Research On The Nationalities Of Guanlong In The Northern Dynastie

The Guanlong region mainly refers to the vast area of Guanzhong and Longshan-surrounding area.After the great migration in the period of Sixteen Kingdoms,the Guanlong region had become a multi-ethnic community.The Northern Dynasty was an important stage for the formation of the multi-ethnic pattern of the Chinese nation which laid the foundation for the formation of a unified multi-ethnic country in the Sui and Tang Dynasties.The Guanlong region was a multi-ethnic community which had been successively unified in the Northern Wei,Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties.It had always been the the main focus of the Northern Dynasty history research.The Southeast Gansu and the Guanzhong region are the most important areas of Guanlong region.Large number of Northern Dynasty statues found in this area provide new information and perspectives for the study of the Guanlong ethnic history in the Northern Dynasty.The sculpture stele truthfully reflects the distribution of ethnic groups in the Guanlong region in the Northern Dynasty.In the southeast of Gansu,Xiuguan was a tribe which roamed actively in Tianshui area during the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms.They were the descendants of Di ethnic group in Xingguo area who lived in Lueyang since the Han Dynasty.According to the local unearthed statues relating to Xiuguan,the DI ethnic group was in the majority in Tianshui.The Tuge ethnic group moved to the southeast of Mount Longshan during the Emperor Wudi of Han Dynasty period.They lived in the foothills on both sides of Mount Longshan in the Northern Dynasty.In the late Northern Dynasty,the Xianbei soldiers and their families settled in Qingyang area of Longdong region.In the Guanzhong region,Beidi County was the concentration community of Di ethnic group in Northern Dynasty.Lu Shuihu spreaded all over the borderland between northern Guanzhong region and Eastern Gansu。This area is to the east of huangling which was the traditional distribution area of Lu Shuihu.The Ba peoples who moved to the north mainly inhabited in Chang ’an,Hongnong and Fufeng.This dissertation tries to study the notable family and great clan in Guanlong region in the Northern Dynasty through the the sculpture stele.The Yun’s family in Pingliang was belonging to the Shanshan Hu tribe which came from the Western Region.The Xiahou family who lived in Beidi originally came from Jiao County then moved west to Xiangyang area.They moved back to Beidi of Guanzhong region during the Sixteen Kingdoms period.In the Tang Dynasty,the prime minister Quan Deyu’s family was belonging to the Di ethnic group,they had tampered with their family genealogy to disguise the origin of their clan.Represented by Yan Liben’s family,the members from Yan’s clan in Jingzhao were usually considered to be Hu people from the western Regions or Xianbei people.However,according to the sculpture stele unearthed from Chunhua Shanxi Province and historical records,it is known that the large family was from Xingyan in Han Dynasty.Roving from north to south successively,they finally settled in Chang ’an during the Northern Zhou Dynasty and the Western Wei Dynasties and became a famous family of Jingzhao.The regimes of the Northern Dynasty attached great importance to strengthen the control of guanlong clans through resident registration system.First of all,the tribal structure in the Northern Dynasty was also a form of registration system,but comparing with the traditional township system,the tribal structure was not thorough.After occupying the Guanlong region,emigrants,states and counties were widely set by the Northern Wei government.It was carried out on a large scale after the suppression of Gaiwu uprising during the reign of Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei Dynasty.In the remote areas such as deep valleys where many tribes inhabited in,the township system could not be established till the late northern Wei Dynasty.Even in regions that had paid allegiance to Northern Wei government,the township system could not be executed.Titles such as emirates,chatelain,general were shown on the sculpture stele.It seems that till late Northern Wei Dynasty the tribal organization is still widespread in the Guanlong region,the grass-roots communities were still controled by the local powerful landlords which meant the township system had less of an impact.Once Yuwentai pacified the Guanlong region,the Mansion Army System had been promoted.On the one hand,the tribal forces led by local generals and chiefs were gradually absorbed into the military system of the Western Wei and Northern Zhou governments.On the other hand,the government took the opportunity to control the grass-roots society and implemented the township system on a large scale which shown in the sculpture stele.The Guanlong region had been controlled by central government during the period of Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties.The policies implemented by various regimes during the Northern Dynasty promoted the integration of different ethnic groups in the Guanlong region.When emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei affirmed the ethnic identity,many tribes in Guanlong region had also been affirmed as Chinese Han.The Northern Wei government established their social status as the dominant clan in legal form which accelerated the process of their sinicization.At the same time,the effect of emperor Xiaowen’s reform of costume was reflected in the images of the providers on statues found in the Guanlong region.Due to its compatibility with Taoist ritual,Han Chinese costume firstly appeared in Beidi area in the north of Guanzhong region where Taoism was prevalent and then spread to the northwest of Guanzhong region and southeast of Gansu.Although the images of the donors may not completely reflect the realities of life,but it could reflect the Guanlong ethnic groups ’ positive attitude on sinicization.During the period of Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties,the integration between the Guanlong ethnic groups was further accelerated.As Western Wei and Northern Zhou governments had recruited a large number of patricians and established the Mansion Army System,tribal leaders and chiefs had been acquired by the central government which soon realized the feudalism.At the same time,the armed forces of the tribe left their hometown and were incorporated into the military system of the regime which made less and less people follow their tradition.The continuous dissolution of tribes also promoted the dilution of tribal customs and enhance the communication and integration between different ethnic groups.In addition,based on the analysis of the information about the ethnic distribution on the stele,the concept of "Xia people" should be expanded in the later period of the Northern Dynasty,including not only the Han people since the Qin and Han dynasties,but also including some nomadic people.It is an epitome of the ethnic integration in the later period of the Northern Dynasty.