Mǎlǎ

Mala lay in the mountainous country west of the Yalong River, within the territory of a hereditary Dai chieftaincy. Its chiefs governed communities living among the river valleys and uplands on the southern edge of Yanyuan. In 1683 the Qing recognised the succession of the local deputy chief, maintaining the office under the authorities of Yanyuan. The chieftaincy formed part of the varied pattern of local rule in the Sichuan-Yunnan borderlands.