Shuǐchéng

Shuǐchéng lies among the high mountains of western Guizhou, in country once ruled by the hereditary Ān chiefs of Shuǐxī. After Wú Sānguì's campaign against Ān Kūn, the Qing established Dàdìng Prefecture in 1666 and placed this area under it. In 1733 the government created Shuǐchéng Subprefecture from two districts of Dàdìng. One explanation of the name recalls water surrounding the town walls in spring and summer, an image that gave the settlement its enduring name of “Water City”.