Guǎngpíng

Guangping County lay on the plain of southern Hebei, near the Zhang River; the Han had named the district Guangping, 'broad and level'. It was distinct from the prefectural capital at Yongnian. Under the Yuan it belonged to Guangping Circuit; in 1368 the Ming replaced that circuit with Guangping Prefecture. The county's own administrative compound was built in 1369, and an earthen town wall followed during the Tianshun reign, 1457–64.

Defence and flooding repeatedly reshaped this small county seat. The walls were repaired under successive Ming magistrates and rebuilt in brick in 1639. In 1703 the Zhang River overflowed and destroyed the enclosure, forcing the administration to move roughly one li northwest and build a new fortified site. Officials returned to the old site in 1711, again surrounded by earthen walls. The town had eastern, southern and western gates, with a tower on the north. Its public institutions also included a granary west of the county offices, enlarged in 1730.