Tancheng County (simplified Chinese: 郯城县; traditional Chinese: 郯城縣; pinyin: Tánchéng Xiàn) is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Linyi, in Shandong Province, People's Republic of China.

Tancheng is the southernmost county-level division of Shandong Province and borders Jiangsu.

The episode is described in the ancient Tso-chuan commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, a classic text of China.

Later at the court of the Liang dynasty in south China, he compiled the anthology New Songs from the Jade Terrace.

It contains an idiosyncratic narrative, many social vignettes, and several criminal cases: The Death of Woman Wang (1978).

His Local History took a long view of Tancheng, recording that it was "suffering for fifty years" from the 1622 White Lotus uprisings, which arose during times of drought, locusts, famine, sickness, and assorted banditry.

In 1643 "Manchu troops under General Abatai" invaded Tancheng and "killed tens of thousands".

The people of Tancheng told him that the region had for many years been "destitute and ravaged".

To counter the "decades of catastrophes", Huang attempted to grant generous "tax concessions" and "corvée labor rebates", but adequate approval by the Peking government was not forthcoming.

At an estimated magnitude M8.5, probably it was the largest seismic event ever recorded for eastern China.

Excited people in the streets at night, half dressed, shared earthquake stories.

They alleged their neighbor Kao killed Jen's wife the woman Wang, while in an adulterous affair.

Day two Jen testified that he awoke at night to see Kao with a knife lead his wife away.

Back in Tan-ch'eng Huang put Jen and his father inside the City God's temple that night.

Jen was sentenced to a potentially fatal beating and to wearing the cangue around his neck.

Burial in a good coffin near her home may pacify her spirit, Huang felt.