Róngměi

Róngměi was a powerful hereditary chiefship in the mountains of western Hubei, ruled by the Tián family. Its chiefs governed a network of subordinate offices and maintained connections with the imperial courts, while their mountain residences supported a distinctive local literary culture. The Qing writer Gù Cǎi visited the chief Tián Shùnnián and described his travels through Róngměi. Relations with Qing officials became increasingly strained in the early eighteenth century. Officials accused Tián Shùnnián of abuses and proposed replacing hereditary rule with appointed administration. In 1735 the court completed its reorganisation of the western Hubei chiefships, creating Hèfēng Zhou and other new jurisdictions in their place.