Chengdu, Sichuan

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province, and it is one of the biggest cities in China. As you can see in the map below it is located in southwest China.

四川 (Sìchuān)

四 (sì): four

川 (chuān): river

四川 (Sìchuān) is an abbreviation for 川峡四路 (Chuānxiá Sìlù), which literally translates to “Four circuits of river and gorges”.

成都 (Chéngdū)

成 (chéng): become

都 (dū): capital

It is believed that a king gave Chengdu its names when he decided to move his capital there in the early 4^th century BC.

While in China, I spent most of my time outside Shanghai in Sichuan province. One reason might be because they say that the Sichuan girls are the most beautiful. Another reason might be because Sichuan food it really tasty. Whatever the reason maybe, it is definitely one of my favorite places in China.

Apart from being famous for its girls and food, Sichuan province is also famous for Pandas.

熊猫 (xióngmāo): panda

熊猫生活在四川省

Xióngmāo shēnghuó zài Sìchuān shěng

Pandas live in Sichuan province.

Qingdao city, Tsingtao beer

Next in the series of talking about different Chinese cities is Qingdao city, one of the major cities located in the eastern part of China. It’s one of my favorite cities in China, and it was also voted the most livable city in China in 2009. This is how you write its name in Chinese language:

青岛(Qīngdǎo): Qingdao

And here is the breakdown:

青 (qīng): green

岛(dǎo): island

青岛市(Qīngdǎo shì): Qingdao city

城市(chéngshì): city

You might not have heard about Qingdao city, but you might have drunk Tsingtao beer. As you might have guessed by now, Tsingtao beer comes from Qingdao city.

青岛啤酒(Qīngdǎo píjiǔ): Tsingtao beer

[Source: Click here]

Here are some words which might be useful while getting a drink in China:

酒(jiǔ): wine/alcohol

啤酒(píjiǔ): beer

白酒(báijiǔ): liqour

酒吧 (jiǔbā): bar

干杯 (gānbēi): cheers

醉了(zuì le): to be drunk

Qingdao city is not only famous for its beer, but it is also the home of the longest bridge in the world, Jiaozhou Bay Bridge.

Chinese city names and their meanings

We have already looked at the Chinese names of some of the American and Canadian cities. Now let’s look at the names of some Chinese cities. Why the Chinese cities are named the way they are? Here are some Chinese cities you might have heard of:

上海 (Shànghǎi): Shanghai

上 (shàng): above

海 (hǎi): sea

So, 上海 (Shànghǎi) means “above sea”. And Shanghai is located on the water, right next to the East China Sea. Is that the reason why it is named “above sea”?

北京 (Běijīng): Beijing

北 (běi): north

京 (jīng): capital

Therefore, 北京 (Běijīng) means “north capital”. As you know Beijing is currently the capital of China. And since it is in the northern part of China, the name "north capital" is very fitting.

南京 (Nánjīng): Nanjing

南 (nán): south

京 (jīng): capital

And南京 (Nánjīng) means “south capital”. For those of you who don’t know, Nanjing was the capital of several Chinese dynasties. It was also the capital of the Republic of China since the 1911 revolution until the 1949 revolution. And it is south compared to Beijing. Here is a map for your reference.

[Source: Click here]

Here are the four directions in Chinese language

北 (běi): north

南 (nán): south

西 (xi): west

东 (dōng): east