Tōng'ān

Tong'an was the district around the old town of Lijiang, beneath the snowy mountains of northwestern Yunnan. Its streets and market formed the seat of the hereditary Mu rulers, whose residence grew into a complex of offices, temples and halls. Merchants bound for Zhongdian stopped at the town's Sifang market to arrange transport. By the late Ming, the Mu residence had become an imposing center of power, and the traveler Xu Xiake admired its splendid buildings.