The official Xinhua news agency said the houses collapsed near the epicenter in Sudian township. Damage was also reported in several nearby townships.
Disaster officials quoted by Xinhua said that 1,200 people were relocated to safer structures following the strong shaking.
The State Seismological Bureau determined the quake struck at 5:35 a.m. local time at the relatively shallow depth of only 6 miles (10 km).
The quake registered a magnitude of 5.3 in western Yunnan province, south of mountainous Sichuan, which took the brunt of the devastating 8.0 magnitude temblor on May 12.
