Dàobà

Dàobà occupied a high valley in southern Kham, within the broader Lithang country later represented by Daocheng County. Snow mountains and forested ranges enclose the valley floor, while rivers and passes connect it with Litang, the Sichuan basin and the routes toward Tibet. The open valley mouth suggested the Tibetan name Dappa, from which the Chinese name Daoba was derived.

During the Tang period the district came under Tibetan rule. Yuan administrators incorporated it into the pacification system for the Kham frontier, and Ming authority worked through regional commanders and local chiefs. Monasteries and tusi households accumulated land, tenants and trade income, while yak herding, barley cultivation and forest resources supported communities at different elevations.

The Qing confirmed the Lithang tusi in 1729 and placed Dàobà within its jurisdiction. Tea, salt, cloth, medicinal plants and hides moved along the mountain routes, with Litang functioning as the principal market and relay. Local monasteries and chiefs collected dues and supplied transport, giving Dàobà a place in the Kham frontier order without making it a major walled city. This traffic also tied its monasteries and herders to commodity circuits extending far beyond the valley.