And its termination southward on
the River of the Golden Sands, is CAINDU. The traveller's road from
Ningyuan to Yunnanfu probably lay through Hwei-li, and the Kin-sha Kiang
would be crossed as already indicated, near its most southerly bend, and
almost due north of Yun-nan fu. (See Richthofen as quoted at pp. 45-46.)
As regards the name of CAINDU or GHEINDU (as in G.T.), I think we may
safely recognise in the last syllable the do which is so frequent a
termination of Tibetan names (Amdo, Tsiamdo, etc.); whilst the Cain, as
Baron Richthofen has pointed out, probably survives in the first part of
the name Kienchang.
[Baber writes (pp. 80-81): "Colonel Yule sees in the word Caindu a
variation of 'Chien-ch'ang,' and supposes the syllable 'du' to be the same
as the termination 'du,' 'do,' or 'tu,' so frequent in Tibetan names. In
such names, however, 'do' never means a district, but always a confluence,
or a town near a confluence, as might almost be guessed from a map of
Tibet.... Unsatisfied with Colonel Yule's identification, I cast about for
another, and thought for a while that a clue had been found in the term
'Chien-t'ou' (sharp-head), applied to certain Lolo tribes.
