Bǎochāng

Bǎochāng was the county seat of Nanxiong in northern Guangdong, at the foot of the Dayu range on the Zhen River, where the Meiling road climbs the pass towards Jiangxi. The Southern Han named the place Xiongzhou, the Strong Prefecture, for its position at the narrow mouth of the passes. Under the Northern Song, between 1023 and 1032, Zhenchang County was renamed Baochang to avoid the personal name of Emperor Renzong.

In 1278 the Yuan made Nanxiong a circuit, with Baochang and Shixing counties, and it remained the seat of Nanxiong Prefecture under the Ming. Offices, markets and temples gathered at the southern end of the mountain route. Porters carried tea, salt, cloth and medicinal goods over the pass between Guangdong and Jiangxi. In 1806 the Qing abolished the separate county and folded it into Nanxiong Department.