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.
Tunchang County is located in the north of the central part of Hainan Island, at the northern foot of Wuzhishan and the south bank of Nandu River. It is 85 kilometers north from the center of Haikou, the provincial capital, bordering Ding'an and Qionghai in the east, Qiongzhong in the south and Chengmai in the northwest, which is the throat of Qiongbei platform entering Wuzhishan area. The county seat is located in the center of the county and lies 86 kilometers along the Haiyu middle line. It is a transportation hub between the north and the south and across the east and west of Hainan. There are 8 towns and 6 state-owned farms in the county. Tunchang County as early as more than 100 years ago, Tunchang formed the custom of men and women, old and young practicing martial arts, which continues to this day. In 2015, Tunchang County was named "the hometown of National Wushu" by the Wushu Sports Management Center of the State General Administration of Sports.