Gùzhèn

Guzhen occupied an important stretch of the Ming and Qing relay roads linking the northern and southern capitals. Several official routes converged between Suiyang Station in Suzhou and Hongxin Station in Fengyang. More than 110 li of their shared course passed through the territory around Guzhen, with relay stations at Guzhen and Wangzhuang and a chain of eleven express-delivery posts.

These establishments made the locality part of the movement of official correspondence and travelling delegations. The Ming official Chen Lian described foreign envoys and Buddhist monks passing through Guzhen Station in a poem bearing its name. During the Jiaqing reign, the station reportedly maintained sixty-five horses, making it one of the larger relay establishments in Anhui. Guzhen's historical significance thus rested partly on the practical work of providing mounts and maintaining a route through northern Anhui.