On the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, a small city was nurtured by river and sea alike. Elders say the settlement grew along the Dazhuang River, whose clear waters drew settlers to fish, hunt and farm; the town took its name from the river — Zhuanghe, ‘the Zhuang River.’ Early maps also marked the area ‘Hongyazi’ for its red river cliffs. In 1906 the Qing court established Zhuanghe Subprefecture; in 1913 it became a county. A river gave the city its name; the sea gave it its livelihood.