Cultural Changes Of Nationality, That Is The Family Of A Comparative Study

The Hezhen nationality in our country and Nanai in Russia were originally of common source and ancestor who lived along the Heilong Jiang River, crossing the eastern border of Sino-Russia. The Hezhen population in China is 4640 according to statistic in 2000. Among them, there were 3910 people who lived in the Tongjiang and Bacha city of the Heilong Jiang, Jiejing Kou countryside, Raohe country, Sipai countryside, Jiamu Si city and Aoqi town. The Nanai population in Russia is 12023 according to statistic in 1989, and they lived in the Nanai region in the Khabarovsk, the Karafuto and the frontier region of shore.The Hezhen and Nanai were originally of the Sushen in Qian Qin Dynasty, the Heishui mohe in Sui and Tang Dynasty, five country ministry in Yuan Dynastry, in Ming Dynasty. And they became a nationality to Ching Dynasty through migrating, gathering, combining with a nationality and named Hezhen. The Ching Dynasty governed them by blood relationship combined with regional organization, which were known as Gashan institution and "pay tribute of mink and receive silk".The Hezhen adapted them to the natural and human environment of the middle and lower reaches of the Heilong Jiang River, the drainage basin of the Songhua River and the Wusuli River by diligence and wisdom, and created the special fishery and hunt culture generation after generation. They bonded with "Halamukun" clan organization, and believed in Shaman religion. Hezhen people wore fish skin and animals' skin, ate meat offish and animals, lived in Majiazi and cellar, and took birch bark boat, canoe and sleigh as vehicle. The Hezhen nationality had its own language, but had no letter. However, its folk literature Ymakan was very prosperous.In the middle of 19 century, Russia used the opportunity of the second opium war to take possession of the north of the Heilongjiang River and the east of the Wusuli river, and hereby was called Nanai. The Hezhen Nationality was divided into two, and became a nationality crossing the eastern border of Sino-Russia, i.e. a cross border ethnicity.The article takes the middle of 19th century as the history boundary, divided their 300 years history by two parts. By lengthways historical inspect and crosswise comparing study, the article bring to light about the traditional culture Hezhen and Nanai.From the Ching Dynasty on, the Hezhen traditional culture had changed. After they became a cross border ethnicity, under the influence of two different countries' mainstream culture and the modernization, their homogenous culture had-changed in different form and degree. The Hezhen nationality was assimilated by the Chinese, also the same of Nanai being assimilated by Russians. The difference between them is that, the change of Nanai's social culture had the characters of being colonized, exoticism, starting early and large extent, on the opposite, the change of Hezhen's social culture had the characters of starting late, less urbanization, but more in dependence and receiving more concern from main nation.Due to the Soviet Union, the modernization of Nanai was earlier and higher than Hezhen in economy, social establishment, culture education degree and the city scale. In China, the modernization construction began late. But after the policy of reform and open, on the foundation of the country's directive change, the Hezhen is changing from traditional society mainly dependence on farming economy to modern society mainly dependence on diversified economy. The social status, economy, foundation establishment and city scale was higher than Nanai.As China and Russia governments strengthen the communication and cooperation, based on the cognition of the nationality traditional culture, the same or similar languages--belong to the south branch of the Aertai language Tonggu Si-manchu and the attention to the survival environment and future development, they broke the ice of nearly one and a half century and began to intercourse since 1991.