Friends who are familiar with Chinese history must know that there are 56 ethnic groups on the mainland, and these 56 ethnic groups each have their own cultures, beliefs, and languages, and some of them still retain their original national way of life to this day.
Among these 56 ethnic groups, the Tatars are afraid that many of them do not know anything about them. On the one hand, because they are too few, only more than 3500 people. On the other hand, the Tatars on the mainland do not like to roam around, so they have lived in the Urumqi and Ili regions of Xinjiang for generations. Compared to their foreign relatives, the Tatars of China are so low-key and mysterious.
First, the origin of the Great Fusion of Steppe Nomadic Peoples in Central Asia, why the origin of the Tatars is very complicated
For many friends who don't like to delve into a problem, studying the origins of the Tatars is a very painful task. Because the origins of this ethnic group are so complex that unlike some ethnic minorities, they have an exact history of ethnic origins, although the time is short but clear enough, such as the Huns. Curiously, however, the Tatars, who have a chaotic origin, have always been active in Central Asia. Although there have been dozens of masters in this area, the Tatars have been an ironclad camp that has persisted to this day.
Speaking of the origin of the Tatars, simply put, their origin is related to the great integration of steppe peoples in Central Asia. Although they called themselves tatars, they were also referred to in many historical sources as Tatars. But the Tatars were actually made up of Bulgars, Chinchas, and Turkic Mongols! Simply put, it is the crystallization of the fusion of three kinds of people with each other.
The emergence of this fusion is directly related to the second western expedition of the Mongol army. In the 13th century, Batu led a Mongol army on an expedition to Europe, eventually establishing the Golden Horde in Central Asia and parts of Eastern Europe, which was also called the Chincha Khanate because the place occupied by Batu belonged to the Chincha chassis.
In the vast territory of the Khanate, there was no restriction on etiquette, and there was a great integration between the various ethnic groups. After several generations of fusion, the Tatars were born. With the decline of the Chincha Khanate, the Tatars also took the opportunity to occupy the Volga River Valley and gradually developed and grew.
Second, the three great migrations of the Tatars, why the destination is China
Throughout the history of Central Asia, it is not only the Silk Road, the hub of Trade between China and the West, but also a place of contention between soldiers and families. Although the Tatars occupy the throat of Central Asia, they do not have the power to dominate the land. As Tsarist Russia grew stronger, the Tatar tribes also felt threatened. A third migration began.
The first migration began in the early 19th century to escape capture by the Tsarist army, when Tsarist Russia practiced serfdom and the surrounding ethnic minorities were a source of slavery. The Tatar tribes had no strength to resist Tsarist Russia, so they had to cross the mountains and mountains to China. However, most of the Tatar tribes that entered the Xinjiang region at this stage were poor herders.
The second migration came decades later, and this time the Tatar tribes that entered Xinjiang were no longer fleeing, but came to do business. These Tatar merchants took advantage of the trade agreement signed between the Qing Dynasty and Tsarist Russia to settle in Xinjiang, not only opening various shops and goods yards, but also establishing schools and temples here. While facilitating themselves, the local population gradually embraced their culture. Compared with the first migration, it is clear that the arrival of these merchants has a greater impact on Xinjiang.
The third migration was related to World War I, and Tsarist Russia during World War I was unpopular. Not only are the Russians themselves reluctant to serve on the battlefield, but the ostensibly subservient Tatars are even more reluctant to serve. So when the Russian army began to hunt for zhuangding, the Tatars chose to migrate again. This migration is not only the largest population migration in the history of the Tatars, but compared with the previous two times, it is mainly The Tatar youth who came to Xinjiang in China. These young talents also became a new force for Xinjiang's subsequent rapid development.
All three migrations came to China, and the destinations, without exception, were Xinjiang. To this day, the Tatars also live in Xinjiang, no different from where their ancestors lived hundreds of years ago. To many, the Tatars seem to be surrounded by an invisible wall. But in reality, they chose this land with a deeper consideration.
Simply put, China's Xinjiang is relatively close to where they used to live. With the Tianshan Mountains and the fact that it was already out of the control of Tsarist Russia, Xinjiang was the best choice for the nomadic Tatars. The results of the three migrations also proved that the Tatars came to Xinjiang without being pursued and killed by the Russian army, and the Tatars who fled elsewhere were not so lucky.
Today's Tatars are not only one of the elderly indigenous peoples in Xinjiang, they are also the owners of this land. They have the same rights as other ethnic groups, as well as villages named after their own peoples. It is hard to imagine that this people has been bullied for hundreds of years, and perhaps today's happy life has a completely different meaning for them.
Third, the different ethnic groups with the same name are called Tatars, and the Tatars who settled in Xinjiang are different from the Tatar tribes of the Jin Dynasty
Regarding the Tatars, there is another controversy on the Internet that still exists today. That is, did they have a relationship with the Tatar Department at that time? And this Tatar tribe was the first tribe that Genghis Khan destroyed when he unified Mongolia.
To be sure, although both groups of people are called Tatars, there is not a dime relationship between them. In terms of ethnic division, the Tatars belong to the Mongolian ethnic group. The Tatars belong to the European race and the Mongolian race, and in terms of appearance, the Tatars are more European in appearance, and the Tatar tribesmen are more Asian in appearance.
In addition, geographically speaking, the two races are thousands of kilometers apart. The Tatars have been active in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, and their footprints have never left Xinjiang. The Mongolian Tatars, on the other hand, have always lived in the southern Mongolian steppe bordering the Jin Dynasty, and due to the barriers of the Mongol tribes, the Tatars could not migrate from the Mongolian steppes to the Volga River Valley or the Tianshan region.
From the perspective of time span, the two Tatars also did not intersect in time, in fact, the rise of the Tatars was basically in the middle and late period of the Chincha Khanate. The peak of the Tatars was before Genghis Khan unified the Mongolian steppe. The time span is more than 100 years!
And according to historical records, after Genghis Khan conquered the Tatar Department, the men of the tribe were basically slaughtered. Women have basically become slaves, and in fact, it is no exaggeration to say that the Tatars have completely disappeared from the stage of history after they were conquered by Genghis Khan. Perhaps in the 21st century, we can still find the genes of the Tatar tribe in the DNA of some Mongols, but this tribe is no longer a race.
So whether it's the Tatars living in Xinjiang today, or the Tatars grazing their cattle on the Volga River hundreds of years ago. They have nothing to do with the Tatars, which were wiped out by the Jin Dynasty and Genghis Khan, and perhaps the names of the two peoples are the same, but history is a joke with us.
But what we need to understand is that history has always been cold, and it only presents people with cold facts, but there is no room for people to play and imagine. Perhaps as the only "Tatar" on the earth today, the Tatars live happily, which is the best ending.
Text/Slash Youth
Resources:
The Formation of the Modern Tatars, Kamili, Kulmauf
A Study of the History of Mongolia in the Mid-to-Late 12th Century, Zhao Ying