Guìdōng

Guidong lies among the Luoxiao Mountains on the border of Hunan and Jiangxi. Its high ridges and valleys belong to a country shaped by movement across the provincial boundary. Many families trace their origins to migrants from Jiangxi, and Hakka speech is heard alongside other varieties of Chinese in the mountain districts.

A county was established here under the Southern Song. After the fall of that dynasty, Li Rongmen, formerly in the service of the Song minister Wen Tianxiang, withdrew to Guidong from Haozhou. His descendants remained in the district for generations. In 1678, during the revolt of Wu Sangui, the county was briefly renamed Yangping to avoid using a character in Wu's personal name; the old name was restored the following year.