Zhelaizhai
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zhelaizhai (chinese characters: 者來寨) (pinyin: Zhěláizhài) is a village on the edge of the Gobi in China. It belongs to Yongchang county (永昌縣) (Yŏngchāng xiàn), Jinchang prefecture (金昌市) (Jīnchāng shì), Gansu province (甘肅省) (Gānsù shěng).
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[edit] History
Zhelaizhai lies in the Hexi Corridor. It did not become part of Chinese territory until Western Han dynasty conquered this area in 2nd century BC. Until the 1st century BC, it belonged to Fanhe county (番和縣) (Fānhé xiàn), Zhangye prefecture (張掖郡) (Zhāngyè jùn).[1]
In 37 BC, general Chen Tang (陳湯) (Chén Tāng) of Western Han dynasty attacked Xiongnu and brought many captives back to China in 36 BC. These captives were given a land to be settled. The place was called Liqian (驪靬) (Líqián), which is where Zhelaizhai is situated nowadays.[2] [3]
Liqian was split from Fanhe and received the county status in Western Han dynasty. The inhabitants around Liqian were later called Liqian Rong (驪靬戎) (Líqián Róng) or Lushui Hu (盧水胡) (Lúshŭi Hú) in historical records.[4] Several states established by non-Han Chinese have controlled Liqian during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Lushui Hu even ruled one of these states, the Northern Liang, from 401 AD to 439 AD.
The Northern Wei conquered the Northern Liang. In the coming years, Liqian was ruled by the Northern Wei, the Western Wei, the Northern Zhou, and then the Sui dynasty, which reunified China in 589. Liqian county was merged into Fanhe county again in about 592.
[edit] Hypothetical Relationship with the Ancient Rome
The Qing dynasty scholar Hui Dong (惠棟) (Hùi Dòng) in his book The Supplementary Gloss on the Book of the Later Han (後漢書補注) (Hòu Hànshū Bŭzhù) stated:
Liqian county was created for the surrendered Liqian people.
(驪靬縣，本以驪靬降人置。)[5]
Some scholars think that Liqian was the name for the Ancient Rome in ancient China.[6] Many inhabitants of Zhelaizhai show some physical traits of the caucasians. For example, some inhabitants have lighter hair colors, and some have blue or brown eyes. The inhabitants practice bullfighting and have some other customs relative to the bulls.[7] There is a theory suggesting that the inhabitants of modern Zhelaizhai are descendants of the soldiers of a missing ancient Roman legion.[8]
In 54 BC, Marcus Licinius Crassus led seven legions in an attempt to conquer Parthia. In June 53 BC, he was defeated in the Battle of Carrhae at Carrhae (modern Harran in Turkey). Crassus was decapitated, and more than 20,000 Roman soldiers were killed. However, more than 10,000 Roman soldiers were made prisoners.
Most of the prisoners were enslaved. However, the Parthians reserved some. The rest of the prisoners were sent to the extreme eastern part of Parthia, around the Amu Darya region, to keep fighting for the Parthians in exchange for not being executed or enslaved. When the Romans and the Parthians reached peace in 20 BC, there was an exchange of prisoners, but the whereabouts of the captured Roman legion has been lost.[9]
The proposed theory was that, afterwards, some of the lost Roman legionaries fought for Kangju as mercenaries. Around 40 BC, Kangju lent these mercenaries to one of the Xiongnu leaders, Zhizhi Chanyu (or Zhizhi Shanyu) (郅支單于) (Zhìzhī Cháyú or Zhìzhī Shànyú). China attacked Zhizhi Chanyu in 37 BC, and the lost Roman legion was defeated by Chen Tang at the fortress of Zhizhi (郅支) (Zhìzhī) (in modern Kazakhstan)[10] in 36 BC. The captives were brought to China, settled in Liqian, and became the ancestors of the inhabitants of the modern Zhelaizhai. Zhelaizhai got much attention from international media and reserchers because of the theory.
