Níngzhōu

Ningzhou was a native department in central-eastern Yunnan, between Jiangchuan and Huaning. Its name came from the Ningbu people; their chief Puti submitted to the Mongols in 1254. It became Ningzhou under Lin'an Route in the Zhiyuan reign.

Under the Ming in the fifteenth century Ningzhou remained a department of Lin'an Prefecture; the Qing retained the same arrangement. Its earlier counties included Tonghai and Xi'e, while Xisha County had been merged into the department in 1322.