Dìngtáo

Dingtao lies on the plain of southwestern Shandong, in a region long connected by routes across the Yellow River country. Its name recalls ancient Taoqiu, and the county was already established in the Qin period.

During the Ming, Dingtao county was merged into Chengwu in 1377 and restored in 1380. It later belonged to Caozhou, which became a prefecture in 1735 under the Qing. The district was also known for Tao cloth, a local textile recorded as tribute during the Ming and Qing.