Kāngzuǒ

Kangzuo was a native administrative jurisdiction in the Anshun country of Guizhou, with its seat in the southwest of present-day Ziyun. A Yuan-period stockade preceded the Ming chief's office established in 1386. Its place in imperial government connected hereditary local authority with the military institutions being extended across the southwest.

Grain taxation made that connection tangible. During the Ming expansion of military colonies, the autumn grain collected in Kangzuo was assigned to the garrisons of Puding and Pu'an rather than simply being remitted to the central treasury. The local harvest therefore helped provision military establishments beyond the chief's own jurisdiction. Kangzuo's history brings into view one of the practical links between native administration, agricultural taxation and the supply of Ming soldiers in Guizhou.