Sōngzhōu

Songzhou lay in the country around Chifeng, where the hills of the Mongolian plateau meet the valleys leading toward the Liao River. Its predecessor Songshan County was established by the Liao in 1013. Under Mongol rule it became the seat of Songzhou in 1262, and three years later the county was absorbed into the prefecture. The old settlement formed part of a long succession of administrative centres in the region.