Abstract
As part of the cultural landscape, administrative toponyms do not only reflect natural and sociocultural phenomena, but also help with related management and naming work. Historically, county-level administrative districts have been stable and basic administrative regions in China, playing a role in the country’s management. We explore the spatio-temporal evolutionary characteristics of the county-level administrative toponyms cultural landscape in China’s eastern plains areas. A Geographical Information System (GIS) analysis, Geo-Informatic Tupu, Kernel Density Estimation, and correlation coefficients were conducted. We constructed a GIS database of county-level administrative toponyms from the Sui dynasty onward using the Northeast China, North China, and Yangtze Plains as examples. We then summarized the spatio-temporal evolutionary characteristics of the county-level administrative toponyms cultural landscape in China’s eastern plains areas. The results indicate that (1) the number of toponyms has roughly increased over time; (2) toponym densities on the three plains are higher than the national average in the corresponding timeframe since the Sui; and (3) county-level administrative toponyms related to mountains and hydrological features accounted for more than 30% of the total in 2010. However, the percentage of county-level administrative toponyms related to natural factors on the three plains has decreased since the Sui. To explore the factors influencing this spatio-temporal evolution, we analyzed the correlations between the toponyms and natural factors and human/social factors. The correlation degree between toponym density and population density is the highest, and that between toponym density and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) the lowest. Temperature changes were important in toponym changes, and population changes have influenced toponym changes over the last 400 years in China.
Highlights
A place begins to exist when people assign it a name and meaning, differentiating it from the larger, undifferentiated space [1]
The statistical years are in keeping with The Historical Atlas of China [33] from Sui to Qing dynasties, used for the Republic of China (ROC) is 1925 AD, and 2010 for the People’s Republic of China (PRC)
In terms of economic and demographic factors, the population and economic recovery increased during the Ming
Summary
A place begins to exist when people assign it a name and meaning, differentiating it from the larger, undifferentiated space [1]. In China, studies concerning toponyms at the earliest stage appeared alongside academic works on China’s ancient geography, such as Shang Shu Yu Gong, Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shan Hai Jing), Geographical Records on the History of the Han Dynasty, and Commentary on the Water Classic (Shui Jing Zhu), which all recorded important information on toponyms [7]. Because of their increasing significance, studies on toponyms attracted the attention of the government and academia.
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