Prefectures and Counties of Northwest Yunnan: A Spatial History

This chapter traces the political geography of Yunnan province through changes in its administrative units. A key tool of governance in imperial China was the system of prefectures and counties through which civilian officials collected taxes, heard legal cases, and constructed public works. New dynasties setting up their territorial administration inherited a spatial configuration of provinces, prefectures, sub-prefectures, and counties. In frontier regions, the civilian administration was supplemented by a network of garrisons, military prefectures, and tusi arrangements with local rulers. For scholars and officials compiling gazetteers, the very first chapter traced the lineage of administrative units in that place to verify their ongoing status. This chapter argues that prefectures and counties in northwest Yunnan during the late imperial period were primarily based on those established by the Mongols in the thirteenth century. At the same time, they incorporated elements of political geography from the Nanzhao Kingdom. Changes over the late imperial period were shaped by ongoing military engagements across the southwest as well as migration from the centre.