“地濒温江而名”

This opinion is traced to the Ciyuan,

which is the first major Chinese

dictionary of the 20th century. The

Ciyuan defines Wenjiang as

follows:"The name of a county,

under the jurisdiction of Sichuan

Province. In the Han Dynasty, it

belonged to Pixian County ruled

by Shu Prefecture. It was called

Wanchun County in the Sui

Dynasty and renamed Wenjiang

because of its proximity to the

Wenjiang River in the 5th year

(or perhaps the 1st year) of the

Zhenguan reign (631 or 627 AD)

of Emperor Taizong of the Tang

Dynasty (618–907 AD). These

records are made by referring

to the Universal Geography of

the Taiping Era 976-983 in the

Northern Song Dynasty

(960–1127 AD)." According to

the Universal Geography of the

Taiping Era 976-983, "The

Dajiang River, about two

hundred steps in the west of

the county, flows from

Qingcheng County. It is

commonly known as the

Wenjiang River." In addition,

similar information can be

found in the Yuanhe Maps

and Records of Prefectures

and Counties compiled

during the Yuanhe reign of

the Tang Dynasty, "The Dajiang

River, commonly known as the

Wenjiang River, flows down

south, 1 li (500 meters) away

from the county, and produces

panned gold." During the

Western Wei period

(535–556 AD), the

newly-established Wenjiang

County sat on both banks of

the Dajiang River. Therefore,

Wenjiang may have got its

name because of the

Wenjiang River.

Why is the river water in Wenjiang

warm? First, the Junxian Shiming

(literally Explanations of Names

for Prefectures and Counties)

compiled in the Ming Dynasty

(1368–1644 AD) records, "When

it comes to Wenjiang County of

Chengdu Prefecture, as the

General Records introduce, the

river water is warm. I passed by

the river and asked local senior

residents. They said the Wenjiang

River originates from the

Minjiang River and flows

through Guankou. While it runs

in the valley, it is cold, but when

it reaches Wenjiang, its temperature

increases, so it is called the

Wenjiang River (wen means warm,

jiang means river)." Second, the

Lujiao Weir was built then. The

weir was low, so the flood overflew

into the Dajiang River in the lower

reaches. In dry seasons, the river

water was channeled by the weir

toward Chengdu for smooth

shipping. Only a little river leaked

from gaps to the lower reaches.

The Dajiang River was mainly

supplied by underground water.

Due to the low-lying terrain along

the river and the high groundwater

level, a considerable amount of

groundwater flew into the river.

In winter, the Chengdu Plain had a

higher ground temperature than

the air temperature, and the

underground water temperature

was clearly higher than the surface

water temperature, so the Dajiang

River was warm.

For these reasons, Wenjiang was

named as it had a warm river

flowing through the area.

Place names are also fossils of the

development of human society,

which embody, deposit, and carry

forward cultures. Exploring the

name of Wenjiang is our first step

to discover this land. Please follow

"Home in Wenjiang" and unlock

memories of Wenjiang with us.