Wūsā

Wusa occupied the high country around Weining, where the uplands of Guizhou meet those of Yunnan. It was ruled by hereditary chiefs within a network of Yi territories that included neighbouring Shuixi. The mountains and basins formed the setting for communities whose local leaders held land and authority under successive dynasties. After the Qing suppressed resistance led by the Shuixi chief An Kun in 1664, the government reorganised the region and made Wusa the seat of Weining prefecture under appointed officials. Local headmen nevertheless continued to exercise authority in many rural districts, so the change at the top did not erase older patterns of landholding and rule.