Introduction: The Allure of Numbered Provinces

Across China’s vast landscape, from northern strongholds like Qin and Qi to southern domains like Wu and Yue, nearly every province carries a distinctive numeric nickname. These poetic designations – “Three Qins” for Shaanxi, “Three Xiangs” for Hunan, “Eight Mins” for Fujian – serve as cultural shorthand, compressing millennia of history into evocative numerical prefixes. But what stories lie behind these numerical monikers? How did warring states, geographic features, and administrative divisions combine to create China’s unique tradition of numbered regional identities?

Northern Origins: The Legacy of Warring States Division

### Three Jins: The Fractured Legacy of Ancient Jin

The story begins in the Spring and Autumn period (771-476 BCE), when the powerful Jin state dominated northern China’s political landscape. Centered in modern Shanxi province between the cities of Yi and Jiang (near present-day Linfen), Jin grew prosperous through control of the Fen River valley and its vital salt resources from Yuncheng’s salt lakes. However, internal power struggles among aristocratic families led to Jin’s dramatic fragmentation.

By 438 BCE, three surviving clans – Han, Zhao, and Wei – had carved up Jin’s territory. Zhao took the northern reaches around modern Taiyuan, Han secured southeastern areas including Pingyang, while Wei controlled southwestern regions near Yuncheng. This “Partition of Jin” created the “Three Jins” designation that would endure for centuries. As the Zhanguo Ce (Strategies of the Warring States) noted, these successor states often formed alliances, leading contemporaries to collectively refer to them as “San Jin” (Three Jins).

After Qin’s unification in 221 BCE, “Three Jins” gradually narrowed to mean Shanxi specifically. The term evolved from literal political division to a cultural reference for Shanxi’s diverse regions: Jinbei (Zhao’s former territory), Jindongnan (Han’s area), and Jinxinan (Wei’s domain). Poets like Tang dynasty’s Cui Hao immortalized this in verse: “Three Jins’ cloud-capped mountains all face northward.”

### Three Qins: Xiang Yu’s Strategic Partition

The “Three Qins” designation emerged from the chaotic aftermath of the Qin dynasty’s collapse. After overthrowing Qin, rebel leader Xiang Yu implemented a calculated division of the Guanzhong heartland in 206 BCE. Seeking to contain his rival Liu Bang (future Han founder), Xiang Yu appointed three former Qin generals as kings:

1. Zhang Han as Yong King, controlling western Guanzhong from his capital at Feiqiu (modern Xi’an’s Chang’an District)
2. Sima Xin as Sai King, ruling eastern Guanzhong from Yueyang (modern Yanliang District)
3. Dong Yi as Di King, governing northern Shaanxi from Gaonu (modern Yan’an)

This tripartite division created the “Three Qins” concept that would become Shaanxi’s nickname. Later rulers like Fu Hong (founder of Former Qin) adopted the title “Three Qins King” to legitimize their control. The term’s meaning expanded when Yuan dynasty administrators incorporated Hanzhong into Shaanxi, making “Three Qins” represent the entire province’s three geographic zones: arid Shaanbei (north), historic Guanzhong (center), and subtropical Shannan (south).

### Three Qis: Xiang Yu’s Failed Divide-and-Rule

Similarly, “Three Qis” originated from Xiang Yu’s attempt to weaken Qi (modern Shandong) by dividing it among three rulers in 206 BCE:

1. Tian Du as Qi King in Linzi (Zibo)
2. Tian An as Jibei King in Boyang (Tai’an)
3. Tian Fu as Jiaodong King in Jimo (Pingdu)

However, Qi’s strong regional identity resisted this artificial division. Within months, general Tian Rong overthrew Xiang Yu’s appointees, reuniting Qi. Though short-lived politically, “Three Qis” endured as a geographic reference to Shandong’s three subregions: Jibei (western Shandong), Linzi’s central plains, and Jiaodong peninsula. By Song dynasty, poets like Wang Yucheng used “Three Qis” synonymously with Shandong province.

Southern Nomenclature: Mountains and Rivers as Dividers

### Three Wus: The Evolution of Jiangnan’s Core

Unlike northern names tied to political divisions, southern numeric designations often reflected geographic features. “Three Wus” (San Wu) originally described the Yangtze Delta’s core area during Han dynasty, when the vast Kuaiji Commandery administered most of Jiangnan. As population grew, administrative splits occurred:

1. 129 CE: Division into Wu Commandery (west of Qiantang River) and Kuaiji Commandery (east)
2. 266 CE: Wu Kingdom established Wuxing Commandery (around modern Huzhou)

This created the classic “Three Wus”: Wu, Wuxing, and Kuaiji. Later interpretations varied – Tang scholars sometimes substituted Danyang Commandery (Nanjing region) for Kuaiji, reflecting shifting political centers. By Song dynasty, economic development birthed a new “Three Wus” centered on Suzhou, Changzhou, and Huzhou – China’s emerging economic heartland celebrated in Liu Yong’s poetry.

