Níngyáng

Ningyang is an old county town south of the Dawen River in central Shandong. Its seat moved here in 556, and an earthen wall was first built under the Song. After raiders destroyed the defences in 1511, the Ming rebuilt them and added outer enclosures to the four gates. Brickwork was added in stages during the sixteenth century, with the whole wall faced in brick by 1581. The county's first gazetteer appeared in 1573.