Bǎotōng

Bǎotōng belongs to Shunning, the frontier country of western Yunnan around the upper river valleys. Mountains, deep gorges and narrow basins divide communities, while tea, grain and woodland products move along routes toward Dali, Lincang and the Burmese borderlands. The mild but broken terrain supported villages of several ethnic groups rather than one continuous lowland settlement.

In 1327 the area submitted to the Yuan and a native Shunning prefecture was established. The following year, Baotong and Qingdian counties were created within it. In 1598 the Ming replaced hereditary local rule with appointed officials, and the Qing established Shunning County in 1770. These changes joined upland chiefdoms and villages to imperial administration while leaving much local authority in the hands of headmen, monasteries and prominent families.

Tea cultivation developed on the surrounding hills and became the district’s best-known product. Caravans carried compressed tea toward Tibetan markets, while rice, maize, timber and medicinal plants supplied valley towns. Yi, Miao, Bai, Bulang, Wa, Lahu and other communities lived across different elevations, using seasonal pastures and forest plots. Baotong’s history is carried by these mountain routes and plural communities as much as by the prefectural seat.