舊金山

The name refers to the gold rush in the 19th century, and "old" is in comparison to the "New Gold Mountain" (新金山 (Xīnjīnshān)) of Melbourne, Australia. (金山 (jīnshān) is being used loosely for any place of great chances for wealth in a similar fashion to the English "gold mine".)

舊金山

1. (chiefly Mainland China, Taiwan, dated in Hong Kong) San Francisco (a city in California, United States)

   • 吾觀全地球之社會，未有凌亂舊金山之華人者。此何以故？曰自由耳。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     吾观全地球之社会，未有凌乱旧金山之华人者。此何以故？曰自由耳。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 1904 February, Liang Qichao, "Travel Notes of the New Continent"

     Wú guān quán dìqiú zhī shèhuì, wèi yǒu língluàn Jiùjīnshān zhī huárén zhě. Cǐ hé yǐ gù? Yuē zìyóu ěr. [Pinyin]

     From all the societies I have seen in the world, there is no society as disorderly as the Chinese community in San Francisco. Why so? It's because of freedom.

   • 中國工商旅居新舊金山、檀香山、新嘉坡、檳榔嶼、古巴、秘魯者，不下數百萬人，往往有一紙家書十年不達者，緣郵會有扣阻無約國文函之例也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     中国工商旅居新旧金山、檀香山、新嘉坡、槟榔屿、古巴、秘鲁者，不下数百万人，往往有一纸家书十年不达者，缘邮会有扣阻无约国文函之例也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 1929, Zhao Erxun, "Draft History of Qing"

     Zhōngguó gōngshāng lǚjū Xīn Jiù jīnshān, Tánxiāngshān, Xīnjiāpō, Bīnlángyǔ, Gǔbā, Mìlǔ zhě, bùxià shù bǎiwàn rén, wǎngwǎng yǒu yī zhǐ jiāshū shí nián bù dá zhě, yuán yóuhuì yǒu kòuzǔ wúyuēguó wénhán zhī lì yě. [Pinyin]

     Chinese workers and merchants living abroad in the New and Old Gold Mountains, Hawaii, Singapore, Penang Island, Cuba and Peru numbered at least millions. Their home letters often failed to reach their hometowns ten years after being sent, since the mail company had the custom of intercepting mails sent to non-treaty powers.

• 大埠 (Dàbù), 三藩 (Sānfān), 三藩市, 聖弗朗西斯科／圣弗朗西斯科 (Shèng Fúlǎngxīsīkē), (obsolete) 山藩市 (Shānfānshì), (obsolete) 金山 (jīnshān)

• 新金山 (Xīnjīnshān, “Melbourne, Victoria, Australia”)