Lǐyáng

Lǐyáng stands north of the Lǐ River, upstream from Dòngtíng Lake. It was the seat of Lǐzhōu, a long-established administrative centre for the river valley. In the early Ming the prefectural seat returned to the old town from a newer site; in 1376 Lǐyáng County was absorbed into Lǐzhōu, which became subordinate to Chángdé. It later passed to Yuèzhōu. The town's walls and gates guarded a centre of government and trade between the western mountains and the lake plain.