Taiwan Street Names Understanding Chinese Street Names

Bo Ai 博愛: unlimited love
The characters: "boundlessness" & "love"
Combined → unlimited love

Shin Hai 辛亥: 1911
"1911" - chosen to commemorate the Revolution of 1911 in China led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen which overthrew the Qing Dynasty - uses an early ordinal number system known as Tien Gan Dezhi

Ba De 八德: The Eight Virtues
Literally, The Eight Virtues, enumerated in the dual character names of the next four streets, Chung Hsaio, Ren Ai, Shin Yi, He Ping, Ba De - The Eight Virtues

Chung Hsaio 忠孝: fillial loyalty
Fillial loyalty - from loyalty and filial
Chung Hsaio: filial loyalty

Ren Ai 仁愛: kindhearted
Kindhearted, humane, philanthropic, charitable - from the combination of the characters for kindness & love → kindhearted

Shin Yi 信義: fidelity
Fidelity - from the sum of the characters promise and steadfastness → fidelity

He Ping 和平: peace
From _____ and calmness, the indeterminate character added to calmness, means peace for everything it is associated with, he ping - peace

Nan Jing 南京: named for the city in southern China
Named for the city in southern China - from the characters for south & capital. Chosen to recognize the time when Nan Jing served as CKS' capital, 1920 - 1937. At this time warlords controlled northern china and held bei jing - north & captial

Min Sheng 民生: commonwealth
Commonwealth - the idea connoted from the sum of the characters for people & life: commonwealth

Min Chiuan 民權: civil rights
Civil rights - from people & rights → civil rights

Min Zu 民族: a nation
A nation - effected by combining the characters for people & ethics/traditions → a nation

Chung Hwa 中華: China
China - literally from middle kingdom and the people → China

Chung Ching 重慶: named after a city in southern China
Named after a city in southern China, CKS's capital in Exile after the fall of Bejing to the Japanese during the Sino-Japan War (1937 - 1945) but before the Chinese Civil War

Cheng De 承德: to uphold your virtues
To uphold your virtues - from uphold & virtue

Chung Shan 中山: one of the names of Sun Yat-Sen
Chung Shan was one of the names of Sun Yat-Sen. Up to the end of the 19th century it was common for Chinese families to give children two names, the first was used at home, the second at school. Upon leaving home one would re-name themselves. This he had already done. But, as a result of the success of the 1911 revolution, SYS felt the need to change his name again, and so he chose Chung Shan. What about Sun Yat-Sen?? This is the common English transliteration he used throughout his life, a transliteration of his first new name. Jung Shan was the second new name. Although it is not used in the west Chung Shan is the more common appelation for him throughout China. Literally chung shan means center mountain - from center & mountain

Lin Sen 林森: Lin Sen: a powerful KMT politician
A man's name, a powerful politician who arrived with CKS and established the Legislative Yuan. Characters mean tree & forest

Shin Sheng 新生: new future
New future - from new & birth

Jian Gwo 經國: from the name of CKS's' son, the 5th president
Jian Gwo comes from the name of CKS's' son, the 5th president of of taiwan - from the characters for longitude & country; brother's name is wei gwo, latitude & country

Fu Shing 復興: to ressurect
To ressurect - from again & build, reflects a political sentiment of the KMT

Dun Hwa 敦化: repeatedly teaching virtue
Repeatedly teaching virtue - from repeat & culture

Guang Fu 光復: to restore
To restore/restoration - from the characters for light & again, commemorates the liberation of Taiwan from Japan, used to name the October 25th holiday, Tai Wan Gwang Fu Jia (Taiwan Light Again Holiday)