The origins of the names of China’s provinces

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Shandong: Named after its location east of the Taihang Mountains. Most of Tang belonged to the Henan Circuit ； Song established the Jingdong Road, which was later divided into East Jingdong and West Jingdong Roads ； Jin was renamed East and West Shandong, marking the beginning of the name Shandong ； Originally, the East and West Routes of Shandong were established ； Shandong Province was established at that time, and later it was renamed the Shandong Provincial Administration ； Qing Dynasty reorganized Shandong Province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Shanxi: Named after its location west of the Taihang Mountains. Most of Tang was part of the Hedong Circuit ； Songshe Hedong Road ； Northeast and south of the Kinbun River ； Yuan established the Hedong Circuit in Shanxi, marking the beginning of the name Shanxi ； The province of Shanxi was established, and later it was renamed the Shanxi Provincial Administration ； The name of Shanxi Province was changed during the Qing dynasty, and it has remained unchanged to this day. Henan: Named after its location south of the Yellow River. The Western Han Dynasty already had the Henan Commandery, which marked the origin of the name Henan. Most of Tang’s provinces were in Gyeongdo and Hwangnamdo ； Song established the Jingji Road and Jingxibei Road ； Jin Gai Nanjing Road ； Originally, Henan Jiangbei Province and Henan Jiangbei Circuit were established ； Henan Province was established at that time, and later it was renamed the Henan Provincial Administration ； The name of Henan Province was changed during the Qing dynasty, and it has remained unchanged to this day. Hebei: Named after its location north of the Yellow River. Most of Tang was part of the Hebei Circuit, which marked the origin of the name Hebei. Song established the Hebei Road, which was later divided into East Hebei Road and West Hebei Road ； On Jinfen North East Road, Damingfu Road is located ； Originally established as the Yannan-Zhaobei Circuit ； The province of Beiping was established, but later abolished; all prefectures and directly governed states came under direct central control, and this region was called North Zhili ； Reorganizing Zhili Province ； In 1929, the Republic of China renamed it Hebei Province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Hunan: Named after its location south of Dongting Lake. Tang Dynasty placed it under the Jiangnan West Circuit and the Qianzhong Circuit; later, an observer-general for Hunan was appointed, marking the beginning of Hunan’s name ； During the Song dynasty, Jinghan South Road was established, commonly referred to as Hunan Road ； Yuan Set Lingbei Hunan Dao ； It originally belonged to Huguang Province; later, the province was renamed the Huguang Provincial Administration ； During the Qing dynasty, Huguang Province was reorganized into Hunan Province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Hubei: Named after its location north of Dongting Lake. Tang was part of the Jiangnan East Circuit, Huainan Circuit, and Shan Nan East Circuit ； Song Dynasty established Hubei North Road, commonly referred to as Hubei Road; this marked the beginning of the name Hubei ； Originally established as the Jiangnan-Hubei Circuit ； It originally belonged to Huguang Province; later, the province was renamed the Huguang Provincial Administration ； During the Qing dynasty, Huguang Province was reorganized into Hubei Province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Guangdong: Named after the abbreviation of Guangnan East Road. Tang belonged to the Lingnan Circuit ； Song established Guangnan East Road in the former territory of Guangzhou, abbreviated as Guangdong Road; this marked the beginning of the use of the name Guangdong ； Yuan Set Haibei Guangdong Road ； Guangdong Province was established at that time, and later it was renamed the Guangdong Provincial Administration ； Qing dynasty reorganized Guangdong province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Guangxi: Named after its abbreviation, Guangnan West Road. Tang belonged to the Lingnan Circuit ； During the Song Dynasty, Guangnan West Road was established; it was abbreviated as Guangxi Road, and this marked the beginning of the use of the name Guangxi ； Originally, Liangjiang Circuit was established in Guangxi ； Guangxi Province was established at that time, and later it was renamed the Guangxi Provincial Administration ； Cleaning and Reforming Guangxi Province ； The Republic of China remains the same ； After the founding of the country, it was renamed the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Heilongjiang: Named after the Heilongjiang River. During the Qing dynasty, the position of Governor of Jilin was replaced by the position of Governor of Heilongjiang; at the end of the Qing dynasty, it was renamed Heilongjiang