| 1200 BC |
Dian people are settled around Lake Dianchi, present-day Kunming. They were slave-owning
head-hunters. |
| 5c BC |
Han Chinese all living in N, little Chinese spoken
S of Yangtze. People in S as a whole called the 'Man'. |
| 4c BC |
Important
trade routes linking Yunnan to S Asia already established
- some 200 years before the more well-known northern Silk Road linking China to Middle East. Beginning in prosperous,
more settled area around Lake Dian (just S of present-day
Kunming), it ran N to Chengdu and Chongqing (major centres of silk
production and processing) and W to Dali, Baoshan and Tengchong, and
then on to Myanmar, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Known as the 'Shu Yuan Du' (Sichuan to India) Road (today it's referred
to as 'Southern Silk Road'), it linked present-day Chengdu all the way to India.
A great mystery is that countless shells have been found in tombs
of ancient Yunnan people. They were symbols of the master's wealth.
Actually, these shells, which featured circular veins, were from coastal
regions of Pacific, far away from Yunnan (an inland area). Shells
were used as currency for trading in ancient times. According to archaeologists,
such a large amount of shells of kind discovered in these tombs
indicate that Yunnan has had long-term trading relations with coastal
countries in Pacific regions throughout ancient history. |
| 339 BC |
Kingdom of Dian formed near present-day
Kunming (possibly by renegade
Chinese general). |
| 316 BC |
City of Chengdu built. |
| 3c BC |
Large migrations from N to S, owing to population pressure and imperial government's
expansionist policy. |
| 221-210 BC |
First Emperor Qin Shi-huang orders more than 500,000 military colonists into
newly conquered territories. Some kingdoms in Yunnan and Sichuan areas are invaded and
put under central rule. |
| Pre 200 BC |
Ai-lao people (proto Thai people) inhabit parts of Yunnan and control routes
into Sichuan and Burma. Already these peoples moving
S to northern Thailand due to population pressures from above as well as desire
to maintain their independence. Those remaining in N are influenced
linguistically and culturally by Han; equally, Chinese settlers in
Yunnan area influenced by local people. |
| 122 BC |
Armed conflict between Chinese and Ai-lao Kingdom when Ai-lao ruler denies passage
to emperor Wu Di's emissary. This to be first of
many Chinese invasions into Yunnan, as Chinese seek to gain control of profitable
trade routes there. |
| 1c BC |
Bai people settle around Erhai Lake region, near today's Dali. |
| 37 BC |
Ai-lao Kingdom breaks up after one
battle too many with Chinese. |
| 1stc AD |
Another
major trade road ('Ma Yuan Gu')
now linking S Yunnan with Vietnam. Following this, Yunnan
also sees opening of 'Buqing Road' to Vietnam
via Jianshui along Honghe River; 'Silk and Tea Road' to Laos, Thailand
and Myanmar via Simao and Xishuangbanna;
'Tea Horse Road' to India via Dali, Diqing and Tibet; and 'Gaozhi
Road' from Kunming to Vietnam via Honghe and Wenshan
prefectures.
Zhang
Qian, a Han official sent by Chinese gov't
on tour of western countries in 1stc AD, reportes
seeing Chinese bamboo and silk products in India
and Afghanistan, which had come in via 'Shu Yuan
Du' Road.
Due
to the many trade routes connecting Yunnan with other countries,
cross-border marriages became popular, and cities, towns and villages
along roads became busier and more prosperous. |
| 9 AD |
Ai-lao Kingdom resurrects, rising against Chinese
rule. |
| 50 |
Ai-lao Kingdom falls again, but remains
relatively independent Chinese vassal until 1225. [The W and SW border
areas of China were only ever brought firmly
into empire's fold with quite unstoppable Mongol forces.] |
| 58-76 |
'Bonan Road', linking Yunnan with India, is established. This
is route through which Buddhism will first spread into
China from India, during period between
220 and 420 AD. |
| 69 |
Thai Prince Mulao submits to Chinese Emperor Ming Di,
making him first Thai prince to become officially dependent of Chinese. |
| 78 |
Thai Prince Leilao rebels, and is then subdued. More Thais go S. |
| 204 |
With collapse of Han dynasty, Dian (as Yunnan is known) breaks up into mini
kingdoms. |
| 225 |
Yi princes, formerly loyal to State of Shu, attempt to switch
sides to State of Wu. In response, Zhuge Liang leads troops (possibly
recruited from aboriginal Puman tribe who
populated area around present-day Lijiang, before being kicked out
by the Naxi) from S China, suppressing rebellion. His campaign reached as far as
Nu River (Salween), nominally subjugating most of NW Yunnan. In reality,
this area still out of the admin. loop, and
would remain so until arrival of the Mongols in 13c. |
| 610 |
Chang'an linked to Hanzhou via
Grand Canal. Ensues rapid population growth in Lower Yangtze region, which becomes
economic and agricultural centre. |
| 618-626 |
Naxi, led by Yegu-Nian, capture Puman
territory at foot of Yulongxue Shan. A constant tug-of-war between
these two peoples will continue for another
couple hundred years. |
| 650 |
Thais in Yunnan and S Sichuan successfully rebel against Chinese, winning back sovereignty.
