Zǐyáng

Ziyang lies on the upper Han River, where the Ren River joins it among the mountains of southern Shaanxi. Its name recalls the Daoist master Zhang Boduan, known as the Perfected Ziyang, who was traditionally said to have practised in a cave beside the Han. Zhang's writings on inner alchemy made him a revered figure in the southern school of Daoism. The Ming established Ziyang County in 1512, placing it under Jinzhou; the river and surrounding mountain valleys defined the new district.