China took back the Jiaoao leased land from the Japanese and named it "Jiaoao Commercial Port". In November of the same year, it promulgated the "Jiaoao Commercial Port Charter and Qingdao City Implementation of Autonomy Order", which was called "Qingdao City" earliest records. Article 2 of the "Qingdao City Implementation of Municipal Autonomy Order" stipulates that "the area of ??Qingdao City is the boundary between Taidong Town and Taixi Town, Qingdao City Street", and Article 4 stipulates that "Qingdao City is governed by the Jiaoao Commercial Port Bureau direct supervision". This Qingdao city is only part of the Jiaoao Commercial Port and is supervised by the Jiaoao Commercial Port. It was not until 1929 that the Jiaoao Commercial Port Bureau was abolished and the area under the original Jiaoao Commercial Port was named Qingdao Special City. From then on, the place name Qingdao represented the entire urban area. Since then, although the scope of its jurisdiction has changed from time to time, the name Qingdao City has been used to this day.

At present, Qingdao's municipal jurisdiction covers more than 10,000 square kilometers, including seven districts: Shinan, Shibei, Sifang, Licang, Laoshan, Chengyang, and Huangdao, and five cities: Jimo, Pingdu, Jiaozhou, Jiaonan, and Laixi.

II

Little Qingdao is another name for Qingdao.

Since when did Qingdao become known as Little Qingdao? Books published until 2000 still said: "On October 12, 1899, Kaiser Wilhelm II officially named the new urban area of ????the Jiaozhou Protected Area as Qingdao. Since Qingdao was originally an isolated island, the masses also It has always been called Little Qingdao." (See "Qingdao Cultural Relics and Scenic Spots Protection Records") This description is obviously wrong. According to existing data, there were records of the name Little Qingdao in the middle of the Qing Dynasty. In the "Lingshan Wei Zhi" published in the 16th year of Qianlong's reign (1751), it was recorded that "Little Qingdao is on the opposite bank of Huaizikou, and those who enter the sea must pass by way". Huaizikou is the name of a section of waterway at the entrance of Jiaozhou Bay. Because Xiao Qingdao is located northeast of Lingshanwei, Wei Zhi said it is on the opposite bank of Huaizikou. This is said in the "Jiaozhou Chronicles" revised during the Daoguang period and the "Hai Cheng and Dangerous Floods" in the Tongzhi edition of "Jimo County Chronicles". It shows that since the middle of the Qing Dynasty, Qingdao has also been called Little Qingdao. The 1934 edition of the "Qingdao Tourist Guide to Scenic Spots" said: "Little Qingdao...Germany began to sign after the lease of Jiao'ao...after my country took over, it was named Little Qingdao." This is obviously wrong. People in Qingdao area have always called it Qingdao or Little Qingdao. After Germany invaded and occupied Qingdao, it renamed the small Qingdao "Akna Island". In the summer of 1898, some foreign botanists discovered a rare lily on Xiao Qingdao and named it "Qingdao Lily". The Germans once called Little Qingdao "Lily Green Island", but this name was neither officially announced nor spread. In 1904 (some say 1900), the Germans built a milky-white octagonal lighthouse on Little Qingdao. The tower was 15.5 meters high. It controlled the shipping traffic of the entire Qingdao Port and was an important navigation mark for all ships entering and leaving Jiaozhou Bay. .

When the First World War broke out in 1914, Japanese imperialism replaced Germany and occupied Qingdao. Japan changed all the place names in Qingdao to Japanese names, of course Little Qingdao was among them. According to the "Comparative Table of Old and New Names of Qingdao Markets", Little Qingdao was renamed "Kato Island". After the Chinese government took back Qingdao in 1922, all the Japanese names were changed to Chinese names. Little Qingdao has returned to its original name, but it is not Qingdao as stated in the "Qingdao Tourist Guide to Scenic Spots" but "it will be called Little Qingdao after my country takes over." This is recorded in the "Commemorative Photos of the Reception of Qingdao". The book "Qingdao Scenery" published in 1985 made the date of the name of Little Qingdao even more unfounded. The article said: "After Qingdao City was named, it was renamed Little Qingdao." Not to mention that the record is simply wrong, but its meaning is unclear. We know that after Qingdao emerged as a city, there was a "new urban area" during the German occupation, and a "Qingdao City" in the Jiao'ao commercial port under the rule of the Beiyang warlords. , and the "Qingdao Special City" during the Kuomintang rule. So which era of Qingdao does the "after Qingdao City was named" mentioned above refer to? I wonder where its basis is?

Since the early 20th century, when Qingdao gradually became a tourist city, Little Qingdao has also developed into a tourist spot. In 1934, roads were opened on Xiao Qingdao, stone tables and benches were installed, wooden archways were erected, flower beds were leveled, a new tea pavilion was built, and a yacht dock was built. Qingdao Park.

After Japan invaded and occupied Qingdao for the second time, Qingdao became a base for the Japanese invading troops, and Chinese people were not allowed to enter. In the early 1940s, a breakwater was built on the east side of the island to connect it to the land, and a section of breakwater was also built on the north side of the island.