From this will eventually grow Nanzhao Kingdom. First ruler is Xinuluo
[alt. Sinulo], head of the
small Mengshe kingdom ('zhao'). Chinese
Emperor Kao Tsung accepts their treaty of friendship. |
| 674 |
King Xinuluo dies, son Loshengyen ascends to throne. |
| 709 |
Having been involving itself more and more in Mekong delta area, records show
Nanzhao (or Mengshe zhao)
Kingdom as occupying present-day Luang Prabang by this year, replacing
local Thai rulers with Nanzhao princes. |
| 712 |
King Loshengyen dies, son Shenglope ascends to throne. |
| 731 |
King Piluoge (who ascended to throne in 728) murders rulers of other mini-kingdoms
(known as 'zhao') located in lake Erhai region, calling enlarged
kingdom Nanzhao ('Southern Kingdom'). |
| 733 |
Chinese Emperor Xuanzong allies with various kingdoms/principalities
in SW China (Nanzhao Kingdom being one of them) to face growing
Tibet empire (under Tubo dynasty) which
is threatening SW China frontier. |
| 735 |
King Piluoge formally accepts Chinese overrule, and 3 years later is recognised
by Chinese Emperor Xuanzong as Prince of
Yunnan. |
| 745 |
Commissioned by Emperor Xuanzong to secure China's SW border, King Piluoge
launches war against Tibet. |
| 750 |
King Piluoge dies, succeeded by his son Geluofeng [alt. Kolofeng], who
makes Dali capital. Insulted by governor of Hunan, he invades China, taking 32 towns. Furthermore,
he allies Nanzhao with Tibet, his father's lifelong enemy.
Incidentally, it's around this time that city walls are built around
Kunming, on orders of King
Geluofeng. |
| 751 and 754 |
War breaks out twice between Nanzhao kingdom and China. Nanzhao defends itself handily
both times, by second war has extended its kingdom to include whole
of present-day Yunnan, W Guizhou, S Sichuan and parts of Burma. |
| 764 |
Nanzhao Kingdom by now fully established
with well-organised administration and extremely capable army which
dominates neighbouring peoples. Nanzhao's power stretches all the
way from S China down to SE Asia. |
| 779 |
King Geluofeng dies. Succeeded by grandson Imoshun.
King Imoshun attempts to invade China, but is repelled. |
| 787 |
King Imoshun petitions Emperor Tai Tsong,
complaining about his "involuntary" alliance with Tibetans,
as well as Tibetans' abuse of Thais. Nanzhao Kingdom and China become allies again.
|
| 794 |
King Imoshun invades Tibet, capturing 16 towns. |
| 829 |
Imoshun's successor changes alliances
and invades China. Huge number of skilled artisans
and scholars captured and taken back to Yunnan. |
| by 832 |
Armies of Nanzhao have encroached deep into Burma. |
| 859 |
Under King Tsuiling, Nanzhao Kingdom attempts to besiege Chengdu, but is repelled. |
| 863 |
Nanzhao armies conquer parts of Annam (present-day Vietnam). |
| 870 |
King Tsuiling invades China. Again besieges Chengdu. Again fails. Five
years later, he tries again, is repelled for third time. |
| 877 |
King Taiking ascends, and considering his predecessor's
record, wisely makes peace with China. |
| 902 |
Nanzhao Kingdom's Xinuluo
Dynasty ends (haoxiang conquered by Chinese). |
| 907 |
Escaping chaos at home, many powerful Chinese families move S into Yunnan
area. These 'mini-kingdoms' will provide basis for assimilation of
S into inner China, fifty years hence. |
| 937 |
Warlord Duan Siping (of Tibeto-Burman ethnicity, related to modern Bai
people) topples Nanzhao Kingdom, replacing it with
smaller Kingdom of Dali. |
| by 1100 |
Naxi are clearly dominant people in area of present-day Lijiang (they'd possibly
settled here as early as 24 AD), having displaced aboriginal Puman
tribe. |
| 1211 |
Genghis Khan invades N China. Within 4 years, he controls all land N of Yellow River. |
| circa 1250 |
Sichuan's population drops
precipitously (reasons a mystery), turning province once again into
wild frontier land. |
| 1252 |
Kubilai Khan (eventual founder
of Yuan dynasty) leads Mongols from Sichuan into Yunnan, which at
that time is still non-Han. |
| 1253 |
Kubilai Khan and his army,
en route to conquer Dali Kingdom, pass through Mosuo area near
Lugu, and then Naxi area near Lijiang, where no resistance is met.