### Three Xiangs: Hunan’s Hydrological Identity

Hunan’s “Three Xiangs” nickname has murkier origins. One theory links it to Qin’s three commanderies (Dongting, Qianzhong, Cangwu), but evidence is scant. More plausible is Ming scholar Chen Shiyuan’s hydrological explanation referencing the Xiang River’s three major confluences:

1. Xiaoxiang (Xiang meets Xiao River at Yongzhou)
2. Zhengxiang (Xiang meets Zheng River at Hengyang)
3. Yuanxiang (Xiang meets Yuan River – though geographically inaccurate)

The term likely originated when Western Jin established Xiang Province (307 CE) covering the Xiang and Zi watersheds. Poet Tao Yuanming’s “distant Three Xiangs, mighty Nine Rivers” cemented the term. Over time, “Three Xiangs” expanded from central Hunan to represent the entire province’s three regions: Xiangzhong (Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan core), Xiangxi (western highlands), and Xiangnan (southern frontier).

### Two Huais: The Strategic Borderland

The “Two Huais” (Liang Huai) designation emerged from the Huai River’s role as historical border between northern and southern regimes. During Song dynasty, this strategic buffer zone split into:

1. Huaidong (East Huai) – covering Yangzhou, Taizhou, Huai’an
2. Huaixi (West Huai) – mountainous hinterland producing formidable warriors

This division reflected both geography and military strategy, with Huaidong’s waterways serving as defensive network against Jurchen and Mongol invasions.

Beyond Three: Higher Numbers in Regional Designations

### Four Rivers: Sichuan’s Hydrological Roots

“Sichuan” (Four Rivers) traces to Tang dynasty’s Jiannan Xichuan and Dongchuan circuits. By Song era, administrative evolution created four key circuits:

1. Yizhou (Chengdu) – Min River region
2. Zizhou (Santai) – Tuo River region
3. Lizhou (Guangyuan) – Jialing River region
4. Kuizhou (Fengjie) – Yangtze gorges region

An alternative interpretation references four major rivers: Min, Tuo, Jialing, and Jinsha. Either way, the “four” became permanently attached to this fertile basin.

### Five Ranges: Southern China’s Mountain Barriers

The “Five Ranges” (Wuling) separating central China from Lingnan comprise:

1. Yuecheng Ling (Guangxi-Hunan border)
2. Dupang Ling (Hunan-Guangdong)
3. Mengzhu Ling (Hunan-Guangxi)
4. Qitian Ling (Hunan-Guangdong)
5. Dayu Ling (Jiangxi-Guangdong)

These natural barriers became strategic passages, like Qin’s Lingqu Canal through Yuecheng Ling, which enabled conquest of Lingnan. The ranges later marked cultural and administrative boundaries between Chinese heartland and southern frontier.

### Six Zhao: Yunnan’s Pre-Dali Kingdoms

In 7th century Yunnan, six tribal kingdoms (zhao) ringed Erhai Lake:

1. Mengshe Zhao (Weishan) – later unified region as Nanzhao
2. Mengxi Zhao (Yangbi)
3. Langqiong Zhao (Eryuan)
4. Tengdan Zhao (Dengchuan)
5. Shilang Zhao (Eryuan)
6. Yuexi Zhao (Binchuan)

These reflected diverse ethnic groups including possible Yi and Bai ancestors. The term “zhao” (meaning “king” in local languages) survives in the name of the later Dali Kingdom.

### Eight Mins: Fujian’s Mountainous Compartments

Fujian’s “Eight Mins” nickname reflects its exceptionally fractured topography. Song dynasty administrators divided the mountainous province into eight prefectures:

1. Fuzhou
2. Jianzhou
3. Quanzhou
4. Zhangzhou
5. Tingzhou
6. Nanjianzhou
7. Shaowu Army
8. Xinghua Army

This division responded to geographic reality – Fujian’s interior ranges (Wuyi and Minzhong) created natural compartments that hindered unification until modern times.

Conclusion: Numeric Nicknames as Cultural DNA

From the war-born “Three Qins” to the geographic “Eight Mins,” China’s numeric regional designations form a unique linguistic tapestry. These compact terms encode complex histories of political division, geographic barriers, and cultural integration. More than mere shorthand, they represent centuries of collective memory, serving as cultural waypoints in China’s vast historical landscape. As modern provinces embrace these ancient nicknames for tourism and identity, the numbers continue to bridge past and present, reminding us how deeply history shapes regional consciousness.