The Ministry of Civil Affairs has recently announced 70 counties (cities and districts), including Jiangning District of Nanjing City, Liyang City, Wuzhong District of Suzhou City and Huai’an District of Huai’an City, in a nationwide pilot program about placename services.

Placename expert Xue Guang said Nanjing once had more than 20,000 places with old names, among which 2,000 places are of high historical and cultural values. The city began the protection of such placenames but there were still about 1,900 placenames no longer in use due to the rapid urbanization. Old placenames are an integral part of the identify of a city or town. For example, because of the well-connected waterways and convenient transportation in Suzhou, there are 153 streets and lanes whose names include the character Qiao, meaning bridge. 

File photo of a renovated old street in Suzhou. (CFP Photo)

These placenames naturally highlight the city’s water town charm.Jiangsu is home to 13 of China’s 140 cities recognized as famous historical and cultural cities, the highest number among province-level regions. Zhang Feng, director of the Famous City Protection Institute of Nanjing Municipal Planning and Design Institute, said the disappearance and reintroduction of old placenames reflects the changes of urban development ideas. 

Nanjing has made five versions of the Famous City Protection Plan, which started from meeting the needs for houses to expansion of urban space, the conservation and renewal of the old city area, and then the integrated development of the new and old city areas, according to Zhang.

Liu Zhichao, chief designer of the Urban Renewal Planning and Design Institute of Jiangsu Planning and Design Group, called for efforts to also preserve the old neighborhoods, streets, alleys, and buildings in order to make the old placenames matter in real life.

The placename is linked with the place and a protection of the two parts can bring to life the culture and history, said Liu.

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