Xirong (people)

Xīróng (Chinese: 西戎, loosely "western warriors") or Rong (Chinese: 戎; pinyin: Róng; Wade–Giles: Jung, also a Chinese surname) was the collective name of various ancient nomadic tribal people who inhabited primarily in and around the extremities of ancient Huaxia, typically to the west of the Zhou state in the modern-day provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia from the Zhou Dynasty (1046 – 221 BCE) onwards,[1][2] and regarded as ancestrally related to people of Chinese civilization.[3][4] Following Gugong Danfu's further establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, the "Rong and Di" nomadic customs of the people were eventually abolished, which further polarized the cultural divide between those still living by the Rong's original nomadic ways, and assimilating those living under the auspices of the Chinese kingdom.[5]

The 7th century commentary to the Hanshu by Yan Shigu says: "Among the various Rong in the Western Regions, the Wusun's shape was the strangest; and the present barbarians who have green eyes and red hair, and are like a macaque, belonged to the same race as the Wusun."[6][7]

Contents

Etymology

After the Zhou Dynasty, the term usually referred to various peoples in the west during early and late medieval times. Prusek suggests relations between the Rong of Zhou and the Ren (人) tribes known in Shang[8].

Xīróng was also the name of a state during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of Chinese history.

From the perspective of Sinocentrism, the western Xīróng together with the eastern Dōng Yí (東夷/东夷), northern Běidí (北狄) and southern Nánmán (南蛮) were collectively called the “Four Barbarian Tribes”.[note 1] Spade-foot three-legged pottery vessels as well as one and two handled pots were primary cultural characteristics of the Xīróng.

Many of the written records about the Xīróng deal with their activities and wars, for example The bigamy of Shēn Luò (申駱/申骆) and subjugation of the Xīróng states: "do not abandon the idea that the Marquess of Shen’s woman is the best for Luò and the Xīróng", and so on.[9]

Timeline

According to Nicola Di Cosmo[10] says that 'Rong' was a vague term for warlike foreigner. He places them from the upper Wei River valley and along the Fen River to the Taiyuan basin as far as the Taihang Mountains. This would be the northwestern edge of what was then China and also the transition zone between agricultural and steppe ways of life.

Ethnicity

The 7th century commentary to the Hanshu by Yan Shigu says: "Among the various Rong in the Western Regions, the Wusun's shape was the strangest; and the present barbarians who have green eyes and red hair, and are like a macaque, belonged to the same race as the Wusun."[14][15]

Pullyblank[16] thinks that the Quanrong spoke a Tibeto-Burman language.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Although the term “barbarian” is frequently used to describe such tribes, it does not have the connotations associated with Western barbarians of later periods such as the Huns or Visigoths. In Chinese context this term is used to refer to “uncivilized people”, i.e. non-Chinese ethnic groups.

References

  1. ^ http://orbat.com/site/history/volume4/442/zhou%20dynasty/zhou%20dynasty_1.html
  2. ^ http://www.imperialchina.org/Huns.html
  3. ^ http://www.imperialchina.org/Huns.html
  4. ^ Nicola Di Cosmo, Ancient China and Its Enemies: The Rise of Nomadic Power in East Asian History ,Cambridge University Press, 2004 pp.108-112.
  5. ^ http://www.imperialchina.org/Zhou_Dynasty.html
  6. ^ Yu, Taishan. (1998). A Study of Saka History,. Sino-Platonic Papers, Number 80. University of Pennsylvania. pp. 141-142.. 
  7. ^ Book of Han, with commentary by Yan Shigu Original text　師古曰：「烏孫於西域諸戎其形最異。今之胡人青眼、赤須，狀類彌猴者，本其種也。」
  8. ^ Prusek, Jaroslav. Chinese Statelets and the Northern Barbarians in the period 1400-300 BC. New York, 1971. p.38
  9. ^ Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian, Qin Records
  10. ^ Cambridge History of Ancient China (1999) Chapter 13
  11. ^ Nicola Di Cosmo in Cambridge History of Ancient China, page 924
  12. ^ Mark Edward Lewis in Cambridge History of Ancient China, page 635
  13. ^ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/273960/Xiongnu
  14. ^ Yu, Taishan. A Study of Saka History, (1998) pp. 141-142. Sino-Platonic Papers, Number 80. University of Pennsylvania.
  15. ^ Book of Han, vol. 96b
  16. ^ Chapter 14 of Keightley,'The Origins of Chinese Civilization',1983