During the late days of Prehistoric Times, Liaocheng belonged to Yanzhou. It subsequently partly belonged to several states before the Qin (221BC-206AD) Court brought it into the territory of Dong (East) Shire. In the early years following the liberation of China, Liaocheng was brought into Shandong Province when the former Pingyuan Province was dissolved. The terrain of Liaocheng is flat, mostly being an alluvial plain formed by the Yellow River, except for some fragmentary hills along the Yellow River in Dong'e County. The city slopes roughly from southwest to the northeast. Liaocheng is situated in the temperate monsoon climatic zone with a distinct semi-arid continental climate. It is dry and windy in spring when the temperature turns warm rapidly. Summer in Liaocheng is torrid and rainy. It is cool and the sky is clear in autumn after which it cools quickly.