Editing Yunnan (section)

=== Qin and Han dynasties ===
In 221 BC, [[Qin Shi Huang]] unified China and extended his authority south. Commanderies and counties were established in Yunnan. An existing road in [[Sichuan]]&nbsp;– the "Five Foot Way"&nbsp;– was extended south to around present day [[Qujing]], in eastern Yunnan. In 109 BC, the [[Han dynasty]] [[Han conquest of Dian|conquered Dian]] during its [[Southward expansion of the Han dynasty|southern expeditions]]. Under orders from [[Emperor Wu of Han|Emperor Wu]], General {{ill|Guo Chang|zh|郭昌}} ({{lang|zh|郭昌}}) was sent south to Yunnan, eventually establishing the [[Yizhou commandery]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=The Making of a Maritime Power : China's Challenges and Policy Responses |author=Kong Zhiguo |isbn=9789811017865 |oclc=965039831 |date=2016-10-25|publisher=Springer }}</ref> By this time, agricultural technology in Yunnan had improved markedly. The local people used bronze tools, plows and kept a variety of livestock, including cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs and dogs. Anthropologists have determined that these people were related to the people now known as the [[Tai peoples|Tai]]. They lived in tribal congregations, sometimes led by exiled Chinese.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}

During the [[Three Kingdoms]], the territory of present-day Yunnan, western [[Guizhou]] and southern Sichuan was collectively called [[Nanzhong]]. The dissolution of Chinese central authority led to increased autonomy for Yunnan and more power for the local tribal structures. In AD&nbsp;225, the famed statesman [[Zhuge Liang]] led three columns into Yunnan to pacify the tribes. His seven captures of [[Meng Huo]], a local magnate, is mythologized in the [[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Three kingdoms and Chinese culture |url=https://archive.org/details/threekingdomschi00besi |url-access=registration |date=2007 |publisher=State University of New York Press |editor1-last=Besio |editor1-first=Kimberly Ann |editor2-last=Tung |editor2-first=Constantine |isbn=9781429498142 |location=Albany |pages=[https://archive.org/details/threekingdomschi00besi/page/n82 56] |oclc=172980809}}</ref>