The disappeared Xirong and ancient Qiang people

 

The disappeared Xirong and ancient Qiang people

 

 

After walking alone for a few days, Agudengba came to a Yi village and stayed at an inn run by Luo Wen, a retired teacher. This inn has a special name, "Laku Academy".

Old teacher Luo Wen can speak fluent standard Mandarin. He was very warm and hospitable after meeting Agudengba. He told Agudengba that after retirement, he likes to read and tell stories to children, and he also likes to plant flowers and grass. .

Raku Academy is not large, but there are many books neatly placed on the bookshelves. Outside the academy is a small garden with many flowers and plants planted.

Teacher Luo Wen told Agudengba that although he lived in a Yi village, he was not a Yi, but a Qiang, because his ancestors were ancient Qiang people. ​

Agudengba was very surprised. This was the first time he saw the descendants of the ancient Qiang people.

In Agudengba's understanding, according to the traditional view of Sinocentrism, Xirong refers to the tribes in the west of its border in the Western Zhou Dynasty. It was called Qiang or Di Qiang in the Shang Dynasty. One of the ancestors of the Qiang people. However, after the Warring States Period, "Xirong" was changed to refer to various non-Han ethnic groups located to the west of the Han people, and was one of the four barbarians.

Teacher Luo Wen said:

According to ethnic research, some experts speculate that the pronunciation *klaŋ of "Qiang" in ancient Chinese originated from Tocharian klānk, and infer that the ancient Qiang people may have originated from the proto-Indo-Europeans. Comparing the ancient Chinese word *klaŋ with the Tocharian language, it is believed that "Qiang" may mean "chariot soldier". The name "Qiang" originates from ancient Turkic language. ​

However, some scholars believe that it originated from the original Han-Tibetan people and may belong to a branch of the original Tibeto-Burman people. The ancient Qiang people are the original Han-Tibetan people. The original Han-Tibetan people first originated in the Himalayas. They migrated downward along the rivers and gradually differentiated into the original Han people. After the original Han people were differentiated, the Tibetans and Qiang people were gradually differentiated. When linguists restored the original Sino-Tibetan language, they found that it was closest to the Qiang branch. In particular, the Jiarong language of the Qiang branch preserved many characteristics of the original Sino-Tibetan language.

Teacher Luo Wen continued:

During the Pre-Qin period between 6000 and 4000 years ago, Longxi, Hehuang and other areas had an optimal climate period with synchronized humidity and heat. The distribution of Yangshao culture, whose main livelihood was dry farming, has been greatly expanded. Typical sites include Dadiwan in Qin'an, Xishanping in Tianshui, Shizhao Village, Gaositou in Li County, and Nanzuogeda in Qingyang. The temples and villages in Liang and Pingliang, etc. Remains of the Miaodigou factors have also been discovered in Xunhua County in eastern Qinghai. The Yangshao culture people who moved westward created the Majiayao culture characterized by exquisite pottery in the Huangshui and Datong river basins. The Machang type, which represents the highest level of development in the late Majiayao culture, is distributed westward to Jiuquan, Anxi and other places at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, and even northward to the Tengger Desert and Ejina Banner area. In the Gansu and Qinghai regions, the dry farming culture of the Neolithic Age, which was dominated by millet cultivation, continued to develop gradually.

Although in the pre-Qin Yixia view, Xirong, Dongyi, Beidi, and Nanman are collectively called the Siyi, in fact, the pre-Qin Xirong and the pre-Qin Beidi all have the same origin as the aboriginal people of the Central Plains.

Xirong, sometimes also known as Guirong, the ancient "Bamboo Book Annals" records: "In the thirty-fifth year of Wu Yi, King Zhou defeated the Guirong in the west and captured the twelve kings of Zhai." There are often stories of the war between the Zhou Dynasty and Xirong in the "Book of Songs" Epic poem, "He is so powerful in Nanzhong, but he is weak in defeating Xirong."

Agudengba asked Teacher Luo Wen:

Some legends believe that Quanrong is a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and has the same ancestor as the countries with the surname Ji in the Central Plains. Please tell me, Teacher Luo Wen, what is the difference?

Teacher Luo Wen said to Agudengba:

Those who live in Xirong in China are called Quanrong, and Quanrong share the surname of Ji. Those who live in the north are called Shanrong, and those who live in Luhun are called Yunrong. They are also called Yinrong and Jiuzhou Rong.

In the 21st year of King Ping of the Zhou Dynasty, Duke Wen of Qin went west to defeat the Xirong and regained the old land of the Zhou Dynasty. "Then the remaining people of the Zhou Dynasty were taken over, and the land was as far as Qi, and the east of Qi was given to the Zhou Dynasty."

