How should the character "Kai" in "Nankai University" be interpreted?
“南开”的“开”字当作何解？
Nankai University was founded in 1904. Initially, it was established by Yan Xiu and Zhang Boling as a private school known as "Private Middle School". It was later renamed "Private Jingye Middle School" and "Private First Middle School." In 1906, a local philanthropist named Zheng Juru donated over ten acres of land in the southern part of Tianjin to the school. Through negotiations with Zhang Boling, this piece of land, located near the tram company and commonly known as "Nankai Wa," was acquired. The school relocated from Yan's residence to the new site in Nankaiwa and changed its name to "Nankai Middle School." Later, it evolved into "Nankai School" and eventually "Nankai University".
"Nankai" is a geographical name in Tianjin. Are there other Tianjin place names that include the character "开"? By consulting maps and historical records, we found that Tianjin also has "Beikai," "Laoxi Kai," and "Xiguang Kai." In the 1870, Supplement to Tianjin County Gazetteer: Maps of City Moat Walls, there is a marked place called "Dong Kai," though it no longer exists today. These place names combine a directional term with the character "开," which is relatively rare in other urban and rural place names in China.
The name "Nankai" originally referred to the swampy wasteland south of the old city’s west gate, roughly the southwest area where today’s Nanma Road and Nanmenwai Street intersect. During the Ming Dynasty, this area was characterized by water and reed marshes. It was one of the "Eight Scenic Spots of Tianjin" in the Ming Dynasty. "Qiaoying at Nanyuan," referred to this place. In the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the marshland was reclaimed and developed into rice fields, accurately described in the phrase "the wind rustling through the southern crops." After the demolition of the city walls in 1901, residents gradually moved southward, transforming this area into an urban zone. The people still referred to it as "Nankai," indicating the marshland south of the old city.
In 1903, a Belgian businessman established a tram company in the southern part of Guangrentang outside the west gate. In 1907, the first private secondary school in Tianjin relocated to the south of the tram company and was renamed "Nankai School." The establishment of this tram company and Nankai School marked the prosperity of the Nankai region. In particular, Nankai School was named after the place and gained international reputation due to the prestige of Nankai University and Nankai Middle School. In the subsequent development of history, the term "Nankai" has been endowed with new meanings.
In specific contexts, "Nankai" can have several meanings:
Refers to an administrative district: For example, in the phrase "Nankai, Hongqiao," "Nankai" refers to the Nankai District in Tianjin.
Refers to Nankai University: For example, in the phrase "Nankai, Tianjin University," "Nankai" refers to Nankai University.
Refers to Nankai Middle School: For example, in the phrase "Nankai, Yaohua," "Nankai" refers to Nankai Middle School.
Refers to the Nankai area: For example, in the phrase "My maternal family lives in the city, and my in-laws live in Nankai," "Nankai" refers to a geographical area, roughly referring to the area north to Nanma Road, south to the original Qiangzi River, east to Nanmenwai Street, and west to the area around Nankai Wuma Road and Guangkai Street.
Terms like "Beikai," "Laoxikai," "Xiguangkai," and "Dongkai" each refer to different geographical areas as well.
"Beikai" refers to the open area north of the city of Tianjin, located on the banks of the Beiyun River east of Beimingmen, in the southeast of the intersection of Hebei Street and Dongma Road in the eastern part of Hongqiao District. The market style in "Beikai" is the most vibrant. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, Zhou Shengchuan was granted land here for suppressing the Nian Army, and he built the Zhou Family Ancestral Hall there. It gradually developed into a place for performing arts and a flea market. Before 1960, when public and private enterprises were combined, the storefronts in "Beikai" was lined with shops on both sides of Dongma Road in Beimingmen, with two-story small blue brick buildings. The upper floors were residential, upstairs, and the ground floors were shops. Temporary stalls selling various items were set up on both sides of the road near the Fuchang Iron Factory. There were lively activities such as selling cloth, second-hand clothes, old items, snacks, as well as showing of foreign films and performing monkey acts. Yishengyuan Restaurant, located west of the intersection, had a grand storefront, and it was always crowded with customers. The absent-minded family ran a shop selling hemp products, offering various hemp ropes, bags, and raw hemp products. There was also an everyday grocery store opened by Lao Kongtou, which sold a wide range of goods. On the north side of the street was Shalaojiu's water shop, where Lao Ba and Lao Jiu were both bachelors who relied on selling cold and hot water for a living. Cold water was sold by carrying, and it was delivered to the doorsteps by a dedicated person. Hot water was charged based on the size of the thermos or kettle. The most eye-catching was Wanhua Chun Shoe and Hat Store, with brightly lit windows at night and a wide range of famous shoes and hats from Beijing and Tianjin, attracting a constant flow of customers.
