Self-styled kingdom of allied agricultural tribes across western and central Guizhou, first described in the 3rd century BC — the Shiji’s tale of its king asking whether Han or Yelang was greater made “Yelang thinks itself big” a lasting Chinese byword for provincial self-importance.
Absorbed by the Han dynasty in 111 BC following the fall of its ally Nanyue, its tribes folded into the Han southwest.
Contains Shiji 116, the Account of the Southwestern Barbarians — the primary historical source on Yelang. Columbia University Press; confirmed on Open Library.