Appreciating Chinese Place Names

Associated with Taihang Shan 太行山			Associated with the central lakes: Poyang Hu 鄱阳湖 and Dongting Hu 洞庭湖
Shandong	山东	"east of the mountain"	Hubei	湖北	"north of the lakes"
Shanxi	山西	"west of the mountain"	Hunan	湖南	"south of the lakes"
Associated with Huang He 黃河: Yellow River or Hwang Ho			Associated with Chang Jiang 长江: Chang River, Yangzi or Yangtze River
Hebei	河北	"north of the river"	Jiangsu	江苏
Henan	河南	"south of the river"	Jiangxi	江西
			Zhejiang	浙江
Associated with rivers and clouds:
Sichuan	四川	"four rivers" — Sichuan province is a basin with many rivers within it, including the Chang Jiang and several of its principal tributaries. The character chuan, like jiang and he means river but is not as commonly used. To some, the Chinese character for chuan resembles flowing water. Sichuan province is surrounded by high mountains, with the result that high humidity and cloud cover are common throughout the year. In the lowland areas, subtropical climatic conditions prevail.	Yunnan	云南	The Chinese name for Yunnan translates as "south of the clouds," a poetic name that also relates to the fact that the province is located to the south of cloudy Sichuan province. Yunnan province is made up of a plateau in the east and a rugged western section. It is an area known for its clear skies and moderate temperatures, climatic conditions that differ significantly from the hot and humid areas surrounding it.