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Wang Huailin "Looking for Kangba - Report from Shangri-La's hometown" was published by Sichuan Publishing Group Sichuan People's Publishing House in April 2010. With the author's authorization, the WeChat official account of "Fang Zhi Sichuan" and the "Sichuan Local Chronicles" website will be serialized from April 23 for readers.
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The western ethnic groups are migrating
The shepherd god has been a thousand years - "open to the outside world" prehistoric human
Shepherd: I used to be your leader
living at the top of the home with flying clouds
-Now I caress my hands low and dumb strings
I don't know who to play the original rhythm
-Holly Zhong "On the Way Home"
Since Chinese and historical books only counted 3,700 years from oracle bone inscriptions, Tibetan cultural creation was only after the 7th century AD, less than 1,300 years ago. Therefore, the traces of human ancestors in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are mostly hidden in the vast mist of prehistoric history. There is still a blank spot in our ancient map, and in our history textbooks, it also seems to be a region outside of the world history. However, with the archaeological discoveries in recent years and by clearing away the fog of myths and legends, we can still roughly outline that historical back, and that is an amazing history of "opening up to the outside world".
The records of Tibetan ancient books on the evolution of the landform in Tibet are surprisingly close to the conclusions of modern geological science, which is very surprising.
According to Tibetan classics such as "Records of Kings and Ministers of Tibet": At first, when a canal called "Gonggequla" appeared, the water was lost, the shape of Tibet appeared, the pine and cypress forests grew, and the birds and animals reproduction... Snow mountains surround the source of all rivers, the mountains are high and the earth is clean, and the region is beautiful... Tibetan areas are divided into three parts: the three dimensions of Ali are the Deer and the Beast Island, the four parts in the middle are the tiger, leopard and beast island, and the six sides in the lower part are the birds and birds continents... Later, humans appeared, and a macaque and Rakshasa girl in Tibet and gave birth to the earliest ancestors of the Tibetan people...
"Myths are the shadow of history." Remove the mythological color, we seem to see the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the moving scene of dense forests, lush water and grass, and vibrant during the third uplift. However, with the continuous uplift of the plateau, especially around 150,000 years ago, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has risen to 4,000-5,000 meters. Due to the altitude of more than 4,000 meters in the central and northwest, the forest gradually disappeared (generally, trees above 4,000 meters are difficult to grow). The arrival of the ice age made the mountains covered with snow, which gradually became unsuitable for ancient humans to live in. Therefore, ancient humans left their familiar forests and gradually concentrated in the southern valleys, the eastern valleys and the northwest grasslands, and began a new life (from the more than 40 old and neolithic remains excavated in recent years are mainly concentrated in the broad valley area of northern Tibetan grasslands, the valleys in the middle and upper reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River and the eastern Tibetan alpine canyon area represented by the Karou site of the Chamdo). As the living conditions gradually deteriorate, on the one hand, the scope of activities of ancient humans has narrowed, and on the other hand, the difficult and difficult environment has also trained their survival wisdom. As Mr. Jia Lanpo said: "A higher human being cannot rise from the humid and humid places on the riverside, which are full of grass and fruits. Only on the plateau and relatively flat highlands, life is the most difficult, and the reaction caused by stimulation is the most beneficial." Therefore, humans began to enter the period of making tools, and the Paleolithic Age, which mainly focuses on making stone tools, has arrived.
Many Paleolithic relics discovered in Tibet in recent years, dating from 50,000 to 10,000 years ago, as well as Neolithic cultures such as Karo and Qugong, which date from 5000 to 3,000 years ago (the division of New and Paleolithic cultures mainly based on whether pottery can be made) have proved that prehistoric humans have frequent activities in this area. The latest data provided by Qinghai-Tibet Research also shows that less than 7,000 years ago, this place had a high temperature and high humidity climate, and the plateau lakes were flooded; more than 3,500 years ago, there were forests distributed in the Kunlun Mountains, which had been desolate and cold, and there were still remains of human activity for discovery.The gradual submersion of cities such as the Northwest Silk Road, Dunhuang and Loulan, which were once glorious more than 2,000 years ago, also confirms that this process is continuing.
Chambo Karo Ruins (Pictures from the Internet)
However, it is more surprising than just these. According to archaeological discoveries, prehistoric humans actually had frequent communication across this vast land, across a vast space and time!