Province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Liaoning: Named for the permanent peace in the Liaohe River basin. Tang belonged to the Hebei Circuit ； Liao established the Eastern Capital Route ； Jin Rengzhi ； Establishment of the Liaoyang Provincial Administration ； Officially known as the Liaodong Military Command ； The Qing dynasty established the position of General of Liaodong; it was later renamed General of Fengtian, and then General of Shengjing. At the end of the Qing dynasty, it was changed to the province of Fengtian ； In 1929, the Republic of China renamed it Liaoning Province, marking the beginning of the use of this name for it ； Pseudo-Manchukuo reestablished Fengtian Province; it was again renamed Liaoning Province after its recovery in 1945 ； At the beginning of the founding of the country, Liaodong Province and Liaoxi Province were established; later they were merged to reform Liaoning Province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Zhejiang: Named after Zhejiang River (also known as Qiantang River). Tang was part of the Eastern Jiangnan region, and positions such as the Inspector of Eastern Zhejiang and the Inspector of Western Zhejiang were established there ； During the Song dynasty, the Liangzhe Circuit was established; in the Southern Song dynasty, it was divided into East Liangzhe and West Liangzhe, commonly referred to as East Liangzhe Circuit and West Liangzhe Circuit ； Originally, there were the Zhejiang East Coast Right Route and the Jiangnan Zhejiang West Route ； Zhejiang Province was established, marking the origin of the name Zhejiang; later it was renamed the Zhejiang Provincial Administration ； The name of Zhejiang province was changed during the Qing dynasty, and it has remained unchanged to this day. Anhui: Named by taking one character from Anqing and one from Huizhou. Most of the Tang officials were assigned to the Jiangnan West Circuit and the Huainan Circuit ； During the Song dynasty, Eastern Jiangnan and Western Huainan were established ； Originally part of the Jiankang Circuit in Jiangdong and the Jiangbei Circuit in Huaxi ； The various prefectures and directly-administered states within the Ming dynasty were under the direct control of the central government; this region was known as Zhili, and it was later renamed South Zhili ； The Jiangnan Province was reorganized, and later Anhui Province was established, marking the beginning of the name Anhui ； The Republic of China remains the same ； At the beginning of the founding of the country, the Northern Anhui Administrative Office and the Southern Anhui Administrative Office were established separately; later they were merged to reestablish the province of Anhui, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Jiangsu: Named by taking one character from Jiangning and one from Suzhou. Most of Tang’s provinces were in the Eastern Jiangnan Circuit and the Huainan Circuit ； During the Song dynasty, Eastern Jiangnan, Western Zhejiang, and Eastern Huainan were established ； It originally belonged to the Jiankang Circuit of Jiangdong, the Zhexi Circuit of Jiangnan, and the Jiangbei Circuit of Huaidong ； The various prefectures and directly-administered states within the Ming dynasty were under the direct control of the central government; this region was known as Zhili, and it was later renamed South Zhili ； The Jiangnan Province was reorganized, and later Jiangsu Province was established, marking the origin of the name Jiangsu ； The Republic of China remains the same ； At the beginning of the founding of the People’s Republic, the Northern Jiangsu Administrative Office and the Southern Jiangsu Administrative Office were established; later they were merged to reestablish Jiangsu Province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Fujian: Named by taking one character from Fuzhou and one from Jianzhou. Tang was part of the Eastern Jiangnan Circuit; later, the position of Governor of Fujian was established, marking the beginning of Fujian’s name ； Establishment of Fujian Road during the Song Dynasty ； Originally established as the Fujian Haiyou Circuit ； Fujian Province was established at that time, and later it was renamed the Fujian Provincial Administration ； The province of Fujian was reorganized during the Qing dynasty, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Gansu: Named by taking one character from Ganzhou and Suzhou. Tang was part of the Guannei Circuit and the Longyou Circuit ； During the Song Dynasty, the eastern part belonged to the Song Qinfeng Road, while the western part belonged to Western Xia ； Jinfen Qinfeng Road is part of the Qinfeng, Lintao, and Qingyuan routes ； At the beginning of the Yuan dynasty, Gansu Road was established in Ganzhou (and it was soon renamed Ganzhou Road); this marked the origin of the name Gansu. Later, the Ningxia Province was renamed Gansu Province ； Officially, it was the Shaanxi Military Command ； During the Qing dynasty, Gansu Province was reestablished