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.
Shaowu (ancient Shaowu Shaowu County) is known as the "Iron City", located in the southern foot of Wuyi Mountain, Futun River, historically known as Nan Wuyi. The city was established in October 1983 and now has jurisdiction over 12 towns, 3 townships and 4 streets, with a total population of 308910 (2016), with a land area of 2852 square kilometers and a built-up area of 16.15 square kilometers. Shaowu has a long history and has been founded for more than 1700 years. Shaowu has been one of the eight prefectures in Fujian. In history, there have been 2 prime ministers, 7 military ministry books and 271 Jinshi. Heping Ancient Town of Shaowu City is also a place where Huang's relatives in the world seek their roots and visit their ancestors. Huang Qiao's descendants are all over the coastal provinces and Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asian countries. Li Gang, the famous prime minister of the Song Dynasty, and Yan Yu, a literary critic, were both from Shaowu and fought a revolutionary war.