At the time of Duke Mugong of Qin, there were eight kingdoms in Xirong, namely Mianzhu (now eastern Gansu), Gui (now eastern Gansu), Zhai, Ganzhirong (now northern Shaanxi); Qishan, Liangshan (between today's Hancheng and Luochuan, Shaanxi), Jing To the north of Shui and Qishui are Yiqu (now northwest of Ning County, Gansu), Dali (now east of Dali, Shaanxi), Wushi (now the junction of Gansu and Ningxia, northwest of Pingliang, Gansu), and Quyan (now around Yanchi, Ningxia), all located in Near Longshan (now Liupanshan in Ningxia). Later, they were all conquered by Duke Mu of Qin.

After the Qin and Han dynasties, the foreign nations or countries classified as "Xirong" by the Han people were: Tuyuhun, Tubo Tibetan, Yanqi, Qiuci, Dayuan, Kangju, Daqin, Niboluo, Dangxiang Qiang, Gaochang, Shule, Khotan, Tianzhu, Jibin, Kangguo, Persia, Fulu, Dashi, Shizi, Yancai, Gida, Tocharo and Qiang.

Teacher Luo Wen said:

Xirong was renamed Xiqiang after the Han Dynasty, the predecessor of the Qiang people. At that time, Xiqiang was a branch affiliated to Xirong and was mainly engaged in sheep herding.

Some scholars and experts maintain that all Xirong ethnic groups are Qiang. The Xirong people have the same origin as the aborigines of the Central Plains in the Zhou Dynasty, but have no relationship with the Hu people after the Warring States Period.

My ancestors are ancient Qiang people. Ancient Qiang people, also known as Xian Qiang, also known as Qiang, Qiang Fang, Qiang Rong and Di Qiang in ancient times, are an ancient tribe. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, they lived in the northwest region of present-day Qinghai and Gansu provinces. The ancient Qiang people are not the same as the Qiang people, but one of the ancestors of the Tibetan, Yi, Han, Qiang, Xixia and other ethnic groups.

In the oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty, there are names such as Qiang and Qiangfang, which are the names of tribes that had a confrontational relationship with the Shang Dynasty. There are also records of paying tribute to the Shang Dynasty. The Zhou people had an alliance with the ancient Qiang people surnamed Jiang. During the Battle of Muye by King Wu of Zhou, the Qiang people participated in the battle.

Teacher Luo Wen explained the relationship between the ancient Qiang people and related ethnic groups in Agudengba:

The original Tibetan people are called Faqiang in Chinese historical records, which is a branch of the Qiang people. The Tibetans established the Tubo Dynasty, which flourished during the reign of Songtsen Gampo (569-650).

What is the relationship between the Han people and the Qiang people?

Other records of the early history of the ancient Qiang people mostly come from later generations. The Qiang people have been mentioned in the Book of Songs. The Eastern Han Dynasty's "Shuowen Jiezi" said: "Qiang, the shepherds of Xirong." The Eastern Han Dynasty's "Customs and Customs" also said: "Qiang, the humble people of Xirong, mainly shepherd sheep. Therefore, 'Qiang' comes from sheep and people, because "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" records that the ancient Qiang people were descendants of the Yan Emperor Shennong and the ancestors of the Jiang surname. According to records, there are four descendants of Emperor Yan, belonging to the four clan tribes of the ancient Qiang people. One of them is Lieshan clan. It is said that Dayu was a Qiang person. Sima Qian of the Western Han Dynasty said in "Historical Records": "Yu flourished in the Western Qiang people." During the Han and Wei dynasties, there was also a saying that "Yu came out of Western Qiang".

Some scholars also believe that Jiang Yuan, the ancestor of the Ji surname clan of the Zhou people, originated from the Jiang surname clan, and the Jiang surname clan is related to the ancient Qiang people. The Jiang surname clan, with Jiang Shang as its chief, was an ally of the Zhou people in the west. Their tribes generally participated in the Zhou's war to destroy the Shang, and played an important role in the Battle of Muye. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Jiang surname clan in the Wei River Basin was mainly from the Xishen Kingdom, and Zhou kings often married women surnamed Jiang. During the reign of King You of Zhou, the Marquis of Shen was angered by the abolition of Queen Shen. The latter colluded with Quan Rong to attack Haojing and killed King You of Zhou, ending the rule of the Western Zhou Dynasty. The Jiang surname family who stayed in the West are also called "Jiang Zhirong" or "Jiang Rong clan".

During the Spring and Autumn Period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the ancient Qiang people lived in the area of present-day Gansu and Qinghai. There were Xirong tribes such as the Mianzhu, Nian, Zhai, Lai, Yiqu, Dali, Wushi, and Quyan tribes. The Qin State actively expanded westward and had a war with Xirong, which was dominated by the ancient Qiang people. During the reign of Duke Mu of Qin, the eight kingdoms of Xirong surrendered to Qin. The Jin State recruited the Jiang Rong family to settle down to fight against the Qin State. "The Biography of the Zuo Family in the Spring and Autumn Period" records the dialogue between Jiang Rong leader Rong Zi Juzhi and the nobles of the Jin State. Ju Zhi's poem "Blue Fly" was included in the "Book of Songs" •Xiaoya". During the Warring States Period, the ancient Qiang people in the ruled area gradually merged with the Chinese Qin people.