Qugong Site (Pictures from the Internet)
Take the Karo culture of Chamdo, which dates from 5,000 to 4,000 years ago as an example. In terms of cultural connotation, the Karo culture is very similar to the Majiayao culture, Banshan, Machang and other cultures in Qinghai. Its fine stone tool has a distinct style of the northern grassland ethnic group (the fine stone tool is named after the fine stone tool made of agate , quartz , and flint as raw materials). Its utensil type has many similarities with the artifacts in Central and South Asia. We know that the origin of human civilization cannot be synchronized (today, in some large forests of South America and Africa, extremely primitive humans still live in). The synchronization of civilization in an extremely primitive era of social development can only occur from a kind of human communication! However, under the conditions of a modern means of transportation, how did ancient humans "get" together at that time?
stone chisel, Neolithic mid-late period, 5300-4000 years ago, the Karo site in Chamdo (picture from the Internet)
If we say that in the initial uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the ancient apes from the forest from the forest to the ground, achieved the farewell of the apes in 7-2.5 million years. Although humans have the desire to walk, they have abundant food (sea) If animals such as the pulling out only 1,000-2,000 meters and not having raised horses and other animals make it impossible for them to go far, 150,000 years ago, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has risen to 4,000-5,000 meters. At that time, humans could only concentrate on some grasslands and river valleys with a low altitude. The deterioration of the living environment and the long migration journey not only allowed ancient humans to evolve, but also helped them to spread their footprints and culture in all directions.
According to the wide distribution and different characteristics of the Neolithic sarcophagus burial culture in western China (including the present-day Gansu, Qinghai, Tibet, Hengduan Mountains and even the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley), we can infer that this migration was completed through multiple times, based on scale influence and historical records, and can be roughly divided into prehistoric migration from Qiangtang Plateau and historical migration from Spring and Autumn to Qin and Han Dynasties. Among them, the first great migration completed the transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic.
In earlier historical records of the Han nationality, nomadic tribes living in the Gansu and Qinghai region in the northwest of the Central Plains were collectively called Qiang people . "Qiang" is both a pictographic character and a phonograph. "Shuowen Jiezi" says: "Qiang, follow the sheep, follow the man, , Xirong , shepherd." The "Qiang people" who were originally in the old and new eras gradually concentrated in the Qiangtang area in northern Tibet due to the changes in the natural conditions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (Qiantang means "Northern Plateau" in Tibetan). At that time, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was not very high, with many lakes, lush water and grass, and a humid climate. The salt lakes in northern Tibet made the ancient "Qiang people" full of energy, and the abundant beasts became their food source. They domesticated wild yaks, goats, horses and wolfdogs, thus making the plateau full of domestic animals such as yaks, sheep, horses and dogs. This group of ancient humans continued to reproduce, and the resulting grassland children went all the way and became the "race of race" for ethnic groups in Central Asia: the distinctive feature revealed by its archaeology is the prehistoric sarcophagus burial culture that spread throughout the western land. This culture is completely different from the Qiang cremation culture and Gaodiao culture recorded in history.
Sarcophagus burial culture (picture from the Internet)
As the altitude gradually increased, northern Tibetan plateau became high and cold and dry, so ancient Qiang people had to leave northern Tibet to migrate elsewhere:
- a branch eastward scattered to the Ganqing area in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River, becoming the ancestor of the Qiang people from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties.In the Gansu-Qinghai region, due to the distribution of huge mountains such as Kunlun Mountains, Bayankala Mountains, and Qilian Mountains, they not only give birth to large rivers and rivers such as the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Lancang River, but also give birth to China's largest lake in a radius of more than 4,600 square kilometers, as well as large areas of plump grasslands and valleys in the Hexian (Yellow River, Huangshui) basin and southern Gansu-Qinghai. Because it is only about 2,000 meters above sea level, coupled with mild climate, abundant rainfall and fertile land, it has become the cradle of the continuous production of nomadic peoples. The open land and the horsebacks of nomadic tribes provided excellent conditions for the Qiang people to wander around.
Qinghai Lake (Picture from the Internet)
In history, the nomadic tribes that grew and reproduced here have continuously produced many brave and warlike nations, and brought their courage and vitality to all directions - from the Di Qiang, "Five Rong" and "Seven Rong" in prehistoric legends to the Xiongnu in the Han Dynasty, Tuyuhun in the Tang Dynasty, and Mongolian cavalry in the Yuan Dynasty, they constantly rewrite the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the surrounding areas with war horses. As for the world's territory and history, especially in the era when the agricultural civilization was not very strong, nomadic communities inspired by survival, wealth and heroism galloped across the vast land. Nothing could stop them from "opening up to the outside world". They were "herder gods", which made nomadic peoples and Paleolithic cultures that went down the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau spread to such a vast place...
- a branch further east, entered the Central Plains and became the Yan Emperor clan, becoming one of the sources of the Han people in the Central Plains. According to ancient legends, the leader of the Qiang people, Yan Emperor Shennong, used stones as soldiers, invented the planting of grains, made pottery, and used the market as the center of the Japanese to trade. They entered the Central Plains from the Taohe Basin through the Weihe Basin, formed a tribal alliance with the Huangdi tribe that entered the Central Plains, and defeated the Li Miao race who invaded the Central Plains from the south. After the Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn Period, the two tribes of China and Qiang fought for wealth due to different stages of social development. The famous Zhou tribe in Chinese history was born from the Qiang people and absorbed the Central Plains culture and formed a member of the Huaxia tribe. Later Qin people were originally from Qiang people, and "Qin" may have also changed from the word "Qian". The Qin people became a Western power because of their victory over the Qiang people in the Shaanxi-Gansu region, and later established China's first unified and powerful empire - the Qin Dynasty. Later, "Yanhuang descendants" became a synonym for the Chinese nation.
