Chekiang

English

Etymology

From the Postal Romanization of Nanking court dialect Mandarin 浙江 (Zhèjiāng), from before the modern palatalization of /k/ to /tɕ/, with the word itself from a former name of the Qiantang River.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɛˈkjæŋ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒəˈd͡ʒjɑŋ/
• enPR: jǔʹjē-ängʹ

Proper noun

Chekiang

1. Alternative form of Zhejiang
   • 1655, F. Alvarez Semedo, “Bellum Tartaricum”, in The History of That Great and Renowned Monarchy of China‎^[2], E. Tyler, page 281:

     After this, they divided their Army into two parts; the one they ſent to conquer the Mediterranean Provinces of Kiangſi, Huquang, & Quangtung, which are all of a marvellous extent; the other like a ſwift Torrent, over-run all, till they came to the very Walls of the renowned and vaſt City of Hangcheu, which is the head City of the Province of Chekiang.

   • 1669 [1665], John Nievhoff, translated by John Ogilby, An Embassy from the Eaſt-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham Emperour of China‎^[3], London: John Macock, translation of original in Dutch, →OCLC, page 6:

     Among the Iſlands which are Tributary to this Kingdom, is alſo accounted the Iſland Formoſa, which the Chineſes call Lieukieu, and ſituated over againſt the Province of Foken ; as alſo the Iſland of Cheuxan, over againſt the Province of Chekiang, a very famous place for Trading.

   • [1891, Stephen W. Bushell, “Description of Modern Ware.”, in Description of Chinese Pottery and Porcelain; Being a Translation of the Tʽao shuo 陶說‎^[4], Clarendon Press, published 1910, →OCLC, page 16:

     Porcelain painted in blue and white, and also that decorated with the deep blue monochrome glaze, both require this blue. It is obtained from the province of Chêkiang, being found on several mountains within the two prefectures of Shao-hsing and Chin-hua.]

   • 1938, Robert Berkov, Strong Man of China: The Story of Chiang Kai-shek‎^[5], Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, →OCLC, page 17:

     Chiang was then given command of a regiment, and led three thousand men to Hangchow, Wenchow, and Taichow, all in his native province of Chekiang. His exploits sounded impressive, but the truth was that he encountered practically no opposition. As soon as a force was led against a town, imperial authority collapsed. Officials resigned or fled, and revolutionary leaders, mostly military, assumed authority. The progress was gratifying but hardly exciting.

   • 1982, Grant Maxwell, Assignment in Chekiang‎^[6], Thorn Press Limited, page 8:

     Whatever their individual views on how best to evangelize, life for the Scarboro men and Grey Sisters in Chekiang province rarely unfolded as they had hoped. And soon after the Marxist People's Republic was proclaimed in 1949, all their proselytizing activities came to an end.

   • 1986, James H. Cole, Shaohsing: Competition and Cooperation in Nineteenth-Century China‎^[7], University of Arizona Press, page 76:

     After the Taiping war northern Chekiang as a whole, and its rich alluvium in particular, immediately attracted immigrants from overcrowded Ningpo and Shaohsing prefectures. Land-hungry peasants from other coastal prefectures, T'ai-chou and Wen-chou, soon joined ranks with Ningpo and Shaohsing peasants and settled first in the delta of Chia-hsing prefecture and then in the valleys and low hills of Hang-chou and Hu-chou prefectures.

   • 2015, Richard Overy, editor, The Oxford Illustrated History of World War II‎^[8], Oxford University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 340:

     The Japanese also spread anthrax and typhoid, and contaminated water sources in Chekiang province, leading to the deaths of many thousands of Chinese as epidemics took their toll in the region in 1942 and 1943.

   • (Can we date this quote?), “Features of Shadow Puppets Flash”, in Kaohsiung Museum of Shadow Puppet- 戲說皮影戲‎^[9], archived from the original on 09 August 2020:

     Based around Chekiang Province Hangchou shadow puppets are made of lambskin, with only one side painted with colors. They are soft and pliable.

Derived terms

• Chekiangese

Further reading

• “Chekiang”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “Chekiang” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.