0rigin of Tianjin
2 min readThere are many diverse viewpoints regarding the origin of the name，”Tianjin”.Perhaps the most reliable point of view is that the name came from an emperor.Tianjin literally means”The Ferry Site of the Emperor”.It was said that Emperor Yongle，who was one of the sons of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty（1368-1644）gave the city its name.Before his enthronement as Emperor，Yongle launched a war against the successor of Emperor Taizu，Zhu Yunwen，who was the grandson of Emperor Hongwu in Nanjing.He departed fromthe Gu River at Tianjin and，after his successful battle and subsequent inauguration as emperor of China，gave his departure site the name Tianjin.Another version states that”Tianjin”as a word initially appeared in the poems of Qu Yuan，a famous patriotic poet from Chu State in the Warring States period.In his nasterpiece“Li Sao”，there（476B.C.-221B.C.）is the verse，“At dawn，departing from the Port of the Tianjin”.Another view is that”Tianjin”used to be a name of a star in the Chinese traditional astronomical system which is recorded in the Astronomy Record of the Book of Sui.A third view states that the name”Tianjin”was recorded in the River Record in the History of the Jin（1115~1234）.
Tianjin has a history of more than 600 years.The land where Tianjin is located today was created in ancient times by the sedimentation of various rivers，including the Yellow River which has since moved，entering the sea into the Bohai Gulf.Tianjin used to be part of the open sea.
The opening of the Grand Canal during the Sui Dynasty prompted the development of Tianjin into a trading center.Until 1404，Tianjin was called”Zhijie”，or”Straight Port”.In that year，the Yongle Emperor renamed the city Tianjin meaning”the Heavenly Ford”to indicate that the Emperor（the Son of Heaven）forded the river at that point.This is because he had indeed forded the river in Tianjin when in contention with his nephew for the throne.Later，a fort was established in Tianjin，known as”Tianjin Wei”，the Fort of Tianjin.