from Shaanxi Province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Jiangxi: Named after the western part of the Jiangnan region. Tang was part of the Jiangnan West Circuit; later, an inspector general for Jiangxi was appointed, marking the beginning of the name Jiangxi ； During the Song dynasty, Jiangnan West Road was established, commonly referred to as Jiangxi Road ； The Yuan Dynasty established the Jiangxi Province and the Hudong Circuit of Jiangxi ； Jiangxi Province was established at that time, and later it was renamed the Jiangxi Provincial Administration ； Jiangxi Province was reorganized during the Qing dynasty, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Yunnan: Named after its location south of the Yunnan Mountains. The Han established Yunnan County, marking the beginning of the name Yunnan. Tang was divided into six kingdoms, later becoming Nanzhao ； Song was the Dali Kingdom ； Establishment of the Yunnan Province and various circuits in Yunnan ； Yunnan Province was established at that time, and later it was renamed the Yunnan Provincial Administration ； Yunnan Province was renamed during the Qing dynasty, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Guizhou: Named after Guishan. Tang was the Qianzhong Circuit ； Under the Song dynasty, it belonged to Kuizhou Road ； Originally part of Huguang Province ； The establishment of Tusi rulers in Guizhou marked the beginning of the region’s name; later, the Guizhou Provincial Administration was set up ； Qing Dynasty reorganized Guizhou Province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Sichuan: Named after Yili, Zikui, and the four other routes. Most of the Tang territory consisted of Jiannan Circuit and Shannan East and West Circuits ； The Song dynasty established the Chuanxia Road (note: not Chuan-Shan Road); later, it was divided into Xichuan Road and Xiaxia Road. Xichuan Road was further split into Yizhou Road and Lizhou Road, while Xiaxia Road was divided into Zizhou Road and Kuizhou Road. These areas together came to be known as Sichuan. A governor was appointed for Sichuan, marking the beginning of the name for this region. Later, Yizhou Road was renamed Chengdu Prefecture Road, Zizhou Road was renamed Tongchuan Prefecture Road, and Lizhou Road was divided into East Lizhou Road and West Lizhou Road. Originally established as Sichuan Province, Sichuan Provincial Administration, and Xishu Sichuan Circuit ； Sichuan Province was established at that time, and later it was renamed the Sichuan Provincial Administration ； Clean up Sichuan Province ； In the early days of the founding of the country, it was divided into four administrative regions: Eastern Sichuan, Southern Sichuan, Western Sichuan, and Northern Sichuan; later they were merged to reestablish the province of Sichuan, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Qinghai: Named after Qinghai Lake. The Tang and Song dynasties were under Tibetan rule ； Originally, its land was under the jurisdiction of the Xuanzheng Yuan ； Clearly belonging to the Dugandu Si and others ； In the early Qing dynasty, it was part of U-Tsang; later, a governor was appointed for Xining, also known as the governor of Qinghai, marking the beginning of Qinghai’s name ； At the beginning of the Republic of China, a governor was appointed for Qinghai; later it came under the jurisdiction of the military governor of Gansu-Bianning. Eventually, Qinghai Province was established, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Shaanxi: Named after the area to the west of the Shaanxi plain. Most of Tang’s territories were in Gyeonggi-do and Gwanneung-do ； At the beginning of the Song dynasty, the Shaanxi Road was established, marking the origin of the name Shaanxi. Later, the Yongxing Army Road was created, and five military governors were appointed to oversee the five regions of Shaanxi: Fuyan, Bining, Huanqing, Qinfeng, and Xihé ； Yuan established the Shaanxi Province and the Shaanxi Hanzhong Circuit ； The province of Shaanxi was established at that time, and later it was renamed the Shaanxi Provincial Administration ； Qing Dynasty reorganized Shaanxi Province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Jilin: Named after the first two characters of Jilin Wula; in Manchu, Jilin Wula means along the river. Tang belonged to the northeastern ethnic regions ； Liao belonged to the Dongjing Road ； Metal Upper Capital Road ； Originally part of the Liaoyang Province ； Clearly belonging to the Nurhaci Commandery ； The Qing dynasty established a governor for Jilin; at the end of the Qing dynasty, it was renamed Jilin Province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Ningxia: Named after the peace of the Western Xia dynasty. Tang belonged to the Guannei Circuit ； During the Song Dynasty, it belonged to Western Xia ； After the Yuan dynasty destroyed the Western Xia, it established the Xixia Provincial Administration in the former territory; it was soon renamed the Ningxia