Confidence in China from the Management of Place Names
From May 1 this year, the revised "Regulations on the Administration of Geographical Names" (hereinafter referred to as the "New Regulations") came into effect.
The new "Regulations" make comprehensive and systematic provisions on the management of geographical names, which will further improve the legalization, scientific and standardized level of geographical names management, and provide legal guarantee for promoting the high-quality development of geographical names work in the new era.
Place name, where did it come from?
What are proper and generic names?
Why do some place names contain the words "An" and "Ning"?
People come into contact with place names almost every day and are very familiar with them, but when they encounter questions about place names, it is inevitable that they will feel unfamiliar.
Place names are the basic public information of society and an important carrier of history and culture.
It records the natural geographical features and humanistic features, deposits the imprint of production and life, and also reflects people's expectations for a better life.
There are many unforgettable stories and memories behind the long or short place names, and more and more people use them to understand China.
Build consensus and prevent "willful" name change
In the second season of "China Place Name Conference", a 12-year-old boy performed outstandingly in the competition of "place name Feihualing", and was called "the little king of Feihualing".
What left a deep impression was not only the performance of the contestants, but also the lively comments of the guests in the program.
Many netizens sighed after watching: It turns out that there are so many historical stories and historical figures behind the place names!
The audience's attention and recognition of the program has brought about a wave of "all people guessing place names".
At the same time as the "geographical name fever" continues to heat up, the "Regulations on the Administration of Geographical Names" promulgated in 1986 ushered in the first revision.
"It has been more than 30 years since the original regulations were promulgated, and now the land of the motherland has been replaced with a new look, and the living standards of the people have been greatly improved." Liu Lian'an, deputy director of the Institute of Geographical Names of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said that in the new development stage of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way, The party and the state have put forward higher requirements for the work of geographical names, and the people have new expectations for the service of geographical names.
For a long time, some localities and departments have not standardized the naming and renaming of place names, resulting in confusion and strangeness of place names.
Some place names with profound cultural heritage disappear in urban construction, cutting off the context of place names in the city and bringing a certain impact on the inheritance of national culture. In the long run, it will also have a negative impact on cultural identity.
"In the process of urbanization, many places were originally villages, but some people think that the original place names are too earthy, and as a result, a bunch of inexplicable names without any historical foundation have come up. In this way, about the history of this area from village to city And its evolution process will be slowly forgotten.” He Yunao, director of the Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage of Nanjing University, pointed out that many ancient poems also contain place names, if these names disappear one by one in reality, when children ask them in the future , how should we answer?
The main function of place names is to indicate the geographical location, which is closely related to the country.
"A place name is a symbol of territorial sovereignty. A country's jurisdiction over a certain area is first reflected in naming and promoting its use according to its own will." Liu Lian'an took the naming of islands and reefs as an example, saying that "the naming of some islands and reefs in our country declares that National sovereignty".
Place names are also closely related to people's production and life.
This means that if the management of geographical names is not standardized, it will cause certain inconvenience to government management, public services and people's lives.
Zhu Lijia, a professor of the Public Administration Teaching and Research Department of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (National School of Administration), said, "Due to the confusion, similarity, and similarity of some place names, the handling of sudden crises such as fire alarms, public security incidents, disputes and accidents may lead to mistakes. The way, looking in the wrong place, leads to the delay in crisis handling and affects the effectiveness of government governance.”
"Many times, changing the place name not only brings no economic benefits, but also incurs a lot of cost. Because once the place name is changed, the local maps, road signs, seals, licenses, etc. have to be replaced." He Yunao said.
The reporter noticed that with regard to applying for the naming and renaming of place names, the new "Regulations" clarified the procedures for submitting applications, risk assessment, expert argumentation, and soliciting public opinions.
Liu Lianan believes that the above regulations make the process of naming and renaming places a process of gathering wisdom and building consensus, which will play an important role in preventing the "willful" name change of various localities and departments.
To keep the old place name is to keep the nostalgia
One side of water and soil breeds a place name; a place name carries the culture of one side.
Liu Lianan introduced that when people name geographical entities, many describe their geographical location, landform features, typical features, and special products. For example, Wutai Mountain and Langya Mountain are named according to their geographical features, Mianyang and Jiangyin are named according to their geographical location, and Mianzhu and Yancheng are named according to their geographical features. etc. reflect local properties.
Some are named according to local cultural characteristics, such as Xujiahui and Lujiazui, which are named after surnames.
Place names with characters such as "An", "Ning" and "Feng", such as Xi'an, Ningbo and Fengxian, express people's good wishes for long-term stability and good weather.
"Many social concepts, geographical features, and language habits that have been hard to find in other areas of society are deposited in place names." Liu Lian'an said that by tracing the origin and meaning of place names, we know that Qingdao, Shandong used to have lush vegetation and trees. Cranes once lived in Hebi, Henan.
In the new "Regulations", a special chapter "cultural protection of geographical names" is set up, and the cultural heritage of geographical names is strictly protected: geographical names with important historical and cultural value and reflecting the historical context of China are generally not allowed to be renamed.
At the same time, qualified geographical names and cultural heritage shall be included in the protection scope of intangible cultural heritage according to law, and a protection list shall be formulated.
When talking about the strengthening of cultural protection of geographical names in the new "Regulations", Hua Linfu, a professor at the Institute of Qing History of Renmin University of China, used "three very": very timely, very important, and very necessary.
