Author(s)

Wei Xinbao ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of History, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

Corresponding Author

Wei Xinbao

ABSTRACT

This paper studies the names of the city gates of Shaanxi Province in the Ming and Qing dynasties. During the nearly six hundred years of the Ming and Qing dynasties, 347 names of city gates in 88 cities in Shaanxi Province have been preserved, and the names of these city gates show distinctive features of stable inheritance and rich connotations. Numerous city gates have names that were mostly chosen "for good intentions", "according to the landscape/environment", and "according to the concept of Fengshui"; 183 of them were named for good intentions, making up more than half of the total. The naming of gates in the three regions of Guanzhong, Northern Shaanxi, and Southern Shaanxi clearly differed according to the effects of various historical processes and natural settings between regions. The naming of the gates adheres to the tenets of respect for the region's history, the wishes of the populace and the natural surroundings, and the matching of the name to the location. The name of a city gate has significant cultural and social significance and is used in modern academic study and urban planning as a type of geographical name.

KEYWORDS

Ming and Qing Shaanxi; city gate names; naming styles; naming principles; role of names

CITE THIS PAPER

Wei Xinbao, "Neglected" Geographical Names: A Study of the Names of the City Gates of Shaanxi Prefectures in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Lecture Notes on History (2024) Vol. 6: 129-140. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/history.2024.060118.

REFERENCES

[1] Jin Runcheng. The toponymic evidence for the "Commentary on the Waterways Classic"[J]. Journal of Tianjin Normal University, 1985, No. 02:59-61. 
[2] Zhang Kefai. The toponymic evidence and analysis of Jingding Jiankang Zhi[J]. Journal of Nanjing Xiaozhuang College, 2011. No. 02:119-122. 
[3] Hua Linfu. Questioning the Abbreviation "Yu"of Chongqing Municipality[J]. Journal of Chongqing Normal University (Philosophy and Social Science Edition), 2004, No. 03:120. 
[4] Lan Yong. Place Names in Rural China since Late Antiquity [J]. Chinese Social Science, 2021, No. 10:188-203. 
[5] Deng Jianlong. Evolution of Yuezhou City Gate and its Name[J]. Journal of Yueyang Institute of Vocational Technology, 2009, No. 05:61-62. 
[6] Zhao Xiuzhao. The naming style of the names of nine gates in Guiyang[J]. Guizhou Literature and History, 2020, No. 05:68-71. 
[7] Zhang Hongyan. On the General Characteristics of the Economic Development of Feudal Cities in China[J]. Journal of Chinese Historical Studies, 1997, No. 03:9. 
[8] Shi Hongshuai. Study on the Construction of the Xi'an City Wall during the Ming, Qing, and Republic of China Periods [M]. Beijing: China Social Science Press, 2020. 
[9] Shi Zuo. Kangxi Period Xixiang County Records [M]. Beijing: Beijing Library Press, 1863. 
[10] Gu Shenglei. Qianlong Period Xingping County Records [M]. Taipei: Cheng Wen Publishing Co, 1876. 
[11] Hua Linfu. History of Chinese Geographical Names [M]. Beijing: People’s Publishing House, 2018. 
[12] Li Xiaocong. Historical Urban Geography [M]. Jinan: Shandong Education Press, 2007. 
[13] Kang Hai. Zhengde Period Wugong County Records [M]. Nanjing: Phoenix Press, 1761. 
[14] Wang Zhaoao. Kangxi Period Chaoyi County Records [M]. Nanjing: Phoenix Press, 1712. 
[15] Ma Li. Jiajing Period Shaanxi Gazetteer [M]. Xi'an: Sanqin Publishing House, 1542. 
[16] Tan Yu. Daoguang Period Wubu County Records[M]. Taipei: Cheng Wen Publishing Co, 1847. 
[17] Shu Qishen. Qianlong Period Xi'an Prefectural Records[M]. Xi'an: Sanqin Publishing House, 2011. 
[18] Guang Chaokui. Daoguang Period Baocheng County Records[M]. Nanjing: Phoenix Press, 1831. 
[19] Deng Xu. Research on the Construction and Repair of Guizhou Cities and Ponds in the Ming and Qing Dynasties [D]. Xi'an: Shaanxi Normal University, 2020. 
[20] Yan Ruyu. Continuation of County Records in the Hannan area[M]. Nanjing: Phoenix Press, 1942. 
[21] Nie Tao. Qianlong Period Zhen'an County Records[M]. Nanjing: Phoenix Press, 1755. 
[22] Hu Shengyou. Guangxu Period Qishan County Records[M]. Nanjing: Phoenix Press, 1884. 
[23] Sima Qian. Historical Records [M]. Beijing: Zhong Hua Book Company, 1982. 
[24] Gu Gengchen. Kangxi Period Fuzhou Prefectural Records[M]. Taipei: Cheng Wen Publishing Co, 1666. 
[25] Wang Xiaoxia. Study on four tiger-expelling texts and related issues in the square records of southern Shaanxi in the Ming and Qing dynasties[J]. Agricultural Archaeology, 2019, No. 01:211. 
[26] Zhang Tinghuai. Daoguang Period Xixiang County Records[M]. Nanjing: Phoenix Press, 1828. 
[27] Yan Shulin. Guangxu Period Weinan County Records [M]. Nanjing: Phoenix Press, 1892. 
[28] Dong Jianhong. History of Urban Construction in China[M]. Beijing: China Construction Industry Press, 2004. 
[29] Luo Guilin. Toponymy and the Politics of Daily Life-Centering on the Rise and Fall of Toponymy in the History of Fuzhou[J]. Studies in Urban History, 2016, No. 34.  
[30] Fang Xuanling. Book of Jin. Beijing: Zhong Hua Book Company, 1974.

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

---

• Journal of Language Testing & Assessment
  
  
• Information and Knowledge Management
  
  
• Military and Armament Science
  
  
• Media and Communication Research
  
  
• Journal of Human Movement Science
  
  
• Art and Performance Letters
  
  
• Lecture Notes on Language and Literature
  
  
• Philosophy Journal
  
  
• Science of Law Journal
  
  
• Journal of Political Science Research
  
  
• Journal of Sociology and Ethnology
  
  
• Advances in Broadcasting