Lijiang Prefectural Gazetteer, Abridged Volume One Lijiang Prefecture Gazetteer, Upper Volume Illustrations and Maps Section — Topography and Illustrations, Climate, Star Field Examination, Auspicious and Strange Omens, with Territorial Boundaries Appended In delineating the borders of the realm, governance of the frontier is of paramount concern; yet celestial phenomena and human affairs respond in harmony like an echo. How, then, could the distant frontier alone be neglected? Lijiang, lying at the extreme southwestern edge, its boundaries adjoining the soil of Tubo, its star field entering the degrees of the Well constellation (Jingxiu) — is it not indeed a remote corner of Dian, an obscure recess at the ends of heaven? The imperial virtue and might of our sacred dynasty extend far and wide, its territorial bounds vast and expansive, surpassing all antiquity without compare. Lijiang, though ten thousand li away, lies as close as the mat and table before one. In former times, Li Deyu, when governing Xichuan as military commissioner, mapped the mountains, rivers, and routes of the southwest upon the Tower for Planning the Frontier, thereby knowing the perils and passes of all four postal roads. The Rites of Zhou, the Office of Heaven; the Customs and Traditions, the Seasonal Records — these various works assign the fenye to define the boundaries of domains, and the climate to discern auspicious and calamitous signs. In such matters the plans of statecraft are embodied; Lijiang cannot be cast aside for its wild remoteness. Since the installation of appointed officials [in 1723] has not been long, written records are lacking in evidence. Looking down to examine the geography, looking up to observe the heavens, I append the territorial boundaries, the strategic configuration, the climate, and the auspicious and strange omens — saying only, "This is its general outline." Thus is composed the Section on Illustrations and Maps. Discourse on the Map Lijiang, in antiquity a dependency of Yuexi, traces its mountain veins from the Kuer range in Tibet. The Jinsha and Lancang rivers clasp it on both sides, until reaching Laojun Mountain, where the ranges rise lofty and undulating, serving as the ancestral source of all the mountains of Yunnan province. From Laojun, the western branch enters Dali; the eastern branch enters Lijiang, turning at Shigu, passing through Axi, then bending northeastward, where Xiangshan stretches forth and the prefectural seat is established. Huangshan encircles on the right, Wulie stands sentinel on the left, the snow peaks dominate majestically in the rear, and Santai arches in special prominence before. The Li River winds around its northeast, while the Nu River marks its boundary...