Provincial Administration, with its administrative center located in Ningxia Road – this marked the beginning of the use of the name Ningxia. Later, the provincial administration was changed to the Gansu Provincial Administration, and the administrative center was moved to Ganzhou Road. It originally belonged to Shaanxi Province; Ningxia Road was renamed Ningxia Wei ； Qing Dynasty reorganized Ningxia Prefecture, placing it under Gansu Province, and appointed a general for Ningxia ； At the beginning of the Republic of China, a military governorship for Gansu and Ningxia was established; later, a province of Ningxia was created ； After the founding of the country, it was abolished and incorporated into Gansu Province; later, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was established, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Hainan: Named after Hainan Island. Tang belonged to the Lingnan Circuit ； Song belonged to Guangnan West Road ； Yuan established Hainan Haibei Circuit, marking the beginning of Hainan’s name ； Clearly belongs to Guangdong Province ； Qing still used it; officially, Qiongya was called Hainan Island ； During the Republic of China period, it remained as such; later, a Hainan Special Administrative Region was established, but it still fell under the jurisdiction of a province ； After the founding of the country, a Hainan Administrative Region was established, which remained part of a province; in 1988 it was upgraded to a province, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Taiwan: Named after the Taiwan Prefecture. Both the Tang and Song dynasties were foreignized regions ； The Yuan established inspection offices in Penghu to oversee Taiwanese fishermen as well ； During the Ming dynasty it was under Dutch control; at the end of the Ming dynasty, Zheng Chenggong recaptured it and established the Dongning Province and Chengtian Prefecture ； By eliminating the Zheng clan and establishing the Taiwan Prefecture and the Tai-Xia Circuit, Taiwan began to be given its name; it was officially referred to as Taiwan Island. Later, the Tai-Xia Circuit was renamed the Taiwan Circuit ； At the end of the Qing dynasty, Taiwan Province was established; it later came under Japanese occupation but was still called Taiwan ； After the restoration of the Republic of China, Taiwan Province was reestablished, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Tibet: Named after its official designation during the Qing dynasty. The Tang and Song dynasties belonged to Tubo ； Originally under the Xuanzheng Yuan ； It is officially called Utsang, with positions such as a military commander established there ； In the early Qing dynasty, it was called U-Tsang; U referred to Upper Tibet, while Tsang referred to Lower Tibet ； It was later officially named Tibet, marking the beginning of its name ； Establishment of the Minister in Charge of Tibet ； Tibetan region in the early Republic of China ； It remained the same after the founding of the country, and was later renamed the Tibet Autonomous Region; its name has not changed to this day. Inner Mongolia: Named after the Mongols in southern deserts. Tang was Turkic territory ； Mongol tribes appeared during the Song dynasty ； After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, that region came under the direct jurisdiction of the Central Secretariat and the Lingbei Provincial Administration ； Distinguishing the Datars, Tatars, and Oirats ； The Qing dynasty unified Mongolia; Mongolia to the south of the Gobi Desert was called Inner Mongolia, while Mongolia to the north of the Gobi Desert was called Outer Mongolia, and both were under the jurisdiction of the Board of Tribal Affairs. In the early years of the Republic of China, it was part of special regions such as Rehe, Chahar, and Suiyuan; later, these were all transformed into provinces ； Before the founding of the People’s Republic, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was established in what is now eastern Inner Mongolia, and its name has remained unchanged to this day. Xinjiang: Named after the newly acquired territory. The Tang and Song dynasties were in the Western Regions ； During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, it was part of the Chagatai Khanate and the Ögedei Khanate ； When the Qing unified these lands, the northern part was called Hui Region and the southern part was called Junggar Region; together they were known as Huijiang. A general was appointed to govern this area, and since it was new territory acquired by the dynasty, it was named Xinjiang (at that time, the newly acquired territory in Guizhou was also called Xinjiang) ； The establishment of the Xinjiang Province at the end of the Qing dynasty marked the beginning of Xinjiang’s name ； The Republic of China remains the same ； After the founding of the country, it was renamed the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and its name has remained unchanged to this day.