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People
of the Dongxiang ethnic minority live in the part of the Linxia
Hui Autonomous Prefecture situated south of the Yellow River and
southwest of Lanzhou, capital city of the northwest province of
Gansu. Half of them dwell in the Dongxiang Autonomous County,
and the rest are scattered in Hezheng and Linxia counties, the
city of Lanzhou, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and some
other places.
The Dongxiang
ethnic minority received its name from the place it lives --
Dongxiang. However, this ethnic group was not recognized as
a minority prior to the founding of the People's Republic in
1949. The Dongxiangs were then called "Dongxiang Huis"
or "Mongolian Huis." The Dongxiang language is basically
similar to Mongolian, both belonging to the Mongolian branch
of the Altaic language family. It contains quite a number of
words borrowed from the Han Chinese language. Most of the Dongxiang
people also speak Chinese, which is accepted as their common
written language. Quite a few of them can use Arabic alphabet
to spell out and write Dongxiang or Chinese words.
The Dongxiangs
are an agricultural people who grow potatoes, wheat, maize and
broad beans as well as hemp, rapeseed and other industrial crops.
History
Historians are
divided in their views about the origin of the Dongxiang ethnic
minority. Some hold that they are descendants of Mongolian troops
posted in the Hezhou area by Genghis Khan (1162-1227) during
his march to the west. Other historians say they are a mixture
of many races -- Hui, Mongolian, Han and Tibetan groups.
However, according
to legends and historical data, the Dongxiangs probably originated
from the Mongolians. As far back as the 13th century, Mongolian
garrison units were stationed in the Dongxiang area. In these
units were Mongols and military scouts and artisans Genghis
Khan brought from West Asia. In time of war, the military scouts
would fight as soldiers on the battlefield. And they farmed
and raised cattle and sheep in time of peace. These garrison
troops later took local women as wives, and their offspring
at the beginning were called "military households"
which became "civilian households" with the passage
of time.
During the early
years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), they were offered amnesty
by the Ming rulers, and they settled down permanently in the
Dongxiang area.
Religion
The Dongxiangs are Moslems, and at one time
there were 595 mosques and 79 other places of worship in the
Dongxiang area. This gave every 30
Dongxiang households a place of worship. Apart from the 12 imams,
there were more than 2,000 full-time religious workers. That
means every 18 households had to provide for one religious worker.
And there were 34 different kinds of religious expenses which
had to be borne by the ordinary people.
The Moslems
in the Dongxiang area were then divided into three sects --
the Old, the New and the Emerging sects. Carrying out a "divide
and rule" policy, the ruling class sowed dissension among
these sects. As a result, the Moslems were at feud among themselves.
At times there were armed clashes.
"Flowers" in Bloom
There are in
the Dongxiang area many folk songs which the local people have
dubbed "flowers" and were sung in the past by people
to express their hopes for a better life and to pour out their
wrath against oppression. The "flowers," which had
been ruthlessly trampled down in the old days, began to blossom
anew following the emancipation of the Dongxiang people.
There are quite
a number of popular narrative poems and folktales in the Dongxiang
area. The long poem "Meilagahei and Miss Machenglong"
sings the praise of the heroism of a young couple who pitted
themselves against out-moded ethics and the feudal marriage
system. The folklore "Green Widow Kills the Boa" depicts
the courage, wisdom and self-sacrificing spirit of Dongxiang
women.
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