Shílóng

Shílóng was the seat county of Huazhou in western Guangdong, named for a ridge north of the old town. The Southern Dynasties had set up Luozhou and Shilong Commandery here, and the Song renamed Bianzhou as Huazhou. In 1374 the Ming merged Shilong County into Huazhou, and from 1381 Huazhou was a department ruling the counties of Wuchuan and Shicheng, an arrangement the Qing kept. The Jian, Luo and Ling rivers ran north to south through the district.