What city is in the sky?

Recently, the website of Henan Provincial Construction Department posted a message about Zhumadian, mentioning that Zhumadian will be renamed as "Tianzhong City". (See the end of the article) Is this information true? If so, how is the change of name going now? Why did Zhumadian change its name to "Tianzhongcheng"? Our reporter went to Zhumadian City to feel and touch the impulse of renaming this city with a population of 8 million.

"Nature in the Air" Complex of Folk Growth

When Zhang Dajie, a taxi driver in Zhumadian City, heard the reporter mention that Zhumadian would be renamed as "Tianzhong City", she was not surprised. She said that there are many places called "Tanaka" in Zhumadian.

With her help, the reporter found a market called "Tianzhong Market" near Huanghuai College, and a small restaurant nearby was also called "Tianzhong Hotel". Sister Zhang also took the reporter to the famous Tianzhong Square.

In Zhang Jie's eyes, the image and reputation of Zhumadian City have been affected by the concentrated publicity of the media some time ago.

Sister Zhang hopes to bring good luck to Zhumadian and herself after changing her name to "Tianzhong". This simple desire is widespread in Zhumadian City. "Our evening newspaper here is called Tianzhong Evening News, and the academic journal is called Tianzhong School Newspaper. Foreign propaganda uses' welcome to heaven' and so on. In short,' Tanaka' has become synonymous with Zhumadian, and changing the name of the city to' Tanaka City' is what people want. " Guo Chao, director of Tianzhong Institute of History and Culture at Huanghuai University, said.

Government efforts behind "heaven in heaven"

Can the simple wishes of the people come true? The reporter has been confirmed by relevant departments.

According to Guo Chao, Zhumadian has made a lot of efforts to change its name. 1999, Zhumadian Teachers College (now Huanghuai College), the highest institution in the city, established Tanaka Institute of Literature and History to conduct theoretical research. In 2000, Zhumadian City asked for a name change, but there was no result. In 2004, the city convened Henan University, Henan Academy of Social Sciences and local experts to hold a powerful "Tianzhong Culture Seminar". With the progress of the seminar, the impulse to change the name of the city revived, and a renaming group led by a deputy mayor was set up to specifically operate the renaming.

"We have specially prepared a set of renamed picture books, which contain materials on the relationship between Tianzhong culture and Zhumadian, as well as some pictures and reasons for renaming. These materials have been reported to the provincial civil affairs department and relevant leaders, and have been supported and passed. Now they are submitting application materials to the State Council. " Liu, chairman of Zhumadian Federation of Literary and Art Circles who participated in the renaming operation, said.

Liu's statement was confirmed by Wang, deputy mayor of Zhumadian Municipal Government. According to Vice Mayor Wang, the renaming work was supported by the Provincial Civil Affairs Department and relevant leaders. It is estimated that there is no problem in the successful declaration in 2006. However, he said that because the application has not been successful, it is not appropriate to do too much publicity. "After the successful declaration next year, we will organize relevant departments to focus on publicity, including promoting Tianzhong culture and Tianzhong spirit in Zhumadian and making Tianzhong a well-known brand."

"renaming requires a certain cost, involving transportation and other aspects, so be cautious before the declaration is successful." An official of the city said.

The Historical Origin of "Tianxia"

Why was Zhumadian renamed Tianzhong?

According to Guo Chao, in ancient times, Runan was called "the hinterland of Yuzhou, the best in the world". Gong Yu and other historical records record that when Yu was divided into Kyushu, Yuzhou was in Kyushu and Runa was in Yuzhou, hence the name "Yu Tian". Zhou Gongying built a watch and measured the sun's shadow with earth gauge, and it was the most correct to measure 30 miles north of Runan, which was called "in heaven and earth". Local people have built a dome here, which is called "Tiantai Terrace" or "Tianzhong Mountain" as a symbol. Yan Zhenqing, a great calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, personally wrote "Tianzhong Mountain" in Cai Prison. So far, either the "Tianzhongshan" of the mountain is famous all over the world. Later generations carved Yan Shu's stone into "Tianzhong Mountain" and erected it under the "Tianzhong Mountain", which is still well preserved. People here also call themselves "people in the sky". Since the Tang Dynasty, locals, governments, officials, scholars, historical documents and local chronicles have all called this place "heaven".

The historical embarrassment of Zhumadian

In the eyes of many Zhumadian people, the name "Zhumadian" carries too many historical embarrassment. "It used to be just a small village. It has never become a county-level organizational system and has no cultural connotation." A staff member of the Propaganda Department of Zhumadian Municipal Committee said.

According to "History in the Sky" compiled by the relevant departments of Zhumadian City, in the Han Dynasty, it was named "Ramie Village" because it was rich in ramie. In the early years of tomorrow (1457), Donggu village in Cheng Zhen and Yanzhen Town was named "Ramie"; In the tenth year of Chenghua in Ming Dynasty (1474), King Chong Jian set up a post station here and changed ramie to Zhumadian.