The Studies Of The "Qiangs" From Shang&Zhou To Wei, Jin&South And North Dynasties

The "Qiang" appeared in oracle inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty was active and frequently interact with the people of Shang. "Qiang" was a general term that the people of Shang called towards the western minorities of the nation in that period discriminatorily, not a name of a stable ethnos. During the interaction with the people of Shang, these people called "Qiang" came into a tribal alliance, gradually forming an ethnicidentity consciousness of "Qiang" themselves. The word "Qiang" couldn't be found in oracle inscriptions or calligraphy in bronze script during the period of the Western Zhou, as well as in the documentation. As a helper of the Western Zhou in eradicating Shang, the "Qiangs" rose in a higher rank of the society, marrying the Western Zhou for generations. "Jiang",standing for the female of "Qiang", became the surname. The people of four nation including "Shen", "lv", "Xu", "Qi" from "Qiang" becamed noble, who are gradually integrated into China in the end of Zhou dynasty. So did the "Qiangs" in the warring state period. The rest of them who were not integrated into China was mainly replaced by "Rong".The "Qiangs" in Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties was a general term that the people of China called the aborigines who lived in "Hehuang" aera. They weren't closely relative to the "Qiangs" in Shang&Zhou. In this period of time, the Han Dynasties suffered a serious rebellion by The "Qiangs" because the "Hans" invaded the "Hehuang" aera, occupying the "Qiangs" living space. There are decades of "Qiang" tribe of "Hehuang" aera in history records of that period. They always did battle against Han Dynasty jointly. The loser of them was mainly migrated inside the Great Wall, divided into different counties in the northwest of China, sometimes deep in "Sanfu" aera. The bloody immigration of "Qiang", mainly to the border or the inside of Han,was throughout the Eastern Han Dynasty, whose number was about more than one million. Therefore, the "Hehuang" aera was occupied by the Eastern Han Dynasty. The "Qiangs" in Wei,Jin&South and North Dynasties came from the "Qiang" system in Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties, which is mainly distributed in "Liangzhou", "Qinzhou", "Yongzhou" "Yizhou", "Hehuang" aera and beyond the Great Wall. Their immigration and scale was slightly different from that in the period of Han dynasty. The "Qiangs" were mainly vagabond as different nations were up and down. The mere "Qiangs" in an ethnic group was very rare when they migrated. They usually moved to another place with other ethnic groups in history records, such as "Qiang&Han", "Qiang&Hu", "Qiang&Jie", "Di&Qiang", etc. The ethnicidentity consciousness of "Qiang" was gradually weakened, and the number of tribe that could be made out declined. Many of "Qiangs" became new Chinese. In the end of the North Dynasties, northern "Qiangs" were gradually disappeared in history records, but "Qiangs" in the northwest of "Yizhou" still kept the ethnicidentity consciousness of "Qiang".The "Qiangs" in "Hehuang" aera had contacted with the Hun before Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties. The conquest and slavery from the Hun aroused the ethnicidentity consciousness of "Qiang". The Hun also forced "Qiangs" to fight against Han Dynasty. The ethnicidentity consciousness of "Qiang" between the northern Hun and the eastern Chinese empire was gradually deepened. In order to get living space and resources, the "Qiangs" had to do battle against Han Dynasties for a long time. The military expenditures of Han dynasties was so great that it had to adjust its financial policy to raise money, which also showed that the economical development of'Qiang" was increasing continuously, otherwise they couldn't afford the long-term war. The main economic work of "Qiangs" in "Hehuang" was agriculture and stock raising, which depended on different areas. The people on valley had a high level of agricultural economy instead of simple extensive cultivation. The people on plateau was just the simple stock raising economy. When "Qiangs" was migrated inside the Great Wall, they turned into yeoman under the reign of empire. But the change of their ethnicidentity consciousness was slower than their economic mode. This phenomenon was due to the policy of Han Dynasty towards "Qiang". The Hans forced the loser migrate inside the Great Wall. Although they were divided into different parts, their customs still remained. It was benificial to keep their own ethnicidentity consciousness and character. The ruler of Han Dynasty slaughtered the "Qiangs" bloodily and violently in the process, which made the "Qiangs" united together unprecedently. Their self identity was deepened, too. The period of Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties is an important age for the formation of Chinese, whose cohesion reached a peak. In the atomsphere of Chinese nationalism, the "Qiangs" was discriminated and marginalized, which promoted their concentration. At the end of Eastern Han Dynasties the "Qiangs" had formed a national community of self-identity as "Qiang", which was similar to nation. Its sense of identity continued to Wei,Jin&South and North Dynasties.The "Qiangs" of Wei,Jin&South and North Dynasties was an important power that different regimes wanted to scramble. Wei and Shu always lighted for "Qiang". The "Qiangs" was significantly meaningful for different regime to extend their territory, especially the northwest. The five "Liang" nations'existence in "Hexi" aera couldn't be without the support by "Qiang" in political and economic aspect. More than half of the Sixteen Kingdoms had controlled "Hexi" aera. The "Qiangs" did farming with the other local nations, which contributed a lot to the development of "Hexi" aera. Hou Qing founded by Yao's belongs to "Qiang", who are descendants of "Shaodang Qiangs" in "Hehuang" aera. They had served several regimes. The Yao's had a good command of Han culture. After they founded Hou Qing, they promoted Confucianism and Buddism vigourously, which can made themselves became Chinese. Yao Xing was almost the same as Chinese. The regime was also the extention of Han's reign,without any feature of "Qiang". Their ethnicidentity consciousness was gradually weak. Many of them like the Yao's became Chinese in that period.