Guànyáng

Guanyang was a county of northeastern Guangxi whose early modern institutions included both civil government and a military garrison. The Quanzhou gazetteer records that the county had previously lacked a city wall. A guard battalion established in 1395 marked a change: an earthen enclosure was built, and in 1450 the walls were faced with brick. Further repairs followed during the Zhengde reign.

The same account places the county offices in a compound built in the early Ming. After later destruction, magistrate Shan Fumu repaired it in 1669. A patrol office at Jining, eighty li west of the county seat, extended official supervision beyond the town. The gazetteer also lists Yongtai and Zhaoyi relay stations in the county, linking local government to communications through the surrounding country. These specific institutions give Guanyang a history of fortification, repair and administration. The walled seat, patrol station and relays formed different parts of the state's presence among the valleys and mountain routes.