Yan and Ji

燕薊

Verse 256 The source of water

The Southeast shall come to ruins
In the region of YanJi there is nothing stored to live from
It seems you strive for big clamor and lofty aspirations
Don't you know where the source of water is?

The two characters are the names of two states in the Northeast of China.

燕 Yan 'swallow' is a picture of a swallow. It is the name of a state

薊means thistle, but the picture does not look like one.

Yan and Ji were ancient Chinese states during the Zhou dynasty. The city of Ji served as the capital of the two states, later known as Yanjing and since 1644 Beijing.
The history of Yan began in the Western Zhou in the early first millennium BC.

After the authority of the Zhou king declined during the Spring and Autumn period in the 8th century BC, Yan survived and became one of the strongest states in China.

During the Warring States period from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, Yan was one of the last states to be conquered by the armies of Qin Shihuang: Yan fell in 222 BC, the year before the declaration of the Qin Empire. Yan experienced a brief period of independence after the collapse of the Qin dynasty in 207 BC, but it was eventually absorbed by the victorious Han.

This region was already inhabited and quite cultured 24,000 to 25,000 years ago. It is believed that the seat of Ji, called the City of Ji or Jicheng, was located in the south-western part of present-day urban Beijing, just south of Guang'anmen in Xicheng and Fengtai Districts. Several historical accounts mention a "Hill of Ji" northwest of the city, which would correspond to the large mound at the White Cloud Abbey, outside Xibianmen about 4 km north of Guang'anmen.
Due to its historical association with the State of Yan, the city of Beijing is also known as Yanjing or the "Yan Capital".

See Wikipedia: Beijing 1 and Beijing 2

The capital of Yan was located about 45 km (28 mi) to the south of Ji, in the village of Dongjialin in Liulihe Township of Fangshan District, where a large walled settlement and over 200 tombs of nobility have been unearthed.
Both Yan and Ji were situated along an important north-south trade route along the eastern flank of the Taihang Mountains from the Central Plain to the northern steppes. Ji, located just north of the Yongding River, was a convenient rest stop for trade caravans. Here, the route to the northwest through the mountain passes diverged from the road to the Northeast. Ji also had a steady water supply from the nearby Lotus Pool, which still exists south of the Beijing West Railway Station.

Image from www.voicemap.me

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