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Zhangjiakou
Zhangjiakou, Hebei/China Wanquan Also known as Kalgan, a Mongolian word meaning ‘gate in a barrier’, a reference to the Great Wall of China on which it lies between two mountain peaks. Between 1911 and 1929 the city was known as Wanquan County. It has also been known colloquially as Tung‐kou ‘Eastern Entry’, in recognition of the fact that it was the main point of entry for caravans from Russia and Inner Mongolia into China. The present formal Chinese name means ‘Zhāng Family Pass’, Zhāng being the name of the commander in charge of the construction of the fortress, built in 1429, with jiā ‘family’ and kŏu ‘mouth’ or, here, ‘mountain pass’.
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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Zhangjiakou." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Zhangjiakou." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Zhangjiakou.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Zhangjiakou." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Zhangjiakou.html |
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Zhangjiakou
Zhangjiakou or Changkiakow , Mongolian Kalgan, city (1994 est. pop. 615,300), NW Hebei prov., China, near a gateway of the Great Wall and on the Beijing-Russia RR. A major trade center for N China and Mongolia, it has food-processing plants, machine shops, and tanneries. The meeting place of caravans traveling from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar, it was an important military center under the Manchu dynasty but declined somewhat after the opening (1905) of the Trans-Siberian RR. In 1928 it became the capital of Chahar prov., which was abolished in 1952. The name sometimes appears as Chang-chia-k'ou. |
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Cite this article
"Zhangjiakou." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Zhangjiakou." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Zhangjia.html "Zhangjiakou." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Zhangjia.html |
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