Amid the Clouds and Mist

In 1200, what is now southwest ChinaGuizhou, Yunnan, and the southern portion of Sichuanwas home to an assortment of strikingly diverse cultures and ruled by a multitude of political entities. By 1750, Chinas military, political, sociocultural, and economic institutions were firmly in control of the region, and many of the areas cultures were rapidly becoming extinct. One purpose of this book is to examine how Chinas three late imperial dynastiesthe Yuan, Ming, and Qingconquered, colonized, and assumed control of the southwest. Another objective is to highlight the indigenous response to Chinas colonization of the southwest, particularly that of the Nasu Yi people of western Guizhou and eastern Yunnan, the only group to leave an extensive written record.