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Why are Hubei and Hunan named for their positions relative to Dongting Lake?
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Hubei
The Three Gorges Dam spanning the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) near Yichang, Hubei province, China.
During the reign of the Kangxi emperor (1661–1722) of the Qing dynasty, the region known as Huguang was divided into two separate provinces: Hubei and Hunan.
The names of these provinces were derived from their geographic positions relative to Dongting Lake:
- Hubei translates to "North of the Lake."
- Hunan translates to "South of the Lake."