We all know that the Chinese footprint is all over the world, and we are proud that streets, buildings, etc. named after overseas Chinese and Chinese are increasingly appearing all over the world.
What made them this award? Some have stepped forward to commemorate the crisis; some have praised their contribution to the economy and society... Let's go to various countries to see what interesting naming stories are there!
Java, Indonesia -
The only city in the world named after Chinese
Semarang, the capital of Central Java Province on the Indonesian island of Java, is indonesia's third largest port and a large city with a population of over 1 million, Semarang is a very busy administrative and trading city in Indonesia.
It is understood that when Zheng He went to the West, he once landed in this city, and Zheng He was also called "Three Treasure Eunuchs", so the city was named "Three Treasures", and the only foreign city in the world named after Chinese was born.
Zheng Ho Temple, Semarang, Indonesia Photo network
So why are local people so grateful to Zheng He and name him after him? In fact, at that time, semarang was very poor, and it was Zheng He who brought them food and seeds, which brought life to their survival. As a diplomat, he went out from China to the world, spread Chinese civilization, and made progress with the world. It can be said that Zheng He is the pride of all our Chinese!
New York, USA —
Commemorating the "retrograde" Chinese hero
Twenty years ago, on September 11, Zack Zeng, a young Chinese-American, saw a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on his way to work, and he could have evacuated safely, and hurriedly said to his mother, "Mom, I'm fine, I'm going to save people." He hung up the phone and went retrograde to save people.
Who ever thought that after this phone call, Zeng Zhe unfortunately died in the process of saving people, and his life was forever fixed at the age of 28. In order to let the spirit of Zeng Zhe live on forever, the section between Maubili Street and Bus Street in Chinatown, New York, usa, was permanently named "Zhe"Zack" Zeng Way, which is also the first time in New York's history that a section of Chinatown street named after a Chinese person.
Infographic: "Zengzhe Street" in New York's Chinatown. Yang Chengyu/Photo
Sibu Malaysia -
Commemorate the leaders of overseas Chinese who have the spirit of reclamation
In Sibu, Malaysia, there is a "Wong Nai Road". Huang Naisheng was a leader of overseas Chinese in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, whose ancestral home was Fuzhou. After the failure of the Penghu Reform Law in 1898, the 49-year-old Huang Naisheng found that the people of Fujian were in difficulty and planned to go to Nanyang to find a place where they could settle and reclaim.
In 1900, he selected The Present-day Sibu Suburb of New Pearl Hill as a reclamation area. In the following two years, Huang Naishou recruited 1118 reclaimers from Fujian three times to arrive in Sibu, and named Sibu "New Fuzhou". The "New Fuzhou Reclamation Company" (New Fuzhou Headquarters) was established to build shelters for agricultural workers, as well as five churches and a school. Huang Naishou led the immigrants to settle in Sibu, which gradually prospered Sibu's economy.
Today, Sibu is the second largest city in sarawak, Malaysia, and is the main administrative center and commercial town of Sarawak's third province. Huang Naisheng's spirit of reclamation will also be forever remembered by the city.
California, USA -
The first state building to be named after a woman
In 2019, the California Secretary of State Building in Sacramento, California, USA, was officially named the "Yujiang Laurel California Secretary of State Building" in recognition of Yujiang Laurel's outstanding contributions. It was the first state building in the United States to be named after a woman.
Yujiang Laurel (Data Map)
Between 1966 and 1974, Yu was elected to the California House of Representatives four times; in 1974, she was elected Secretary of State of California by a large margin, becoming the first Asian-American woman in the United States to hold an elected position in the state government, and was re-elected for five consecutive terms of nearly 20 years; she herself was known as a pioneer of Chinese American women's political participation.
Milan, Italy ——
In Honor of "Schindler of China"
In Milan, there is a "He Fengshan Square" to commemorate He Fengshan, the Chinese consul general in Vienna during World War II.
During World War II, He Fengshan issued visas to thousands of Jews to shanghai to protect them from Nazi killing, and he himself was known as the "Chinese Schindler".
Between 1938 and May 1940, the Nazi authorities confiscated the Consulate General on the grounds that it belonged to Jewish property. Since then, He Fengshan has rented a small apartment in the local area out of his own pocket and continued to insist on issuing visas.
