Yǒngníng

Yongning lies in a high basin near Lugu Lake, enclosed by the mountains of the Yunnan-Sichuan border. The A family ruled here as hereditary chiefs, their authority continuing through the Yuan, Ming and Qing. In 1406 the Ming established Yongning as a prefecture and recognized the family's hereditary office. The basin was home to Mosuo communities whose family and marriage customs endured alongside the changing demands of imperial rule.