Yúnyáng

Yunyang belongs to the Yangtze gorge country of eastern Sichuan, where steep hills and tributary valleys connect settlements to a major river corridor. Farming occupies suitable slopes and narrow ground, while forests, crafts, and local markets add to livelihoods. Boats provide essential transport, but rapids and currents make movement dependent on skilled crews and knowledge of changing conditions.

Yun'an's salt works had been important enough to receive a special administration in the Tang period. In 1283, under the Yuan, the area was reorganized as Yunyang prefecture under Kuizhou. The Ming reduced it to Yunyang county in 1373; it returned to Kuizhou prefecture in 1381 and remained under it during the Qing. River transport and the resources of the surrounding valleys tied the county to the wider Sichuan basin.