In 1997, He Fengshan died in the United States at the age of 96. In March 2018, the Milan municipal government named a square in the Chinese commercial street "Ho Feng Shan Square", which is also the first time that a Chinese name has been used in Italy to name a city.
Melbourne, Australia -
In memory of the Chinese dim sum king who won respect with his food
In 2016, when Jimmy Wang, known as the "King of Dim Sum", died in Footscray, Melbourne, thousands of people attended his farewell ceremony, and then-Mayor Cameron McDonald's said that "Fuji Aoi has lost an idol" and planned to name a street in the Fuji Aoi community "Wang Jimmy Street" as a sign of respect and remembrance. Throughout his life, Wang Jimmy has burned wheat and Cantonese cuisine to the extreme, capturing the taste buds of local people, celebrities and government officials.
Portugal -
Commemorate The Chinese businessmen who have made outstanding contributions to economic development
On October 3, 2008, "Dr. Stanley Ho", was unveiled at the north gate of the Estoril Casino. At the unveiling ceremony, the then mayor of Cascais praised Dr. Ho's contribution to the economic development of Portugal and the city and presented him with an honorary medal for entrepreneurship. It was also the first street in Portugal to be named after Chinese.
Venezuela --
Commemorate the Chinese who have made outstanding contributions to education
In Venezuela, South America, in order to let the Chinese have a better future, Feng Zhuosen, chairman of the Gaosheng Group who lives in Lara, Venezuela(LARA), known as "Liang Zai Sen" and vice chairman of the Chinese Association of La Province, donated funds to build the first teaching building named after the Chinese in Venezuela.
Based on his contribution to the education of the local Chinese, the Chinese Association of La Province appointed him as the "school supervisor" of the Chinese school and named the teaching building "Feng Zhuosen Teaching Building", which became the first teaching building in Venezuela named after the Chinese.
Mauritius -
Commemorating the Chinese who stepped forward at a critical juncture
On the 25 rupee bill in Mauritius, there is a Chinese's head, he is Zhu Meilin. This is the only Chinese whose head is printed on a foreign currency so far.
Zhu Meilin' ancestral home is Meixian County, Guangdong Province, and his son inherited his father's business and turned retail stores selling scarce goods into a Mauritius chain store.
After the outbreak of World War II, Mauritius experienced severe food shortages. Zhu Meilin, then chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, personally came forward and called on everyone to cooperate with the government in distributing food. Zhu Meilin also proposed the establishment of a homeland protection team to actively resist foreign invaders.
During the five years of the war, every Mauritian was given ample food supplies, and Zhu Meilin became the most respected and great "reliance" of all people, including Mauritians.
In 1968, Mauritius declared its independence and Chu was appointed Minister of Finance in the new government. In order to promote the development of Mauritian agriculture, he introduced seedlings and advanced farming techniques from all over the world; he actively campaigned to introduce investment, especially from Chinese businessmen, to Mauritius, which was heavily dependent on sugar exports, so that Mauritius, which was once in danger of being destroyed by the turmoil in the international market, was able to survive the economic crisis safely.
In 1991, in recognition of Chu's contribution to the country, the people of Mauritius printed his portrait on the country's Rs 25 denomination banknote.
Antarctica -
Commemorating the Chinese who contributed to the Antarctic scientific expedition
In Antarctica, there is a mountain named after a Chinese.
On November 17, 1958, a plane from New Zealand landed safely on the ice shores of Ross Bay in Antarctica, and 13 staff members of the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Research Program stepped down the gangway and embarked on a trip to Antarctica, including Zhang Fengheng, who was 36 years old and served as the expedition's seismic survey team leader.
The next 15 months of life in Antarctica became a life experience that Zhang Fengheng will never forget. On February 8, 1963, in recognition of Dr. Zhang Fengheng's outstanding contributions to the expedition to the Antarctic continent, the U.S. government named a mountain in Antarctica "Zhang's Peak" and awarded the government gold medal and award. Since then, for the first time, Antarctica has a mountain named after Chinese.
In fact, there are many streets, buildings, parks, subway stations and even capitals named after overseas Chinese, and you know which ones you can interact with us!
These overseas Chinese and overseas Chinese are diligent and earnest, pioneering the wilderness, achieving excellence, and are affirmed and recognized by the locals. Their deeds should be remembered, and the good qualities in them should be passed on!
Source: Minsheng Media