A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a more resistant layer or layers of harder rock, e.g. shales overlain by sandstones. The resistant layer acts as a caprock that forms the flat summit of a mesa. The caprock can consist of either sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and limestone; dissected lava flows; or a deeply eroded duricrust. Unlike plateau, whose usage does not imply horizontal layers of bedrock, e.g. Tibetan Plateau, the term mesa applies exclusively to the landforms built of flat-lying strata. Instead, flat-topped plateaus are specifically known as tablelands.
Linying, which belongs to Luohe City, Henan Province, is located in the middle of Henan Province, with a total area of 821 square kilometers and has jurisdiction over 10 towns, 5 townships and 367 administrative villages with a population of 760000 (at the end of 2014). Linying County is connected with Xuchang City in the east, Xihua County in Zhoukou City in the east, Xiangcheng County in Xuchang City in the west, Luohe City in the south, Jian'an District in Xuchang City in the north, and 100 kilometers away from the provincial capital Zhengzhou. In 2013, Linying County achieved a GDP of 25.5 billion yuan, an increase of 11% over the same period in 2012. Linying County has received Zen Taiwan, small Shangqiao, Yang Zaixing Tomb, Chen Xingju Memorial Hall and other scenic spots.