He believes that place name culture is the sum of the cultural heritage formed and accumulated by place names in the process of historical development, not only the existing ones, but also the cultural value contained in the place names that have been used in history.
The place name "Yuhui Village" related to the establishment of the Xia Dynasty has been preserved so far, and many place names contained in the oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago are still in use today. Writers and others have repeatedly quoted... "This is the result of cultural reproduction. Old place names are an important resource for inheriting excellent culture, enhancing cultural self-confidence, and building a cultural power." He Yunao emphasized that through these place names, we can see the continuous development of a civilization. China, a confident China.
Not only does it carry the historical memory of one party, but the place name also "illuminates" the way home for wanderers.
Wu Hao has been in Russia for more than 20 years since he graduated from his doctorate and stayed in Moscow.
Today, he is the president of the Russian Continental Century Group, and is actively involved in cultural, educational and technological exchanges between China and Russia.
Like other overseas Chinese, Wu Hao always cares about the motherland and always pays attention to the development and progress of the country.
"There is a kind of nostalgia and a memory in place names. The new "Regulations" on cultural protection of place names has well satisfied the homesickness needs of overseas travelers." Wu Hao said.
"Wild grass and flowers by the Suzaku Bridge, the sunset at the entrance of Wuyi Alley", "smoke cage cold water and moon cage sand, night park Qinhuai near the restaurant"... Wu Hao, who loves literature, recited a few verses about his hometown Nanjing for reporters casually. .
"When I was abroad, every time I talked to others about Qinhuai River, Wuyi Lane and other place names, I felt very cordial, and my childhood memories would also come to my eyes." Wu Hao said that many place names in Nanjing have long been his emotional sustenance. To live with them is to keep nostalgia.
Standardize approval procedures and strengthen supervision and inspection
Old place names should be protected, and new place names should be regulated.
In recent years, with the acceleration of urbanization in my country, new place names have emerged.
Liu Lianan said that there are activities such as production and development, the expansion of urban scale and the transformation of old cities, and the adjustment of administrative divisions.
How should the new place name be named?
"The meaning is clear, healthy, and does not violate public order and good customs" "Use the common language of the country and avoid the use of uncommon words" "Generally do not use the name of a person as a place name, and do not use the name of a state leader as a place name" "The name of a well-known domestic physical and geographical entity, the national The names of administrative divisions at or above the county level within the scope should not have the same names, and avoid homophones"... The new "Regulations" clearly stipulate this.
It is worth noting that the new "Regulations" also improve the approval procedures for place names and name changes.
"Approval is an administrative act, and its procedural regulation is the proper meaning of promoting administration according to law and building a government under the rule of law. The naming and renaming of place names involves national security, public safety, national dignity, civilized weather, etc. A series of aspects that are inseparable from public interests." Wang Jingbo, vice president of the University of International Business and Economics, believes that it is necessary to approve the naming and renaming of geographical names, which will help promote the administration of geographical names by law.
The life of the law lies in its implementation, and how to ensure that the provisions are implemented and effective is of the utmost importance.
The number of geographical names is large and the interests are complex, and it is indispensable to strengthen the supervision of geographical names.
Wang Jingbo said that the new "Regulations" set up a special chapter on "supervision and inspection", which clarified the main body of supervision, and enriched and improved the supervision methods. Implement on-site inspections. If problems are found, rectification suggestions should be put forward, rectification notices should be issued, and if necessary, interviews and reports should be conducted.
Tongzhou area, where the sub-center of Beijing city is located, has been a famous city of canal culture since ancient times.
In 2021, 362 place names in the sub-center of Beijing will be announced to the public. The naming types include area names, road names, bridge names, park green space names, etc.
Among them, Tingbo Alley, Guanlan Road, Yanwu Hall Alley and many other place names with a strong canal culture flavor are eye-catching.
"The implementation of the new "Regulations" marks a new historical period for the protection, inheritance and promotion of the excellent geographical names culture." He Yunao said that with the continuous improvement of the legal, scientific and standardized level of the management of geographical names in my country, it is believed that in the During the naming and renaming of place names, more and more historical place names will be fully protected, and more and more disappearing place names will be "resurrected" and revived.
Further reading
● Beijing: a public participation mechanism for the management of geographical names will be established
The Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs issued the "Opinions on Further Improving the Public Service Level of Geographical Names" last year, stating that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Beijing will complete the integration of various geographical name databases, and use large-scale geographical names. It is necessary to conduct interim and post-event supervision of geographical names, and establish and improve a full-process geographical names public service mechanism that integrates collection, management, use, and evaluation.
● Guangzhou: Establish a place name planning system
The "Guangzhou City Geographical Names Management Regulations", which came into effect on January 1 this year, requires that the municipal and district civil affairs departments should work with the planning and natural resources departments to formulate the geographical names planning within their respective administrative areas, and implement them after reporting to the government at the same level for approval.
The geographical names planning shall include the naming schemes of various geographical names, the generic names and their usage rules, and the guidelines for the selection of proper names.
When the relevant department formulates the special plan for the industry, it shall be linked with the names determined in the geographical names plan.
Experts pointed out that the preparation of geographical names planning is conducive to improving the scientificity and forward-looking of urban geographical names, and improving the standardization level of geographical names, which is of great significance to urban construction and planning.
(Organized by our reporter Peng Xunwen)
Shi Zhipeng
Shi Zhipeng