Shíqiān

Shiqian lies among the mountains of eastern Guizhou, where warm springs rise near the town. The Ming established Shiqian Prefecture in 1413, when Guizhou became a province, and a Confucian temple was founded in the same year. Successive prefects repaired and enlarged the baths south of the town. By the late Ming the springs had become one of Shiqian's celebrated sights, drawing visitors to the warm water beneath the mountain slopes and inspiring poems in the local gazetteers.