From the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th century BC) to the Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC-221BC), several kingdoms established by local ethnic groups shared the prefecture. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it partly belonged to Guiyang. Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture was authorized in 1956 with Duyun as its capital. Located on the slopes of the southeastern Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau to the hilly regions of Guangxi, Qiannan declines from northwest to southeast. Mountains and hills constitute most of the terrain with an average altitude of 997 meters (3,271 feet). Buyi People mostly live in the many Buyi-Miao autonomous counties of Xingyi and Anshun as well as Qiannan Buyi-Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province. This ethnic group possesses a rich variety of folk literature, which includes fairy tales, fables, folk songs, proverbs and poems.