In the literature records of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, records of Di and Qiang appeared many times, and there were cases where both Di and Qiang were used together. As time went by, separate records of the Di people gradually appeared. The Di people settled in the mountainous areas of Gansu and Sichuan and were mainly engaged in agriculture and textile industries. Their customs were different from those of the Qiang people at the same time. Scholars generally believe that the Di people originated from the Qiang people. It has not yet been determined whether the Qiang and Di people are the same ethnic group.

Teacher Luo Wen then told Agudengba about the war between the Western Qiang and the Han Qiang:

During the Warring States Period, under the threat of the Qin State, the Qiang people migrated westward to today's Qinghai, western Sichuan, and Xinjiang areas. "Book of the Later Han·Biography of the Western Qiang" records the story of the slave Wu Yi Yuanjian who escaped from Qin's pursuit and moved to the Huangshui River Basin to become the leader of the Qiang people.

During the Western Han Dynasty, the majority of the Qiang people lived in today's Gansu and Qinghai areas, and were also distributed in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Sichuan. The Xiqiang in the Qinghai area of Gansu include many tribes, including Xianling Qiang, Shaodang Qiang, Zhong Qiang, Lejie Qiang, Bei'an Qiang, and Dangjian Qiang. There are tribes such as Nu Qiang and Agou Qiang in eastern Xinjiang, Fa Qiang and Tang Yak in eastern Tibet, and many tribes such as Yak Qiang, Baima Qiang, Shenlang Qiang, and Qingyi Qiang in Sichuan.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, a large number of Han immigrants lived together with the Qiang people in the Hehuang area. In the first year of Yongping (58 years), with Ma Wu as the capture general and Zhonglang General Wang Feng as the deputy general, they led an army of 40,000 to pacify the Qiang people and pursued them to the east and west Han (today's south of Hualong Hui Autonomous County in Qinghai). Forty-six hundred people were beheaded and one thousand six hundred were captured.

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, most of the Qiang population had been brought under the rule of the Central Plains Dynasty. However, the Qiang people sometimes rebelled and sometimes surrendered, and they were back and forth. During the Three Kingdoms period, the Qiang people began to move to the Central Plains and entered the Hetao area.

During the Five Hus and Sixteen Kingdoms period, the Qiang people Yao Chang took advantage of the defeat in the Feishui Battle of the former Qin Dynasty and when Guanzhong was empty, he claimed to be the King of Qin for Ten Thousand Years in 384. In 386, Yao Chang proclaimed himself emperor in Chang'an and established the Later Qin among the Sixteen Kingdoms.

The Xixia Dangxiang tribe established in the Northern Song Dynasty was also considered by people in the Tang and Song Dynasties to be a branch of the Qiang people, and was called Dangxiang Qiang. After the fall of Xixia, most of the Dangxiang people were killed by the Mongolian army, and some of the survivors moved south and integrated into the various ethnic groups in western Sichuan. According to research by modern scholars, the current Jiarong Tibetans retain many of the characteristics of the Dangxiang people.

Teacher Luo Wen said to Agudengba:

I think the current Qiang people are not the same as the ancient Qiang people. For example, the Xixia people are a local separatist regime established by Dangxiang Qiang, but they are historical Qiang, not a branch of the current Qiang ethnic group. It is not scientific to regard Xixia script as the current Qiang language and to regard the history of the Xixia people as part of the history of the Qiang people. The names of the "Qiang people" in history and the "Qiang people" in real life should be distinguished in terms of name, that is, the various "Qiang people" in history are called "Qiang people", and the more than 300,000 real-life people in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River are called "Qiang people". "Qiang" is called the Qiang tribe to avoid confusion. I am a modern Qiang person, but my ancestors are the historical "Qiang people". I just don't know which branch of the ancient Qiang people my ancestors belong to.

Teacher Luo Wen impromptu sang a song "The Immortal Ancient Qiang People":

 

The ancient Qiang people are a group with a long history.

They formed various ancient tribes,

As far back as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, they have been living in groups in the northwest region.

 

The ancient Qiang people may have originated from the proto-Indo-Europeans,

The name Qiang is said to originate from the ancient Turkic language.

Now the real ancient Qiang people have long since disappeared.

 

The ancient Qiang people are not the same as the modern Qiang people.

But one of the ancestors of Tibetan, Yi, Han, Qiang and Xixia,

In the past, the ancient Qiang people had integrated into various ethnic groups.

 

But I will sing loudly for the ancient Qiang people,

Those who regard the shepherds of Xirong as despicable people,

I don’t know the immortal glory of the Qiang people’s history.