Naxi chief, Azong A-liang, in return for his submission, is given title Civilian
Governor of Sandan (as the Lijiang area
was then known), and lends troops for Naxi assault on Kingdom of Dali. |
| 1254 |
Kubilai Khan conquers Kingdom of Dali, giving Mongols control
of entire SW, but more importantly enabling him to encircle and eventually
conquer remaining Southern Song territory. He moves capital from Dali
to present-day Kunming. |
| 1271 |
Administrative centre of Naxi people moves from Baisha
village (~15 km N of Lijiang) to present-day Lijiang old town (Dayan).
Population of Lijiang ~1000 families. Before Mongols depart, they
give area new name - Lijiang, meaning beautiful river. |
| 1274 |
Yunnan becomes imperial province.
However, owing to its remoteness, conditions in Yunnan remain same for almost
600 more years. Mongol rulers offered hereditary titles to former
feudal chiefs and their families, gradually changing society from
feudal to landlord system. |
| 1381 |
Mongol resistance in Yunnan finally crushed by Ming
forces. |
| 1382 |
For strategic reasons (fighting Tibetans), Ming emperor Hongwu
bestows on Naxi ruler (A-Te) a hereditary title along with surname
Mu (so henceforth known as Mu Te). Mu family centralises its authority
over NW Yunnan, creating Kingdom of Jiang. They will continue
to rule for over 300 years, into Qing dynasty. |
| Late 14c |
Ming government sets up shop in Yunnan Fu (present-day Kunming). |
| 1499 |
Mu troops capture Zhongdian. |
| 1548 & 1561 |
Mu rulers of Lijiang successfully
lead troops N against Tibetans. |
| 1639 |
Kagyüpa-ruling gov't
in Lhasa is defeated by supporters of Gelukpa
religious order (who are backed by Gushri Khan and his Mongol army, in Lhasa at invite of DL5), causing 10th
Karmapa (reincarnate head of Karmapa Kagyü, a sub-school of Kagyüpa) to flee
Tibet. He arrives in Lijiang
a few years later, where he is welcomed by Naxi ruler, Mu Zeng,
a follower (as were his successors) of Karma Kagyü school. From
this point on, Lijiang area (incl. Mekong valley of NW Yunnan) becomes stronghold for Karma
Kagyüpa order - there were once 594 Karma Kagyüpa monasteries
in Kindom of Jiang.
More known ones incl. Zhiyun Si (Lashi Hai, 1727), Wenfeng Si (Wenbi Shan, 1733) and Shouguo Si (Kangpu, 1734). |
| 1644 |
Rebel leader Zhang Xiang-zheng sets up independent state in Chengdu, ruling by terror for
3 years. |
| 1650 |
Final resistance in Yunnan to Manchus (Qing Dynasty). Kunming falls. |
| 1662-1723 |
Emperor Kangxi's rule. NW Yunnan is returned to
DL's rule at the start of Kangxi's reign. However, later the Mu family again invades
northward, and are successful enough to reach as far as Ma'erkang
(Barkham), Batang and Litang, setting groundwork for their
subsequent annexation into Sichuan province. |
| 18c on |
Troubles growing between ruling
Naxi family (surnamed Mu) and Naxi peasants (most surnamed He),
heavy taxation being a particular bane for peasants. Pressures from
new Han Chinese settlers add to the troubles. |
| 1723 |
In line with Qing government's new admin. policy, court officials appointed to replace native tusi rulers. In Lijiang,
a sub-prefect (tongpan), Yang Bi,
takes over (this also result of ruling Mu family's inability to collect
taxes on behalf of empire). This marks end of Mu era in Lijiang. Still,
some tusi remained in office even into first half of 20c.
