Nanchang‘s Old Place Names (Bilingual Edition): 57 Stories & How to Translate Them into English

What is this book?

This is a combined academic and practical work on the English translation of Chinese place name culture, written by Li Zhiping. Published by Hunan University Press in September 2024, it runs approximately 342,000 words in a 16-format edition-3.

What is it about?

Nanchang is a historic city with over 2,200 years of history. Behind every old place name lies a story — some rooted in myths and legends, some tied to the imperial examination system, some bearing the footprints of historical figures, and some carrying the memory of clan surnames-. This book uncovers the cultural stories behind these place names and explains in detail how to translate them into English so that overseas readers can grasp the cultural essence.

The book has two parts:

• Theory (6 chapters) : Systematically discusses the cultural connotations and English translation techniques of Nanchang's old place names, including background, methods, challenges, and strategies-.

• Practice (8 chapters) : Analyzes real place name stories by theme — "Myths and Legends," "Religious Rituals," "Imperial Examinations and Education," "Historical Figures," "Clan Surnames," and more-.

How is it useful to me?

• If you are a translation student or practitioner, the book offers numerous real-world cases and concrete methods for translating place name culture — directly applicable to your work.

• If you are interested in Chinese culture, this book takes you through one place name story at a time, revealing the historical memory and cultural fabric of Nanchang.

• If you are a university student, teacher, or researcher, this book is the outcome of a 2022 Jiangxi Provincial Social Science Fund project titled "Cultural Translation Appreciation: Stories Behind Nanchang's Old Place Names" — it carries academic reference value-