Place Names in Taiwan

[archylgp]

It seems that place names here come from three sources: (1) the aboriginals, (2) the Japanese, and (3) the Chinese. (Any others?) I want to separate place names into these categories. Anyone know of any resources for doing this? The first names I want to get at are 玉裏 and 富裏.

I suppose after finishing this broad breakdown, I (we) could start looking at dialects.

Here’s am interesting relevant post – viewtopic.php?f=40&t=47075

Edit: it would be nice if yuli de li wasn’t converted to limian de li.

[Doraemonster]

If you read Chinese, you can look here for starters:

home.educities.edu.tw/nkhs932300 … %A8%D3.htm

[archylgp]

[quote=“Doraemonster”]If you read Chinese, you can look here for starters:

home.educities.edu.tw/nkhs932300 … %A8%D3.htm[/quote]

Perfect Thanks!

[Mucha_Man]

For Chinese you need to make two categories: one for the original Fujian and Guangdong settlers and the names they gave places and one for the replacements made in Mandarin and reflecting ROC propaganda or that are merely transliterations. Many place names in Mandarin simply make no sense as they are merely transliterations of the original Taiwanese.

[archylgp]

According to that site, 玉裏 was called Púyùgé 璞玉閣, a transliteration from Amis (阿美族的譯音). The native word means “dust”. The origin is supposedly related to geography; when the Siouguluan River, which passes through the area, would dry up, a lot of dust was generated. Another name is 派派可, a transliteration from Amis meaning “brake” (a type of fern --Pteris). This name is related to fern production, which I guess was an important industry at one time. I’m not sure about the temporal relationship between the two names. Later, as the gravel there was similar to uncut jade (璞玉石), and there was a barracks called 閣樓街道, yuli was called 璞玉閣. (Original name for a different reason it seems). During the Japanese colonial period, 璞玉石 was simplified to 玉裏.

Edit: I’ve been asking around and it seems 玉裏 was also called 樸石閣.

[Mucha_Man]

Okay, ignore what I said above. You obviously know what you are doing. Please keep posting on this kind of thing. It is very interesting.

[cranky_laowai]

@archylgp

Later, as the gravel there was similar to uncut jade (璞玉石)

I suppose that’s possible. But it sounds an awful lot like a folk etymology to me.

[Mucha_Man]

I saw this today on Taiwan Panorama on Jinshan:

The old name for Chinshan was “Chinpaoli.” The Pingpu (Plains) Aboriginal people who came to be called the Ketagalan during the Japanese colonial period were its first inhabitants. The Spanish missionary Jacinto Esquivel wrote in 1632 that “the place where the savages collect sulfur is called Tapari.” The Ketagalan place a “ki” at the beginning of place names, making it “Kitapari.” It means “place of abundant harvests,” and was rendered into Chinese as “Chinpaoli.” As there were sulfur deposits in the area around Mt. Tatun, the Chinpaoli area is often called “the land of sulfur-mining” in history books.

Also, you asked about “other” sources of names. The Spanish gave a few names that remain such as Sandiaoling on the NE Coast.

[archylgp]

[quote=“Mucha Man”]I saw this today on Taiwan Panorama on Jinshan:

The old name for Jinshan was “Chinpaoli.” The Pingpu (Plains) Aboriginal people who came to be called the Ketagalan during the Japanese colonial period were its first inhabitants. The Spanish missionary Jacinto Esquivel wrote in 1632 that “the place where the savages collect sulfur is called Tapari.” The Ketagalan place a “ki” at the beginning of place names, making it “Kitapari.” It means “place of abundant harvests,” and was rendered into Chinese as “Chinpaoli.” As there were sulfur deposits in the area around Mt. Tatun, the Chinpaoli area is often called “the land of sulfur-mining” in history books.

Also, you asked about “other” sources of names. The Spanish gave a few names that remain such as Sandiaoling on the NE Coast.[/quote]

Cool. Thanks

[volv1992]

I’ve noticed that it’s quite common for cities to have a Zhongshan District (Taipei, obviously) or some area of that name (Zhongshan Park, Shanghai another example). On a similar vein, Tokyo has an area called Ōyama, which is in the middle of the Kantō plain.

No big or central mountains in sight.

What gives? Must be more to it than my extremely primitive reading skills suggest?

[tempogain]

It’s a name of Sun Yat-Sen. Zhongzheng Rd. refers to Chiang Kai-Shek in the same way.