|
| 1854 |
French missionary Father Renou, formerly in charge
of Tibet Mission (created by Pope in 1846, establishing Tibet - along w/ Sich.
and Yun. Tibetan areas - as an autonomous
Catholic Mission), attempts to enter Tibet fr. Yunnan, but eventually settles
for setting up shop in Bönga (near Yun/TAR border), thus marking start of activities of Tibet
Mission, its humble aim being to reach Lhasa and convert Tibet to Christianity. However,
poor relations between Tibet and China made it difficult to cross into
Tibet proper, so the plan was to settle
as close as possible to Tib. border,
and work their way in, converting merrily along the way. This never
happened, and missionaries' success was largely amongst Nu and Lisu
in NW Yunnan. |
| 1854-1872 |
Inspired by Taiping Rebellion, rebel Muslim leader Du Wen-xiu, Sultan of Dali,
besieges Kunming several times, laying waste to
much of province. Declares Dali independent state. |
| 1873 |
Rebellion finally put down, and majority of Yunnan Muslims are massacred.
Dali devastated, never again to attain its former political prominence.
Plague follows, and only those living in secluded, remote areas are
unaffected. |
| 1900 |
By now, Kunming open to foreign trade, owing to English and French presence
in Burma and Indochina, respectively. |
| 1910 |
Indochina railroad reaches Kunming.
By
late Qing Dynasty and into early years of Republic of China (1911-1949),
several towns, incl. Tengchong and Baoshan, had developed into trading
and commercial centres of S China. |
| 1911 |
Yunnan's revolutionaries, catching the wave of republicanism sweeping the country, revolt against Qing court, declaring independence
on Sept. 9th. |
| 1914 |
Republican movement having been usurped by Yuan Shi-kai (democratic president-turned-warlord), Yunnanese launch Hu Guo (Protect the Country) campaign. |
| 1925 |
Earthquake, viewed as bellwether for major change in gov't,,
strikes Lijiang. This the year that Sun Yat-sen
dies, and gangster Chiang Kai-shek takes over leadership of Sun's
party, the Guomindang. |
| 1927 |
Chiang Kai-shek splits with Communists (Guomindang and Communist had allied to fight Japanese),
and soon China embroiled in civil war. Yunnan controlled by various
local warlords. |
| 1938 |
With Japanese occupation of E China, the SW becomes base for Japanese resistance. Factories
open, refugees pour in. |
| WW2 |
US air base in Kunming. General Stilwell
headquartered here, along with Claire Chennault and his Flying Tigers.
Until opening of the Burma Road, these legends-in-their-own-times
were sole means of getting supplies into beleaguered China. |
| 1939 |
Burma Road - from Lashio
to Kunming, via Xiaguan (constructed along
lines of ancient trade routes) - is completed. Japan's aim to starve China into defeat suffers
serious setback. |
| 1949 |
Yunnan is finally liberated,
as Lu Han leads his troops to chase out remaining warlords and Qing
dynasty supporters. |
| 1950s |
Autonomous counties and prefectures established in any area where minorities
comprise 2/3 of population, or own 2/3 of land. Also, basic social and
land reforms carried out in SW and China-wide (e.g. Yi people encouraged
to discontinue practice of taking slaves). |
| 1966-1970 |
Cultural Revolution: minority communities come under heavy attack for being
backward and superstitious, and for their 'small
nation chauvinism'. |
| 1979 |
Post-Mao. Ethnic minorities, rather wary now, once again given green light to practice their customs. "It doesn't matter if the cat is black or white
as long as it catches the mouse" - Deng Xiao-ping. |
| 1985 |
Lijiang declared 'open'. Zhongdian opens eight years later, in '93. |
| 1996 |
Earthquake strikes Lijiang evening of Feb. 4th, leaving ~400 dead
and levelling scores of buildings. Media attention which follows sparks
interest in value of traditional buildings in Old Town, and law soon passes
requiring all buildings in Old Town to be in traditional
style, and it's all gone off since. |
| 2002 |
After an exhaustive search, location of Shangri-la
finally established - Zhongdian takes the prize. |