The nation on horseback is known for its bravery and good fighting, and often becomes the source of vitality and a conscientious person of the Central Plains farming nation. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Qiang cavalry advanced eastward and attacked the capital of the Zhou Dynasty. It was thanks to Qi's troops to rescue the siege. Later, Confucius said with lingering fear: If there were no Guan Zhong , we would all dishevel our hair, open our clothes to the left, and become a barbarian! "Jiang" is the transliteration of "Qiang". In the historical records of Qin and Han dynasties, most people with the surname Jiang or Meng Jiang are Qiang people. The Jiang Ziya, who in the legend, likes to fish with straight hooks, is Qiang people. The Meng Jiangnu, who is said to cry over the Great Wall, is also a beautiful Qiang woman. It can be seen that the Qiang people in the northwest have influenced and made great contributions to the Central Plains culture.
- A branch migrating westward has been entering the Ali and Yalong Valley, which is in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and has become one of the ancestors of the Yalong tribe and Xiangxiong tribe. In particular, the Qiang people in the Yalong River Valley combined with the local indigenous people to form the Rong, Qiang, Dui and Bo tribes. Later, with Bo in the Yalong River Valley as the center, the Tubo tribe formed. During the Tang Dynasty, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was unified and became one of the ancestors of the Tibetan people.
In addition to the widely discovered "sarcophagus burial culture" in western China (northwest, Tibet, and Southwest) prove that people in this vast area of Neolithic period had large-scale migration and exchanges, today there are at least many similarities between the Tibetan area and the ancient Qiang people: in legend, macaques are all born in the legend; they all have the custom of building stones as houses and building blockhouses; they use a certain word in the name of the father (or mother) as part of the name of the son; they are highly swearing; "The heavy army dies, and the bitter pain ends"; they like to live in felt tents; "Women braided their hair behind their hair" and believe in witchcraft, etc., to prove their origins and connections.In the past, there were generally more than ten theories of the origin of Tibetans: for example, the Xianbei theory, the Indian Sakyamuni king theory, the macaque and Rakshasa descendants (i.e. the local origin theory), the Sanmiao theory, the Malay Peninsula people, the Myanmar theory, the Mongols, the Iranian theory, etc., it seems that it is mostly inaccurate.
Tibetan residential buildings (pictures from the Internet)
- a branch northwest entering Xinjiang and Central Asia, becoming one of the ancestors of the northwest ethnic groups such as Hexi Corridor .
- A branch to the valley of Hengduan Mountain and the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, becoming the earliest ancestors of all ethnic groups in the southwest.
Among them, the Ganqing grassland became the most concentrated place for the ancient Qiang people descending from the northern Tibetan Plateau after the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This treasure land is raised by Qiang people from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, which have been recorded in historical records. Their great migration made the western nomadic corridor famous all over the world.
A popular view in the past is that the center of ancient Chinese culture is in the Yellow River Basin, mainly referring to parts of today's Shaanxi, Henan, Shanxi and Hebei, that is, the areas represented by the Yangshao and Longshan cultures of the Neolithic Age. The results of archaeological excavations in recent years show that this is incorrect. In fact, since the Neolithic Age, China has formed three major cultural areas: namely the cultural area where the grasslands in the north and northwest are nomadic and fishing and hunting are used, the dryland agricultural cultural area represented by millet in the Yellow River Basin, and the paddy rice farming agricultural cultural area south of the Yangtze River Basin.
Among them, due to the geographical barriers of the western mountains and the cultural superiority of the mainland agricultural nations, the nomadic culture and influence in northwest China have not been paid enough attention to the past. Their glorious history and huge influence are mostly buried in the vast dust and sand of the west and the deep valleys of the mountains. In recent years, with the deepening of research on the diversified integration of the Chinese nation and the strengthening of western development efforts, the historical and cultural heritage of this region has been valued. The true appearance it reveals is the tip of the iceberg. Its future impact and research on politics, economy and culture are just a clue, and the prospects will be broad and unlimited.
Preliminary review
[Fang Chronicles Sichuan • Literature] Wang Huailin ‖ "Fang Chronicles Sichuan • Literature] Wang Huailin ‖ "Fang Chronicles Sichuan • Literature] Wang Huailin ‖ "Fang Chronicles Sichuan • Literature] Wang Huailin ‖ "Fang Chronicles Sichuan] Chapter 1 The Migration of Western Ethnic Groups (I)
Source: "Fang Chronicles Searching for Kang Ba" (Written by Wang Huailin), published by Sichuan People's Publishing House in April 2010
Author: Wang Huailin
Pictures: Fang Chronicles Sichuan
Some pictures and audio and videos in the Square Chronicles Sichuan are from the Internet, just to spread more information. The copyright of the pictures, audio and videos contained in the article belongs to the original author or media.
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