"Old xikai" refers to the area near the International Shopping Mall on Binjiang Road, which is part of the former French Concession in Tianjin. The most representative landmark in this area is the "Xikai Church." Before the church, there used to be a secondary school called "Xikai Middle School" (now known as the 21st Middle School). Later, the term "Xikai" was commonly used to refer to the area west of the intersection of Nanjing Road and Yingkou Road. Why did the people of Tianjin not call the area outside the west gate of the old city "Xikai," but instead use this name for the area? Is it because in the early days, the French Concession was located east of Haida Road (now Dagubei Road), and the area west of Haida Road was still quite desolate, so it was named "Xikai"? This still requires further evidence.
"Xiguangkai," located near the southwest corner of the old city of Tianjin, was a wasteland cemetery during the Qing Dynasty. In 1901, as residents of the city moved south, "Nankai" was formed. "Xiguangkai" was then expanded westward from "Nankai" as residential buildings continued to develop, gradually becoming prosperous. Therefore, it was called "Xiguangkai," which literally means a broad and prosperous newly developed area to the west of the city. Subsequently, the names "Guangkai Avenue," "Guangkai New Street," and "Guangkai Back Street" were derived from "Xiguangkai."
Today, "Guangkai" has become the name of the street office in Nankai District, with its jurisdiction extending from Nankai Wuma Road and Nanfeng Road in the east to the Jinhe River in the west, Longjiang Road in the south, and Xiguan Street in the north. It has absorbed the original jurisdiction of the Ximen South, Xushuichi, Liuhe Market, and Dongshenli street offices.
As for "Dongkai," we can only find records of it in the "Continuation of Tianjin County Gazetteer" from the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign in the Qing Dynasty (1870). It was probably located in the southeastern part of the Hebei District, in the area around Wangchuanchang today. From the late Qing Dynasty until 1949, "Dongkai" was considered very remote, with few people developing the area, far less prosperous than "Nankai," "Xikai," and other areas. As a result, "Dongkai" remained relatively unknown and gradually disappeared from public view.
