Hóngshuǐ

Hongshui was a fortified settlement in the Ganzhou country of the Hexi Corridor, at the site of present-day Minle's county town. A fort was built in 1529 beside the Hongshui River, from which the settlement took its name. A shoubei, or garrison commander, was stationed here. The enclosure and military office gave this river-side settlement a defined role within Ming frontier administration.

In 1587 the command was changed to a youji, a mobile-force officer responsible for twelve camps. Hongshui's military importance therefore extended beyond its own walls to a group of outlying positions. After the Qing conquest, commerce acquired another formal institution: in 1651 the commander Zhang Yong opened a tea-and-horse market in the town. Tea and horses brought producers and purchasers into the same defended settlement. Hongshui's specific early modern history thus links a named river, a succession of military commands and a market established under Qing authority.