Bǎodé

Baode stands on the eastern bank of the Yellow River amid the loess hills of northwestern Shanxi. Its position made it a frontier stronghold in the Song and Ming, while river traffic connected it with places upstream and downstream. In 1697 the Kangxi emperor ordered grain stored upstream to be sent downriver to Baode. In 1724 the Qing raised Baode to a directly administered department, governing a region that included Hequ as well as the town itself.