Chiefdom of Yongning () was a

Mosuo The Mosuo (; also spelled Moso, Mosso or Musuo), often called the Naxi among themselves, are a small ethnic group living in China's Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, close to the border with Tibet. Consisting of a population of approximately 40,000, ...

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 during the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...

and Qing dynasties. The chiefdom was located at present-day

Ninglang Yi Autonomous County Ninglang Yi Autonomous County (; ii, ꆀꆿꆈꌠꊨꏦꏱꅉꑤ nip lat nuo su zyt jie jux dde xiep) is located in the northwest of Yunnan province, China, bordering Sichuan province to the northeast. It is under the administration of Lijiang ...

at the convergence of

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

and

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...

. According to legend, the ancestor of Yongning chieftains was from

. He arrived at Yongning in 24 AD. Yongning was a part of

Nanzhao Nanzhao (, also spelled Nanchao, ) was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries. It was centered on present-day Yunnan in China. History Origins Nanzh ...

and later a part of the

Dali Kingdom The Dali Kingdom, also known as the Dali State (; Bai: Dablit Guaif), was a state situated in modern Yunnan province, China from 937 until 1253. In 1253, it was conquered by the Mongols but members of its former ruling dynasty continued to a ...

. Mongolian invaded Dali in 1253. He Zi (和字), the chieftain of Yongning, surrendered to the Mongol Empire, which was then administered by the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fift ...

. Yongning swore allegiance to the Ming dynasty since 1371. Chieftain Budu Geji (卜都各吉) went to the Ming capital to have an audience with the Hongwu Emperor in 1381, from then on, Yongning joined the Ming ''

'' System. Since 1406, the hereditary chieftains received the official position "Magistrate of Yongning" (永寧知府) from the Ming emperor. A Ju (阿苴) was the first chieftain who used the surname "A" (阿).

Joseph Rock Joseph Francis Charles Rock (1884 – 1962) was an Austrian-American botanist, List of explorers, explorer, geographer, linguistics, linguist, ethnographer and photographer. Life Josef Franz Karl Rock was born in Vienna, Austria, the son of a s ...

stated that the surname was given by the Ming emperor. On one occasion the chieftain came to have an audience with the Ming emperor. The chieftain did not understand the Chinese language. When the Ming emperor spoke to him, he replied "ah", so was given the surname "A". According to ''The Ancient Nakhi Kingdom of Southwest China'' by Joseph Rock, Yongning used to be great power. However, in 1648, Muli was given to a lama and established the

Chiefdom of Muli A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a ...

; later, in 1710, Yongning was divided into several chiefdoms under the order of the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to ...

. In 1917, Chiefdom of Langqu (蒗蕖土司) was abolished, its territory merged into Yongning. Since then, Yongning changed its name to

Ninglang Ninglang Yi Autonomous County (; ii, ꆀꆿꆈꌠꊨꏦꏱꅉꑤ nip lat nuo su zyt jie jux dde xiep) is located in the northwest of Yunnan province, China, bordering Sichuan province to the northeast. It is under the administration of Lijiang C ...

. Yongning Chiefdom was abolished by the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

in 1956.

List of chieftains of Yongning

References

*{{cite book , first=Chuan-kang , last=Shih , title=Quest for Harmony: The Moso Traditions of Sexual Union and Family Life , publisher=Stanford University Press , date=2009 , isbn=9780804761994 Tusi in Yunnan Lijiang States and territories established in 1381 States and territories disestablished in 1956

List of chieftains of Yongning

See also

References