Wēngyuán

Wengyuan is a county among the hills of northern Guangdong. Its seat moved several times before the early Ming, when it was established at Wengcheng in 1369. As the new county town took shape, officials encouraged settlement and trade. Migrants came from Jiangxi and Fujian, joining merchants and other families who made their homes there. Temples and schools also grew around the county seat, giving the town a place in both the administration and the learning of the surrounding countryside.