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.
Qingyuan District was established by Qingyuan County in 2015. Located in the middle of Hebei Province, the triangular hinterland of Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang, belonging to Baoding City, Hebei Province. It faces Xushui District in the north, Wangdu County and Boye County in the south, Mancheng District in the west and Anxin County, Gaoyang County and Li County in the east. Qingyuan District Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway, Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, National Highway 107 and Baoheng Highway, Baoxin Highway, Baocang Highway and other provincial highways run through the whole territory. Since ancient times, it has been known as "three passes in the north and nine provinces in Nantong". In 2013, it had jurisdiction over 18 townships with a total area of 867 square kilometers and a population of 650500.