老南开大学图书馆
南开大学创立于1904年，最初是严修、张伯苓在天津以家馆形式兴办，校名叫“私立中学堂”，后又更名为“私立敬业中学堂”、“私立第一中学堂”。1906年，天津乡贤郑菊如将自置城南空地十余亩捐赠学校，经张伯苓交涉，将这块地换置为当时电车公司附近一块俗称“南开洼”的地方。学校于是由严宅迁入南开洼新址，便依地名将校名改称“南开中学堂”，后发展为“南开学堂”、“南开大学”。
南开既是天津的地名，那带“开”字的还有其他天津地名吗?我们查阅了地图和历史资料发现，天津还有“北开”、“老西开”、“西广开”，在1870年《续天津县志.郡城壕墙图》里还有标注的“东开”之名，只是现在“东开‘’已经不存在了。这些地名都是“方位名词+开”组成，在国内其他城乡地名里很少见。
“南开”这个地名，最初是指旧城西门外以南的开洼荒地，就是今天南马路和南门外大街相交的西南一带地区。明朝时，这一带一片水泊，芦苇丛生，明代天津八景之一的“南原樵影”就指此地。清康熙年间，开辟洼地为稻田。“定南禾风”就是真实的描写。清代1901年城垣拆除后，居民逐渐南移，此地才逐渐开拓为城区，民众仍习称“南开”，就指旧城以南的开洼地，这其实就是南开二字的历史由来。1903年，比利时商人在西门外广仁堂的南部营建了电车公司。1907年天津第一私立中学堂迁到电车公司的南边，改名为“南开学堂”。这电车公司和南开学堂是南开地区走向繁华的标志。尤其是以地为名的南开学堂，让“南开”这个寻常的地名因南开大学、南开中学的声誉而享誉五洲。在后来的历史发展中，“南开”二字更是被赋予新的含义。
在具体语境中，南开包含几个意思。一指行政区，比如说“南开、红桥”，这“南开”就是行政区;二指南开大学，比如说“南开、天大”，这“南开”就是南开大学;三指南开中学，比如说“南开、耀华”，这“南开”是南开中学;四指南开片区名，比如说“娘家在城里，婆家在南开”，这“南开”就指区片名，地域范围大致说的是北起南马路，南抵原来的墙子河，东至南门外大街，西至南开五马路、广开大街一带。
至于“北开”、“老西开”、“西广开”、“东开”都各有所指区域范围。
“北开”指的是天津城北外的开阔地带，位于北营门以东的北运河河畔，红桥区东部河北大街与北营门东马路交会处东南一带，“北开”市井风格最浓郁。清光绪年间，周盛传因镇压捻军有功，受赐在这建造了周公祠。后来逐渐形成卖艺场地和旧货市场。1960年以前公私合营时“北开”一家店面挨着一家店面，北营门东马路两边都是二层小青砖楼，小楼上面住人家，下面开店铺。马路靠近福聚昌铁厂两侧都是做小买卖的临时摊位。卖布头的、卖估衣的、卖旧物件的、拉洋片的、耍猴的、卖小吃的，热闹非凡。道口西的益生源饭庄，门脸气派非凡，天天坐无虚席，顾客盈门;小迷糊家开的麻绳制品店，出售各种麻绳、麻袋、麻坯制品;还有老孔头家开的日用杂货店，货品十分全;街北面的傻佬九家的水铺，老八、老九全是光棍一条，一辈子未娶媳妇，专靠卖凉水、热水为生，凉水按挑卖，专人挑水送到家门口，热水按暖瓶、水壶的大小收钱。最耀眼的还属万华春鞋帽店，晚上橱窗灯火通明，北京、天津各种名牌鞋帽一应俱全，客人川流不息。
“老西开”挺特别，指的是法租界一带，今天的滨江道国际商场附近，最具有代表性的就是“西开教堂”，教堂前面原来有个教会办的中学就叫“西开中学”(今二十一中)，后来泛指南京路与营口道交会口以西一带的开阔地区。当时的天津人为什么不管老城的西门外叫“西开”而管这片区域叫“西开”?是否因为早期法租界在海大道(今大沽路)以东，而海大道以西还很荒凉，所以这就被称为“西开”呢?这还有待考证。
“西广开”，在天津老城的西南角附近，在清朝时是旷野墓地。1901年随着城里居民南迁，“南开”形成了。这个“西广开”就是“南开”再向西扩展的开拓地。随着南开民居建筑不断向西开拓，这一带才逐渐繁荣起来，所以就叫做“西广开”，字面义就是城西宽广开阔的新建繁华区。后来由“西广开”又派生出了“广开大街”、“广开新街”、“广开后街”等地名。
如今，“广开”已成为南开区街道办事处的名称，东起南开五马路、南丰路，西至津河，南到长江道，北抵西关大街，合并了原西门南、蓄水池、六合市场、东甡里四个街道办事处的辖域。
至于“东开”，我们只在清同治九年(1870年)的《续天津县志·郡城壕墙图》查到有“东开”记录，大概是在河北区东南部，现在的王串场一带的广阔地区，清末到1949年前，“东开”算是十分偏僻，少有人在此处发展，远不及“南开”、“西开”等地，所以“东开”就寂寂无名，慢慢消失在人们视野中了。
