Píngyuán

Pingyuan lies on the broad, level land south of Dezhou in northwestern Shandong. Its name, meaning “level plain,” suits the open fields and settlements of the region. The county belonged to Dezhou under the Ming and the early Qing. Local religious monuments included a mosque at Tiannan, dating from the Ming, and a Buddhist tower at Cuijiamiao built under the Qing. Together they reflect the different communities that made their homes in the county's villages.