Huncun

Huncun lies near the lower Tumen, where wooded hills approach the sea. The old walled site at Baliencheng is commonly identified with Longyuan, the eastern capital of Balhae. For a time in the late eighth century it served as the kingdom's royal capital, and a route from here toward the coast carried envoys bound for Japan. Earthen walls and palace foundations preserve the outline of this earlier centre.

After Balhae's fall, Jurchen communities inhabited the surrounding country. In 1714 the Qing established a garrison command at Huncun, making the area an important station of its northeastern frontier administration. The old capital and the later garrison belonged to different ages, but both looked toward the routes linking the Tumen valley with the eastern sea.