The Ming Dynasty set the frontier in order to effectively manage the Miao area and protect the Hunan-Guizhou post road.

However, Zhaotong people, with tremendously strong stamina, cut and dug numerous post roads and horse roads leading to the outside areas among the high mountains and towering ridges or by the sheer precipices and overhanging rocks and they left thousands of traffic place-names of roads, bridges, ferries, passes, positions, etc.