Jiēzhōu

Jiezhou was the administrative center of the Wudu country in southern Gansu. Its local history records the work needed to maintain a town beside mountain rivers, where walls, bridges and embankments demanded repeated attention. In 1699 the magistrate Chen Xun repaired the city walls and built towers above three gates. River defenses formed part of the same undertaking, linking the protection of the town with management of the water beside it.

In 1709 the magistrate He Daosheng rebuilt a charitable school beside the official school compound, providing fourteen rooms. He also constructed a stone defensive embankment extending more than three hundred zhang. The gazetteer records earthquakes in 1714 and 1718, the latter causing injuries. In 1729 Jiezhou became a directly administered department under Gansu's provincial administration, with Wen and Cheng counties subordinate to it. Its history thus includes both an enlarged administrative responsibility and the recurrent local demands of education, river protection and rebuilding.