思州

Chiefdom of Sizhou (Chinese: 思州土司; pinyin: Sīzhōu Tǔsī), ruled by the Tian clan, was an autonomous Tusi chiefdom established by Tian Zongxian (田宗顯) during

century–1915) Zhongzhou Aboriginal Prefecture (忠州土州（ㄓㄨㄥ ㄓㄡ ㄊㄨˇ ㄓㄡ）) (AD 11th century–1916) Sizhou Aboriginal Prefecture (思州土州（ㄙ ㄓㄡ ㄊㄨˇ ㄓㄡ）) (AD 11th century–1916)

(1368–1644), two local governments known as "Sizhou Xuanweisi" (思州宣慰司)and "Sinan Xuanweisi" (思南宣慰司) resisted full subjugation. Yongle Emperor sent troops to

and when he was eight his parents moved to Shangsizhou (Shang-ssu-chou, 上思州, modern Shangsi, Guangxi) in Guangxi. Liu's family was poor, living by manual

circuits (dào 道), prefectures (zhōu 州), and counties (xiàn 縣). Prefectures have been called jùn (郡) as well as zhōu (州) interchangeably throughout history