Tóngzhōu

Tongzhou belongs to the eastern Guanzhong plain of Shaanxi, near the country where the Wei River system approaches the Yellow River. Fertile alluvial land supported grain cultivation, while routes through the plain connected the region with the ancient centers farther west and with crossings toward Shanxi and Henan. Rivers offered resources and movement but also posed risks through flooding and changing channels.

The historical seat of Tongzhou lay in the area of present-day Dali. Under the Qing, Tongzhou was raised to a directly administered department in 1725 and to a prefecture in 1735. At the same time, Dali County was established with its seat within the prefectural city. The change gave the city both prefectural and county offices and reorganized administration in eastern Guanzhong.