Sichuan

Sichuan, known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, "Sichuan", is an abbreviation of "Sichuanlu" (Sì Chuānlù), or "Four circuits of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from "Chuānxiá Sìlù, or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the existing circuit into four during the Northern Song Dynasty.