Nánchōng

Nanchong belongs to the Jialing River country of Sichuan, where fertile valleys and surrounding hills supported a substantial agricultural economy. Farmers supplied grain, silk related products and other goods, while river transport connected settlements with larger markets downstream. Roads and boats brought merchants, officials and travellers into contact with local producers across the wider Shunqing region.

Nanchong served as the seat of Shunqing prefecture under the Ming and Qing. Early in the Ming, the prefectural city was moved from the Beijin ferry area; its walls were later expanded and faced with brick and stone, with the Jialing River on the eastern side. The upheavals of the seventeenth century severely affected Sichuan, followed by recovery and migration under Qing rule. Markets and transport routes connected villages and towns across the region.