Kělán

Kelan occupied a mountain enclosure in northwestern Shanxi, combining civil administration with the defence of the northern frontier. During the Hongwu reign the Ming established Zhenxi Guard here in 1374, rebuilt the town's defences and restored a civil jurisdiction that soon became Kelan subprefecture. Civil officials and military commanders consequently shared the same walled centre, while soldiers were assigned to the frontier around Pianguan and Datong.

The organisation of this border country continued to change. In 1539 the military administration associated with Zhang Wei moved from Shizhou to Kelan and established an office on Juren Street. Later in the Ming the official headquarters shifted to Pianguan, leaving Kelan as a place visited on inspection circuits. Nearby strongpoints such as Wuzhai and Sancha formed part of the wider defensive landscape. Qing administration retained Kelan's civil identity while replacing the guard commander with a garrison officer. The town's history was therefore shaped by overlapping civil and military institutions and by the movement of frontier authority between fortified centres.