How Hong Kong Got Its Name香港何以得名

The name Hong Kong is actually a phonetic translation of the city’s Cantonese name 香港 （heung gong）， which literally means “Fragrant Harbour”. Over the years， Hong Kong has been given a number of nicknames. It has tried to rebrand itself as Asia’s World City. It has also been called the vertical1 city， for its density of skyscrapers， but the name that stuck and has persisted for centuries is “Fragrant Harbour”.

香港這一名稱，實際上是這座大都市粵語名稱發(fā)音heung gong（香港）的音譯，字面義為“芬芳的港口”。多年來，香港被賦予了許多昵稱。它一直試圖將自己重塑為亞洲國際都會。由于摩天大樓密集，香港也被稱為垂直城市，但沿用了數(shù)百年的還是寓意“芬芳的港口”的這一名稱。

Historians believe “Fragrant Harbour” was a name inspired by the city’s past as a major trading post for fd17fa4f0104e32df4eca1cd689ed8725eca78ea3dc03f8ad112cde4c5ef74d4fragrant incense. In particular， agarwood2， known as the “King of Incense”—just two ounces of precious agarwood resin3 can sell for thousands of dollars.

歷史學家認為，如此命名的靈感源于這座城市曾是香料的主要貿(mào)易站。尤其是被稱為“香料之王”的沉香，僅兩盎司珍貴的沉香樹脂就能賣到數(shù)千美元。

During the Ming dynasty （1368—1644） and early part of the Qing dynasty （1636—1912）， the villages surrounding Hong Kong， now known as New Territories， were noted for the production of incense. Agarwood was shipped， by junk boats， from a port in Hong Kong’s Aberdeen Harbour to provinces in Chinese mainland， Asia and even as far as Arabia.

在明朝（1368—1644）和清朝（1636—1912）早期，香港周圍的村莊（即現(xiàn)在的新界）以生產(chǎn)沉香而聞名。沉香木從香港仔灣的一個港口通過帆船運往中國內(nèi)地各省、亞洲各地，甚至遠至阿拉伯半島。

Because of this exportation of incense， the port in Hong Kong’s Aberdeen area was called “the incense port” or “fragrant harbour” by the local boat people at the time known as Sui Seung Yan. “Hong” and “Kong” are the words for fragrant harbour as pronounced by the Sui Seung Yan in their Cantonese accent. The story goes that when British arrived in the 1840s， they could smell this wonderful fragrance burning and the name stuck and was applied to the whole island.

由于經(jīng)營這種香料出口業(yè)務(wù)，香港仔地區(qū)的這座港口被時稱“水上人”的本地漁民叫作“香料港口”或“芬芳的港口”。Hong和Kong對應(yīng)漁民們粵語發(fā)音的“香”和“港”二字。據(jù)說，19世紀40年代，英國人來到這里時，聞到了香料燃燒后散發(fā)的濃郁香味，于是沿用此名，并以此稱呼整個島嶼。

Before the British invaded Hong Kong in the 1800s， the area counted only around 7，500 inhabitants. These local villagers started planting trees around Hong Kong， known as Aquilaria sinensis4， believing these trees had good feng shui. To this day， practitioners of feng shui believe that the wood that forms in these trees， agarwood， contains special and auspicious5 energy （qi） that can improve luck， health and environment， especially when burnt as an incense to release its purifying scent and spiritual energy.

19世紀英國入侵香港之前，該地區(qū)僅有約7500名居民。當?shù)氐倪@些村民開始在香港周圍種植一種名為土沉香的樹木，他們相信這些樹會帶來好風水。時至今日，風水大師仍然相信，這些樹產(chǎn)出的木材“沉香木”蘊含特殊而吉祥的能量（氣），可以提升運氣、增進健康及改善生存環(huán)境，尤其是作為香料焚燒時，可以釋放出凈化心靈的香味與精神能量。

The villagers discovered that when insects or extreme weather started to attack the trees， they would repair themselves by producing a dark resin. This resin became known locally as Cham Heong， which is also commonly referred to as agarwood resin.

村民們發(fā)現(xiàn)，當昆蟲或極端天氣開始侵襲樹木時，它們會分泌出一種深色樹脂來自我修復(fù)。這種樹脂在當?shù)乇环Q為Cham Heong，即通常所說的沉香樹脂。

But for as long as there have been agarwood trees in Hong Kong， there have been poachers6. Ho Pui-han， a local conservationist， explains that there has been a long tradition of cutting these incense trees in southern China. “The poachers call the resin ‘black gold of the forest’，” says Pui-han. “It’s sometimes worth millions of dollars and so these poachers are crazy for it.” The resin the poachers extract from the trees can be used for incense sticks， for worship， for perfumes and the wood is used for carved sculptures of Buddhist figures.

但是，香港自有沉香樹之時便不乏盜采者。本地環(huán)保人士何佩嫻（音譯）解釋說，在中國南方，砍伐這些香樹的傳統(tǒng)由來已久?！巴挡烧叻Q這種樹脂為‘森林黑金’?！焙闻鍕拐f道，“它有時價值數(shù)百萬美元，因此這些偷采者為之瘋狂?！蓖挡烧邚某料銟渲胁杉臉渲捎糜谥谱骶€香和香水，也可用于祭祀供奉，木材則可用于雕刻佛教人物的塑像。

The incense trees have also long been used in Hong Kong for Buddhism and Taoism. Followers believe that the fragrance of agarwood can induce clarity， peace of mind and ward7 off bad luck. It’s used for offerings， in meditation， scripture8tO20Ore/s5zqn2osmk/IbQ== chanting and in other holy ceremonies.

