Yǒngchāng

Yongchang stands below Mount Taibao on the road west from Dali. The city was a center of administration in western Yunnan from the time of Nanzhao, and its position linked the highlands with routes toward Tengchong and Burma. In the early Ming its earthen defenses were rebuilt in brick and stone. In 1395 the commander Hu Yuan enlarged the western walls to include Mount Taibao, joining the garrison on the hill to the main town.