Yugur Economic History

The ancestors of Yugu Minority can be traced back to the Huihu Khanate during Tang Dynasty, from which we can date from the Dingling Nationality. In order to study the Economic History of Yugu Minority, we have to analyze the economy of Dingling, Gaoche, Tiele and Huihu. From Dingling Nationality to the establish of Huihu Khanate, the ancestors of Yugu Minority went through the primitive clan society, the patriarchal slave-owning society, and the feudalism society while the nomadic economy has always been the main part of the social economy. The government of Huihu Khanate has been carrying out the feudal tax system, land rent paid by labor and land rent paid by objects at the same time. Mainly depended on nomadic economy, the economy of Huihu Khanate was well-developed and the trade with Tang was frequent. Since An-shi Rebellion, the power of Tang Dynasty has declined gradually so the trade between China and the west had to be under protection of Huihu Khanate. The role of transfer station of China and the west brought huge fortune to Huihu Khanate. In the late930s, successive years of storm, the harm of plagues, and the internal conflicts of ruling class damaged the social economy and finally caused the downfall of the nation.After the downfall of Huihu Khanate, some Huihu people immigrated to Hexi District. Living in Ganzhou, Guazhou, and Suzhou and so on, these people merged with former immigrants and developed strong enough to build regime, which has become an important power of Hexi District. Huihu people in Hexi District lived on animal husbandry and was gradually influenced by the agriculture, enriched the farming skills and products. The location of being on the "the Silk Road" helped the rapid development of commerce and handicraft industry. This had significant influence on the economy in Huihu, promoting the social and economic growth. When Huihu people were in Hexi, commerce and handicraft industry were the important component of their social-economy. This period is a important one in Yugu history, during which their ancestors made great contribution to the communication between China and the west in culture and economy.Lee-regime entered the heyday of the Western Xia during the seventies and eighties of the eleventh century, which had cut off the connection of Huihu and China. So Huihu had been disappeared for nearly a hundred year in the Chinese records until Meng Dynasty and Yuan Dyasty that Huihu people were back to record as the name of " Saliweiwuer". In the early time of Ming Dynasty, Saliweiwuer people immigrated eastward to district near Suzhou and Ganzhou south mountain due to the failure of national policy of government, internal disorder of ruling class, invasion of Chahetaihou King, religious reasons and the natural damage. East-migration is the significant period of the shaping of Yugu Minority. After this, Saliweiwuer people living in the Huangnibao District25kilometers east of Suzhou gradually replaced the animal husbandry by agriculture due to the influence of Chinese culture, forming a kind of agriculture economy named "Suzhou Yaohuer" while the Saliweiwuer people in the long district in the north of Qilian Mountain were still living on animal husbandry.Before establish of New China, Yugu people were poor and reduced in number because of the exploitation of warlords and feudal class. After the founding of New China, through unified management of grassland, mutual assistance and cooperation campaigns, and the economic transform of herds owners, poor herdsmen's lives had been greatly improved, and agricultural economy had been recovered and improved.