Shāngzhōu

Shangzhou occupies the upper Dan River valley amid the eastern Qinling. Its seat was the ancient county of Upper Luo, and the prefecture took its name from nearby Mount Shang. The road from Chang'an through Lantian and Wu Pass crossed this region, linking the capital with the southeast. Tradition remembered Mount Shang as the retreat of four elderly sages who withdrew from Qin rule. The Yuan absorbed Upper Luo County into Shangzhou. In 1374 the Ming reduced the prefecture to a county, then restored it as a prefecture in 1477. Under the Qing it was raised to a directly administered prefecture in 1725, governing surrounding mountain districts from the old town in the Dan valley.