Wūméng

Wumeng lay on the high plateau of northeastern Yunnan, among the mountain routes linking Sichuan with the southwest. Its prefecture was ruled by hereditary Yi chiefs, whose authority continued through the Ming and into the Qing. Local communities lived amid high ridges, valleys and cultivated basins, while the ruling family held office in the name of the imperial court. In 1726 Qing armies advanced into Wumeng as part of a campaign to replace hereditary chiefs with appointed officials. The change was accompanied by fighting and was followed by a reorganisation of administration in the region. The old Wumeng prefecture was brought under Yunnan's provincial government, and its political order was reshaped.