Posted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on March 30, 2003 at 15:50:51 from 195.93.32.8 user ACB.
In Reply to: Re: Kan(g)chenjunga posted by John Lambert on March 25, 2003 at 07:47:07:
The name was changed in Chinese from Beijing to Peiping, as described, when it ceased to be the capital, so far as the Koumintang were concerned. The Chinese Communist Party call it Beijing because it is in fact the capital once more.
"Peking" was never right - it is an Anglicisation of the French "Pekin", with an acute over the "e", which is reasonably close to "Beijing".
"Shanghai" means "Up(on) Sea", by the way.
"Hong Kong" might be "Heung Gang" and probably means "Fragrant Harbour", because joss sticks were made there before 1841, but it's Cantonese, so nobody is quite sure.
Chongqing (Chungking) = "Western Capital", Nanjing = "Southern Capital".
If you write Tokyo in Chinese you will notice that it is Dongjing ="Eastern Capital", a source of some amusement to the Chinese.