We often get told that we are wrong about Kuliang’s name, and that it is Guling. We also get told that an old photo is of Kuliang, but is actually the other international settlement on Lushan in Jiangxi Province. Or vice-versa. Let me clear this up for you. Most of the trouble lies in the pronunciation and spelling, which has changed over the years. One hundred years ago the foreign population was very clear about these two places, because the pronunciation was different. The one near Foochow was Ku-liang, with an “a.” The one that came ten years later on Lu Shan was pronounced as the English word, “Cooling”. The English founders of the settlement thought that the pun would be amusing to the foreign population there. The Chinese characters are different. But the English romanizations of these sounds make it confusing.
The following chart will help you understand why it is so confusing, and help you decide which “Guling” you are looking for.
Hi, Elyn – thank you for running this captivating blog! I’m a student at the University of Pittsburgh who is interested in learning more about the missionary residents in Kuliang and Fuzhou at the turn of the 20th century. If possible, I would like to consult you about historical sources. Would you be willing to correspond via email?
Yes – I have written you an email.