在香港，長久以來，佛教和道教也需要香樹。信徒們相信沉香木的香氣可以提神醒腦，而且能驅(qū)除厄運。他們在供奉、冥想、抄經(jīng)、誦經(jīng)和舉行其他神圣儀式時都會使用沉香。

Small amounts of agarwood resin are used for creating incense chips and even these can sell for around HK $58，000 per kilogram. Larger logs of agarwood， often sold as hand-carved sculptures， can be sold for millions. Today， the resin is often distilled9 to create oud10 oil—an oil that has become a highly sought-after ingredient in high-end perfume， selling for up to HK $300，000 per kilogram.

零星的沉香樹脂通常用于制作香片，就連這些香片每公斤也能賣到58，000港元左右。較大的沉香木通常做成手工雕刻件出售，售價可達數(shù)百萬港元。如今，沉香樹脂通常經(jīng)蒸餾后制成沉香油，這種油已經(jīng)成為高端香水非常搶手的原料，每公斤售價高達300，000港元。

Agarwood is also a sought-after commodity for practitioners of Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Herbal pharmacists have used agarwood resin for centuries as a sedative11， pain killer， digestive aid and even as an aphrodisiac12.

沉香木也深受中醫(yī)的青睞。幾個世紀以來，草藥醫(yī)師們一直將沉香樹脂用作鎮(zhèn)靜劑、止痛藥、助消化藥，甚至催情藥。

However， due to deforestation and poaching， the agarwood trees have greatly declined in numbers， especially in Hong Kong. “They are nearly extinct”， says Pui-han. “Maybe less than 300 trees remain in Hong Kong.”

然而，由于毀林和偷采，沉香樹的數(shù)量已大大減少，尤其是在香港?！俺料銟鋷缀鯗缃^了，”何佩嫻說，“香港可能只剩下不到300棵。”

In response to the mass poaching and felling of the trees， the Hong Kong government announced a protection action plan in 2017. The plan involves protecting the remaining valuable trees with iron fences and installing cameras to monitor targeted areas. “So far， it has helped to save some of the remaining trees”， says Pui-Han.

針對大規(guī)模偷采濫伐沉香樹的現(xiàn)象，香港政府于2017年宣布了一項保護行動計劃。該計劃包括用鐵柵欄保護剩余的珍貴樹木，并安裝攝像頭監(jiān)控目標區(qū)域。何佩嫻說：“到目前為止，該計劃已幫助拯救了一些殘存的沉香樹。”

Meanwhile， companies like Asia Plantation Capital are working with local farmers to invest in agarwood plantations where the wood can be harvested in a sustainable way. In April 2014， they teamed up with a local farmer in Hong Kong to plant 1，000 saplings. They have also worked with the Association for the Ecological & Cultural Conservation of Aquilaria Sinensis to help educate and promote the protection.

與此同時，亞洲種植園資本公司等公司正與當?shù)剞r(nóng)民合作投資沉香木種植園，如此便能以可持續(xù)的方式進行采收。2014年4月，他們與一位香港本地農(nóng)民合作，種植了1000棵沉香樹苗。這些公司還與土沉香生態(tài)及文化保育協(xié)會合作，幫助開展沉香保護教育和宣傳。

Despite ongoing efforts to protect the trees， conservationists like Pui-han say that poachers are still very active today and are searching and chopping the remaining incense trees that have not been fenced. However， while uncertainty hangs over the future of the trees， it’s safe to say they formed an integral part of the early incense trade that first put Hong Kong on the map and have secured their legacy by inspiring the city’s enduring name.

盡管人們一直在努力保護這些沉香樹，但正如何佩嫻等環(huán)保主義者所說，偷采者如今仍然非?；钴S，他們?nèi)栽谒褜ず涂撤ド形幢粐o起來的剩余沉香樹。然而，盡管這些沉香樹的未來還不確定，但可以肯定地說，它們是早期香料貿(mào)易的重要組成部分，正是香料貿(mào)易使香港為人所知，并賦予了這座城市恒久的名字，從而使它載入史冊。

（譯者單位：華中科技大學）

1 vertical垂直的，直立的。 2 agarwood沉香木。 3 resin樹脂。

4 Aquilaria sinensis土沉香，瑞香科沉香屬植物，為中國特有。 5 auspicious吉利的，吉祥的。

6 poacher偷獵者，非法捕獵的人。 7 ward防止，避免（危險、疾病、攻擊等）。 8 scripture（某宗教的）圣典，經(jīng)文，經(jīng)典。

9 distill蒸餾，用蒸餾法提取。 10 oud沉香。這個詞來源于阿拉伯語的音譯，常用于香水產(chǎn)業(yè)。 11 sedative鎮(zhèn)靜劑。 12 aphrodisiac春藥；激發(fā)性欲的食物。