Nánhuì

Nanhui lies on the low coast south of the Yangtze estuary, where land formed from river and sea sediments spreads east of an old shoreline. Salt makers worked the coastal flats at the Xiasha salt field, and their production groups gave several settlements names ending in tuan. Sea walls protected the reclaimed land against tides and storms.

In 1386 the Ming built a fortified post at Nanhui to defend the coast against raiders. The salt field remained under the administration of the Liangzhe salt monopoly, with several production groups scattered across the district. In 1726 the Qing separated Nanhui County from Shanghai County, giving the coastal settlements an administrative centre of their own.