“Inevitable Cities” of the West Coast?

[varyar]

And it's done! Well, except for the part where I consult Chinese speakers and watch them weep at what Google Translate has wrought, anyway.

豐玉省 Fengyusheng Abundant Jade Province

Prefectures

虎鯨 Hujing (Killer Whale) - Vancouver Island - Victoria
吳东 Wudong (Eastern Wu) - Washington - Port Madison
海東 Haidong (East of the Sea) - Washington/Oregon 1 - Astoria
支努干 Zhinugan (Chinook)- Washington/Oregon 2 - Tri-Cities, Washington
隐湾 Yinwan (Hidden Bay) - Oregon/California 1 - Humboldt Bay
海獺湾 Haitawan (Sea Otter Bay) - northern California - Santa Clara
葡萄谷 Putaogu (Grape Valley) - central California - Stockton
南谷 Nangu (South of the Valley) - central-southern California - Los Angeles
大爪 Dazhao (Great Claw)- San Diego down through Baja - San Diego

Tier 1 cities

天湾 Tianwan (Heavenly Bay) - Santa Clara
神京 Shenjing (Divine Capital) - Victoria, BC
薩利磯 Saliji (Salish Rock) Port Madison, Washington (replacing Seattle)
龜峡 Guixia (Turtle Gorge) Vancouver, Washington (replacing Portland)
北谷 Beigu (North Valley) Stockton, California

Tier 2 cities

鄴 Ye - San Francisco
啊晚一 Awanyi (Awani-wi) - San Rafael
玉口 Yukou (Jade Mouth) - Astoria
斯波坎 Sibokan - Spokane
間河 Jianhe (Between Rivers) Sacramento

湾山 Wanshan (Bay Hill) - Oakland
三河 Sanhe (Three Rivers) - Tri-Cities
隐湾 Yinwan (Hidden Bay) - Humboldt Bay
过赛 Quosai (Kosa'aay) - San Diego
譙 Qiao - Los Angeles

廣陵 Guangling - Ensenada, Mexico
睦灣 Muwan (Tranquil Bay) - La Paz, Mexico
流域门 Liuyumen (Watershed Gate) - Chico, California
草河 Caohe (Grass River) - Albany, Oregon
薩利湾 Saliwan (Salish Bay) - Bellingham, Washington

还薄丽 Haibaoli (Hibulb)- Everett, Washington
桑吉 Sangji (Songhee) - Sooke, BC
壽春 Shouchun - Port Orchard
西海 Xihai - Tacoma
熊港 Xionggang (Bear Harbor) - Olympia

歷陽 Liyang - Aberdeen
沃河 Wohe (Fertile River) - Hood River
蒲坂 Puban - Salem
濟陽 Jiyang - Albany
氣饭 Qifan - Eugene

雞澤 Jize - Roseburg
沙斯塔 Shasita (Shasta) - Grants Pass
朏滩 Feitan (Crescent Beach) - Crescent City
零陵 Lingling - Klamath
哦羅你 Oluoni (Ohlone) - Santa Cruz

蝶濱 Diebin (Butterfly Shore) - Marina
焦油岸 Jiaoyouan (Tar Shore) - Pismo Beach
五村 Wucun (Five Villages) - Santa Barbara

 

[Bonniecanuck]

While I have no problem with the names, I do feel it worth noting that depending on the period (I assume this is following the treasure voyages and a surviving Ming Dynasty) you will have to account for the presence of the traditional seafaring peoples of China, namely the Hoklo and Cantonese and, depending on the timeframe, the Hakka. Fujian was the origin of the treasure fleet's voyages, and many of its crews were from that region. Later, Chinese emigration from the 16th century to Southeast Asia was predominantly Fujianese, which is how we have the Hoklo communities of Taiwan and Southeast Asia today. Crucially, these peoples did not speak Mandarin, since it wasn't standardised nationwide until the 20th century, so some etymologies may have to be adjusted.

 

[varyar]

While I have no problem with the names, I do feel it worth noting that depending on the period (I assume this is following the treasure voyages and a surviving Ming Dynasty) you will have to account for the presence of the traditional seafaring peoples of China, namely the Hoklo and Cantonese and, depending on the timeframe, the Hakka. Fujian was the origin of the treasure fleet's voyages, and many of its crews were from that region. Later, Chinese emigration from the 16th century to Southeast Asia was predominantly Fujianese, which is how we have the Hoklo communities of Taiwan and Southeast Asia today. Crucially, these peoples did not speak Mandarin, since it wasn't standardised nationwide until the 20th century, so some etymologies may have to be adjusted.

That's true! I haven't worked out all the details of the history of China's overseas province (largely because it's straining plausibility to have China pivot to overseas settler colonialism as late as the post-Ming era - the POD is that a native dynasty replaces the Ming instead of the Manchus; yes, it's very soft AH), but I do at least have plans for our narrator to run into Hakka and Tanka along the way. As far as place names go, though, I might reluctantly have to standardize things into Mandarin pinyin. Or maybe play up the difference between the names on the official map and the ones the locals actually use? Hm...

 

[Coiler]

Or maybe play up the difference between the names on the official map and the ones the locals actually use? Hm...

That's what I would do-have standardized official Mandarin names that are distinct from the local terms (I have firsthand experience with this where I had to geographically say "the big island by Vietnam" to a Cantonese-as-first-language relative who know what it was but didn't have much experience with the word "Hainan" to know what I was talking about).

And besides the previously mentioned points, having the settlers be overseas for a long time would cause the language types to diverge even more (for western examples, think Afrikaans or various hard-to-understand local variants of English).

 

[Hendryk]

My very first attempt at writing AH some 17 years ago was something along similar lines, except that I hadn't got the hang of it yet and it was both implausible and poorly researched. But as far as the toponyms are concerned you seem to have the right mix between, on the one hand, direct transliteration of native names, and on the other, whatever the first Chinese settlers came up when they arrived. A good source of inspiration is Taiwan, since its settlement by Han colonists only started in earnest in the early modern era.

The pattern of settlement in Taiwan also provides a template for the Chinese colonization of the American West Coast. That is, it will likely be concentrated in the lowlands and valleys where the best arable lands are, and the native tribes in these regions are going to face a process of displacement/assimilation, while those further up the mountains and the dry plateaus will be largely ignored save for the odd trading outpost.

Two interesting questions: First, will some members of China's steppe minorities come over after the Fujianese et al. have secured enough of a foothold? They have no particular reason to do so unless you find one, but that would result in a promising transplantation of a Eurasian horseriding lifestyle among people that, as we know from OTL, would readily take to it. And second, once Chinese exploration parties have made it to the lush Mississippi valley, might a further wave of colonists move there? (Permanent Chinese settlement of the Mountain West and Upper Midwest is unlikely for at least a few centuries).