Guǎngnán

Guangnan stands in the hills of southeastern Yunnan, close to the routes leading into Guangxi. Its old centre at Liancheng was associated with the ancient Gouding kingdom, while the later town became the seat of a powerful hereditary house. The Nong family held authority over a wide region of valleys and mountain settlements, governing in the name of successive Chinese dynasties.

The Nong chiefs' authority began under the Yuan and continued through the Ming and Qing. As Qing officials sought a stronger presence, the hereditary rulers offered additional grain and money for building walls in order to preserve their position. The movement of the Southern Ming court also touched Guangnan: Princess Anhua, sister of the Yongli Emperor, died near the town in 1652 during the retreat from Guangxi into Yunnan. Her grave recalls the passage of a dynasty in flight through the southern mountains.