Wén'ān

Wen'an lies on the low plain south of Beijing, where rivers gather in a landscape prone to flooding. Its county seat endured through successive dynasties, while the nearby Wen'an depression collected water from the Yongding, Hutuo and other rivers. From the late Ming, embankments built to protect the county became a source of disputes with neighbouring districts, whose own lands could suffer when floodwaters were diverted.