The area was from prehistoric times surrounded by the largest marshland in north China, called the Daye Marsh and later the Liangshan Marsh. Because the area was largely a wasteland on the frontiers of several administrative units, government control was minimal, and bandit chiefs were active in the area. During the Song Dynasty Liang Shan (Mount Liang) became known as the eight hundred li moorage of Mount Liang and located at the extreme north of the Yellow River which passed through the area. When the Yellow River shifted course in 1289, the marshes of Liangshan shrunk considerably. During the Ming Dynasty it had been reduced to five smaller marshlands. Banditry continued on Mount Liang until the mid-seventeenth century, when the Qing Dynasty government established a military garrison. The city of Liangshan evolved from the garrison. After the Yellow River shifted back to its northern course in 1853, the marshes were gradually filled in by sediments carried downstream by the river and human land reclamation. Today the relatively small Dongping Lake() is what remains of the great marshes.