After the liberation of Qingdao, small Qingdao returned to the embrace of the people. The breakwater was heightened and built to its current size. Modern navigation facilities were established on the island, which played a huge role in the shipping industry of Qingdao Port. .

Since the reform and opening up, according to the overall plan of Qingdao City, Little Qingdao has once again been opened to people as a new tourist attraction.

三

Qindao is an alias for Qingdao and Little Qingdao, and it is also the most famous of many aliases.

There are many theories and records about the origin of the name Qindao. One is based on the topography and environment: "It is said that it looks like a guqin when viewed from the air, so it is also called Qindao or Qinyu" (see "Qingdao in the Sea"). Second, there is a natural phenomenon saying, "The mountains are like harps, the water is like strings, the breeze blows slowly, and the waves sound like the sound of harps" (see "Qindao Poetry Talk"). The third one is said to have homophonic words for "qing" and "qin". There are also words derived from the word "Qintou Town" (see "Manbi Qindao") and so on.

The earliest mention of Qindao, judging from the materials currently available, is the book "Receiving Memorial Photos of Qingdao" published in 1924. The author Ban Pengzhi wrote in the preface in 1923: "The preface is in Qindao's home", which means Qindao has been officially regarded as a place name.

Among the literary works that mention the word "Qindao", judging from the information currently available, the novel "A Dream of Peach Blossoms" is the first to be recommended. This book is no longer available. The Qingdao Municipal Library only has the third edition of the 1934 edition, and the date of the first edition is unknown. This is an early novel about Qingdao. The author's pen name is "Yan Qi Tired Tourist". The content of the book is a description of the decadent and decadent life of the Manchu Qing Dynasty survivors who fled to Qingdao after the victory of the Revolution of 1911.

The book contains some relatively realistic accounts of the early development of Qingdao. Most of the names of the characters in the book allude to real people. For example, "Zhang Zongbing" is written as "Zhuang Zongbing", and "Prince Henry" is written as "Enli". "Prince", the names of some ministers are also replaced by homophones, etc. The first paragraph of the first chapter of this novel, "The soldier who lost Qin'ao was deceived and built the railway in return for his three merits" says: "It is said that there is a seaport in the southeast corner of Shandong Peninsula, called Qin'ao Port... The place closest to the sea is called Qindao, the northern part of Qindao is called Dabao Island, and the farther north of Dabao Island is called Xiaobao Island. The general name is Qindao." Qingdao (Little Qingdao) is called Qindao, and the urban area is collectively called Qindao. This is the same as the origin of the name Qingdao, both of which are named after Qingdao (Little Qingdao). Why is it called Qindao instead of Qingdao? It may be the same as the names of people in the book. Instead of using real names, they use homophonic words. The pronunciations of the characters "Qing" and "Qin" are relatively similar. We think the analysis made by "Manbi Qindao" is relatively correct.

Why is it called Qindao? There are several possibilities as follows.

One possibility is that it was influenced by the previously published book "Haido Illustrations". "Haidao Illustrated" is a translated and thread-bound book published in the late Qing Dynasty. The specific year of publication is unknown. There is the following record in the seventh volume of the book: "To the east of Jiaozhou Bay, there is Changshan Mountain extending east and north like a tongue... There is a city built by Fushan... and there is Qintou Town at Xiaoaoshou to the north of Chuhulintou." After the two sections of Jiaozhou Bay and Huangdao, "Qintou Town" appeared, which happens to be the location of Qingdao. The longitude and latitude of "Qintou Town" in the book is recorded as "36°05ˊ north latitude, 120°17ˊ east longitude", which is basically consistent with the longitude and latitude of Qingdao City. It can be seen that the "Qintou Town" in the picture caption is Qingdao. "Haido Illustration" is a geography book. Can we say that Qingdao also has another name in foreign languages, called "Qintou Town". Furthermore, because "Haidao Illustrated" is a book translated from English, there may be an inaccuracy in the translation. Another possibility is that Qingdao had "Qintou Town" or a similar name at that time, but there is no record in our country's historical records. Several possible inferences or other evidence will be gradually clarified as historical data are discovered. The official use of Qindao as a place name can be found in the book "Qingdao Tourist Guide to Scenic Spots" published in 1934. The book says in an article about Little Qingdao: "This island is called Qindao". Books such as the 1939 edition of "Qingdao Guide" and the 1957 edition of "Qingdao Tourist Handbook" all followed this statement. Starting from being called Little Qingdao, Qingdao City was also gradually called Qindao. Qindao has not only become a place name, but has also become an anecdote of place names and scenery, such as "Qingdao Eight Scenic Spots", "Qinyu Floating Lantern" of "Qingdao Twelve Scenic Spots", "Qingang Dicui" of Qingdao's 24 urban and rural sceneries, etc. At the end of the 20th century, the road leading to Little Qingdao was also named Qindao Road.

In addition to "Qindao" and "Qinyu", Qingdao is also called "Qintang" or "Qingang" in literary works, and it is also called "Mountain Island", etc. wait.