Xinan

Xinan is a romanized place name used for multiple locations in China and in Chinese-speaking communities abroad. The exact meaning depends on the Chinese characters chosen to write the name, so the same pinyin can correspond to different places with different historical or linguistic origins.

The two most common character patterns for Xinan are 新安, which can be read as “New Peace,” and 西南, which means “southwest.” However, other character combinations may also be pronounced Xinan in pinyin. Because many places share the same romanized spelling, identifying a specific Xinan requires disambiguation by providing the exact Chinese characters and the administrative level (for example, county, district, town, or township) as well as the province or prefecture.

In practice, places named Xinan can appear at various levels of administration, and some uses may be historical or ceremonial rather than current administrative units. It is also possible for Xinan to be part of a longer place name or to function as a geographic descriptor within a larger locality.

When researching or referring to a particular Xinan, it is important to confirm the precise Chinese characters and the jurisdictional context, typically by consulting local government records, gazetteers, or reliable maps that indicate the exact spelling and location.