Mường Tè

Muong Te lies in the mountain country of the upper Black River, where wooded ridges and narrow valleys meet the highlands of Yunnan. Tai, Hani, Lahu and other communities inhabit this varied landscape. The Tai word muong denotes a district or chiefdom, a grouping of villages whose ruler drew authority from the people and land under his care. Along the Black River, Tai settlements took root in valleys suited to wet-rice farming, while neighbouring peoples made their homes in the surrounding hills.