Dǎgǔ

Dagu was a market settlement in the hills of northern Guizhou, on routes leading toward Sichuan, Qianxi and the Yachi River. Its comparatively level ground and neighbouring villages made it a convenient place for travellers and traders to stop. The market became known as Dagu Xinchang, or the new market, in distinction from the older market at Yongxing. As traffic through the mountain country grew, the settlement developed into a meeting place for merchants carrying goods between the plateau and the north.