广州湾地名考辨——明清方志舆图中的广州湾

Kwangchowan in Ming,Qing Local Chronicle and Map

清末之前的"广州湾"一名,有海、陆二义。其最初所指当为吴川南三都田头岛、北颜岛南端与地聚岛所形成的一个海澳、海湾,其地势险要,极易成为海盗洋匪盘踞的基地,是高州府南部海防要地。因广州湾及其所属海域重要的海防地位,如今湛江港(湾)之原来吴川县所属的海域部分,又被笼统称为广州湾或广州湾洋面。这是广州湾一名含义的引申和扩大。广州湾之东岸北颜岛南端靠海的几个荒僻小村组成的行政村,也以广州湾为名,但这个陆地上的广州湾之名来自海上的广州湾,而不是相反。广州湾之所以闻名朝野,缘于海上广州湾的重要战略地位。

Before the end of the Qing Dynasty,the name of Kwangchowan has two meanings,each referring to the sea and the land.Originally,Kwangchowan covers a little bay formed by Nansandu Tantou island,Beiyan island south and Diju island in Wuchuan county.Its terrain is very dangerous,easy to become a pirate bases of the bandits entrenched.Because of the important coastal defense position of Kwangchowan and its subordinate area,it is also an important military base of the southern coast of Guaozhou.Now in Zhanjiang harbour which originally belongs to the waters that part of Wuchuan county is generally called Kwangchowan,or Kwangchowan waters.The south end of Beiyan island east of the Kwangchowan and a few remote small villages near the sea,together they form an administrative part,whose name is also called the Kwangchowan.The marked land Kwangchowan,derived from Kwangchowan waters,not the other way round.Because the Kwangchowan waters has important strategic position,it is known to the world.