Cháng'ān

Cháng'ān stands beside the Rong River in the hill country of northern Guangxi. The Rong, which comes down from the Duliu River in Guizhou, runs south past the town on its way to Liuzhou, and north it leads into the mountain districts near Guizhou and Hunan. The Ming set up a patrol office here, first on the eastern bank and later on the western bank, to watch the river road. Timber and other mountain goods went down the river, while salt and cloth from the lower river reached the communities along its banks.