Yǒngqīng

Yongqing lies on the plain south of Beijing, in a landscape crossed by rivers flowing toward the Bohai Sea. Its county belonged to the capital region under successive dynasties. In 1698 a new channel and embankments were built to guide the Yongding River past Gu'an and the northern edge of Yongqing, protecting the capital and nearby fields from a river known for changing course.