Chiefdom of Shuidong (), ruled by the

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

clan, was an autonomous ''

Tusi ''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain e ...

'' chiefdom established by Song Jingyang () during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

. After he conquered the Manzhou Prefecture (蠻州, centred on modern Kaiyang County) from the

Yi people The Yi or Nuosu people,; zh, c=彝族, p=Yízú, l=Yi ethnicity historically known as the Lolo,; vi, Lô Lô; th, โล-โล, Lo-Lo are an ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with eac ...

, Song Jingyang was recognized as the hereditary ruler of the region by the Song court in 975. Shuidong was one of the most powerful clans in

Southwestern China Southwest China () is a region in the south of the People's Republic of China. Geography Southwest China is a rugged and mountainous region, transitioning between the Tibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese coastal hills (东南丘陵) and ...

;

Bozhou Bozhou () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Anhui province, China. It borders Huaibei to the northeast, Bengbu to the southeast, Huainan to the south, Fuyang to the southwest, and Henan to the north. Its population was 4,996,844 at th ...

, Sizhou,

Shuixi The Water Banquet ( Chinese: , ''shǔixí'') is a Chinese set of dishes comprising eight cold and 16 warm dishes cooked in various broths, gravies, and juices. It is considered one of the "Three Wonders of Luoyang"—a former Chinese capital l ...

and Shuidong were called "Four Great Native Chiefdom in

Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...

" () by Chinese. Shuidong joint the

She-An Rebellion The She-An Rebellion (), also called the Yongning Rebellion, was a Yi uprising that occurred in Sichuan and Guizhou in late fall of 1621. As a consequence of the taxes imposed by the Ming dynasty, the aboriginal chieftains She Chongming and An B ...

in 1623. After the rebellion was put down, Shuidong was annexed and ruled directly by Ming China.

Origin

The Song clan claimed to be the descendants of a

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

named Song Ding () in their

genealogy book A genealogy book or register is used in Asia and Europe to record the family history of ancestors. Greater China It is the Chinese tradition to record family members in a book, including every male born in the family, who they are married to, e ...

; however the authenticity needed to be verified. Modern scholars stated that Song Jingyang was a Han Chinese, Bouyei or

Miao Miao may refer to: * Miao people, linguistically and culturally related group of people, recognized as such by the government of the People's Republic of China * Miao script or Pollard script, writing system used for Miao languages * Miao (Unicode ...

History

In 1303, Song Achong of Shuidong surrendered to the Yuan dynasty, Shuidong came under the Chinese tusi system. In 1371, Song Mongoldai of Shuidong surrendered to the Ming dynasty. During the

Ming conquest of Yunnan The Ming conquest of Yunnan was the final phase in the Ming dynasty expulsion of Mongol-led Yuan dynasty rule from China proper in the 1380s. Background The Hongwu Emperor had sent envoys to Yunnan in 1369, 1370, 1372, 1374, and 1375 to reque ...

, Liu Shuzhen () was the female regent of Shuidong, while

(Mu'ege) was ruled by the regent mother She Xiang (). In 1382, She Xiang decided to rebelled against Ming China because she was tortured by the Chinese general Ma Ye (). Liu Shuzhen persuaded her not to do. Liu came to

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

to reported Ma's behavior. An investigation was carried out, Ma was rebuked and recalled in 1384. In 1413, the province of

was created. The capital of Shuidong, Guizhou City (present day

Guiyang Guiyang (; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), historically rendered as Kweiyang, is the capital of Guizhou province of the People's Republic of China. It is located in the center of the province, situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, ...

), was chosen the site of the province's capital. Thirty thousand Chinese soldiers were settled in eastern Guizhou Province. Since 1373, each Shuidong rulers held the title ''Guizhou Xuanwei tongzhi'' (); while each Shuixi rulers were granted the title ''Guizhou Xuanweishi'' (), both were highest aboriginal governors of Guizhou Province. However, the

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...

of Shuidong rulers were lower than Shuixi rulers'. Initially, the official residences of Shuixi and Shuidong rulers were in Guizhou City, Shuixi rulers were not allowed to go back to his chiefdom freely. This rule was abolished by Ming court in 1479, since then, Shuixi rulers spent most of their life in Shuixi. The power of Shuidong rulers soon expanded rapidly, Shuixi prolonged conflict with Shuidong. A Miao rebellion against Shuidong ruler broke out in 1513. Song Ran () of Shuidong was defeated and fled. Though Ming court ordered Shuixi to suppress, An Guirong () of Shuixi was unwilling to do so, because the rebellion was tacit backed by Shuixi. Finally, An Guirong put down the rebellion, since then, Chiefdom of Shuidong went into a slow decline. The Shuidong ruler Song Cheng'en () was a son-in-law of

chief Yang Yinglong (). When Yang rebelled against Ming China, Song Cheng'en refused to joint the rebellion. He was captured and imprisoned in

Hailongtun Hailongtun () is a ruined fortress on the Longyan Mountain, in Hailongtun Village, Gaoping Town, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China. It was the stronghold of the Chiefdom of Bozhou until its destruction by the Ming dynasty after the Bozhou reb ...

until the rebellion was put down. The Shuidong ruler Song Wanhua () joint the

, he was captured and executed in 1623. His son Song Siyin () rebelled against Ming China, but was put down in 1630. In the same year, Shuidong was fully annexed into the central bureaucratic system of the Ming dynasty.

List of Shuidong chieftains

Below are Shuidong chieftains

References

{{reflist Tusi History of Guizhou Guiyang States and territories established in the 970s States and territories disestablished in the 1630s