Chinese civilization is the only civilization in the world with a millennium long continuity of inheritance, and many city names today are vivid evidence of civilization inheritance.
In China, there are three places that have been using the current name since over 3000 years ago.
The context of a city also appears in a clearer way before people’s eyes through its name.
What are these three cities?
The first city, Jingzhou, had already appeared during the flood control period of Emperor Yu the Great and has been used to this day.
During the reign of Emperor Yu the Great, in order to better plan the national water system, the entire China was divided into nine distinct regions, with Jingzhou being one of them.
The former Jingzhou was located in the present-day Hubei region.
The southern water system is well-developed, and water disasters may also be more severe, so Jingzhou was once a key focus area for Dayu’s flood control efforts.
From the world of public to the world of family, the times are changing and the social environment is changing, but the name of Jingzhou has not changed.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, this became an important stronghold of the State of Chu.
From today’s clearer map of China, we can see that Hubei is undoubtedly the hinterland of the Central Plains.
Not only is it well connected, but the terrain is also flat and rich in resources.
In ancient times, this was a battleground for military strategists, and whoever could hold onto it had the confidence to rely on.
No wonder King Zhuang of Chu was able to become one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, shouting the slogan of conquering the Central Plains and standing out in the era of political power.
At that time, Jingzhou was the political center of Chu, gathering the highest quality talents and resources of Chu.
They jointly built this city, consciously or passively turning Jingzhou into a well-known “feng shui treasure land” in the pre Qin era.
Later, the Seven Heroes of the Warring States period appeared, and the Qin Dynasty finally unified the six states and established a unified dynasty.
The times kept changing, and during the Three Kingdoms period, Jingzhou once again refreshed its sense of existence in historical allusions.
When it comes to the allusions of Jingzhou during the Three Kingdoms period, many loyal readers of “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” will think of Guan Yu’s general idea of losing Jingzhou.
But the timeline of this incident already belongs to the late Three Kingdoms period.
Before that, before Wei, Shu, and Wu had even divided the world, Jingzhou had already been personally offered to Cao Cao by Liu Biao’s son.
When the Battle of Red Cliffs broke out and Wei, Shu, and Wu were evenly divided, Jingzhou became the familiar image in many people’s memories.
After a long development stage of feudal dynasties, it went through the New Democratic Revolution.
After the establishment of New China, the name of Jingzhou underwent a change.
In the official introduction, there is a new name for Jingsha City, but many locals still habitually refer to it as Jingzhou.
The current city of Jingzhou may have some geographical differences from ancient Jingzhou.
But the name Jingzhou still bears witness to the millennium development history of Hubei.
Like Jingzhou, Xuzhou was also one of the nine provinces designated by Emperor Yu to control floods.
Xuzhou is now a prefecture level city under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province, but during the era of Emperor Yu’s flood control, Xuzhou was a larger district.
In ancient times, Xuzhou not only covered the northern part of Jiangsu, but also included the northern part of Anhui and even a partial area of southern Shandong.
The most famous historical story that happened in Xuzhou is probably the Battle of Zhuolu in the primitive tribal era.
In today’s Xuzhou city, history enthusiasts can also find cultural relics related to the Battle of Zhuolu.
The Battle of Zhuolu was a major battle that took place between the tribes of Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang, as well as Chiyou. The former was united while the latter came with great force.
The outcome of this battle directly determines the form in which the Chinese nation will develop and lays the foundation for the embryonic form of Chinese civilization.
The location of the Battle of Zhuolu is today’s Xuzhou.
Whether it’s Emperor Yan, Emperor Huang, or Chiyou, these three highly skilled tribal leaders.
It is widely believed that Zhuolu is an important area that cannot be abandoned, indicating its unparalleled strategic value.
With the development of the times, feudal society has stepped onto the historical stage.
Local political systems such as the county system and the provincial system have emerged successively, and the geographical scope of Xuzhou is also undergoing continuous changes.
However, change and constancy are relative, and the name Xuzhou has never changed.
Jingzhou and Xuzhou, the two ‘old Nine Provinces’, also have one place that has not changed its name for thousands of years, which is Handan in Hebei Province.
Handan is not one of the top cities in Hebei province, but its popularity is definitely not lower than other cities.
On it, there is a vivid allusion, which is the well-known Handan learning to walk.
This story was first recorded in Zhuangzi and took place during the Warring States period.
There is a young man from Yan Kingdom who loves to imitate others the most in his life.
He came to Zhao and saw that the people in Handan walked very beautifully, so he followed behind to study on his own.
As a result, I completely forgot my original steps and walked in an unrecognizable state.
This story has now become a cultural symbol of Handan city. Many outsiders may not be familiar with the development of Handan, but they must have heard of Handan learning to walk.
Handan was the capital city of Zhao a thousand years ago, and Zhao also produced a “talent” named Zhao Kuo, who was the protagonist of war talk on paper.
Handan is famous throughout the world for the story of learning to walk in Handan, but its historical origins can be traced back not only to the Warring States period.
It is said that during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, Handan was already an important city on the North China Plain, carrying certain political and economic values.
Later on, the local administrative system changed again and again, and the standards for regional divisions also changed, but the name Handan has always been preserved.
After the founding of New China, it became a very important city in Hebei.
Like Jingzhou and Xuzhou, after thousands of years of changes, the name Handan has always remained in the city’s identity symbol.
On our vast land of China, there are still many cities that follow names with rich historical value.
Their existence precisely illustrates a truth, that Chinese civilization has strong continuity and unity.
