Jīnzhú

Jinzhu was the predecessor of Guangshun in present-day Changshun County, Guizhou. Its name also appears as Jin zhu, written with the character meaning construction, in accounts of its Ming administration. In 1371 the former Yuan official Miding presented horses to the Ming court. The government established a hereditary native-chief office and appointed him to it, initially under Sichuan's provincial administration.

In 1381 Miding supplied five hundred horses for imperial campaigning. The court rewarded him by raising the office to a pacification commission and confirming hereditary succession. Later transfers brought it under Guizhou's military and then civil institutions. Tribute continued under successive reigns. In 1612 the native official Jin Dazhang petitioned for a change in government. The commission became Guangshun Department under Guiyang Prefecture. Jin retained a hereditary title and official dress, but was forbidden to manage affairs. The reform thus preserved a mark of family status while transferring practical administration to appointed officials.