Abstract: During the centuries of Ming and Qing Dynasties, a series of changes took place in western Yunnan due to the state system and local grass-roots governance. Dengchuan Prefecture located in the north of Erhai Lake is very representative. In the early Ming Dynasty, Ashi who the chiefdoms of Dai nationality in Weiyuan prefecture were given the post of magistrate of Deng Chuan for his outstanding service. First, as a non-native, by expanding the marriage network, he not only received the assistance of the chieftain who was from the old haunt, but also received the support of the chieftain of the surrounding ethnic groups and local giants, thus solidified the political ruling foundation in Dengchuan Prefecture. In addition, the early development of western Yunnan and the entry of a large number of Han people in the Ming Dynasty made it very active to build cultural identity based on Confucianism. Through the construction of historical memory, Ashi realized the transformation of cultural identity and strengthened the foundation of cultural domination in western Yunnan. Then, although agriculture was developed in Dengchuan Prefecture, there would be strong seasonality and flooding in planting. Therefore, Dengchuan Prefecture formed an efficient operation system with chieftain as prime minister, and all classes and nationalities cooperated with each other, and strengthened chieftain's position as the core of the local economy. This kind of governance not only has the commonness of the minority areas in southwest China, but also has the characteristics of westem Yunnan itself. Moreover, the combination of local history and genealogical data will help enrich the regional research of local history and grass-roots governance in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Key words: Ming and Qing Dynasties, social changes, western Yunnan, grass-roots governance, the local magistrate&apos, s chieftain in Dengchuan Prefecture