As Chinese, we all know that there are many ethnic minorities in China, and we have been singing the ballad "56 ethnic groups, 56 flowers, 56 brothers and sisters are one family" since we were young.
But few people know that in 2003, another member of China's extended family was added, and we also had more brothers and sisters.
This people are the Daman.
The Damanese are small in number, less than 200 in size, and originally lived in the Jilong Ditch on Mount Everest for a long time, and it took 200 years to become Chinese citizens.
Past events
The word Daman, derived from the Tibetan language, means "cavalry" in Tibetan, that is, the Damanese are descendants of cavalry.
The Damanese have long been adrift, and before they became Chinese nationals, they lived in a precarious place to live, wandering around the border between China and Nepal.
Their ancestors, Nepalese, and the descendants of those Nepalese cavalry, Nepalese in ancient times, known as the Gurkhas, in the Qing Dynasty called "Baleb", they are known as the bravest warriors in the world.
Nepal is on the top of the Himalayas, where there is no unified country, and people live a scattered, settled tribal life.
In the 14th century, there was a Hindu tribe that fled from India to Nepal and eventually evolved into the Gurkhas, so the Damans we see today have a high degree of similarity in appearance to the Indians.
Nepal has also had many dynasties over a long period of time, such as the Kirat dynasty, the Richavi dynasty, the Mara dynasty, etc.
Later, the Gurkhas overthrew the Mara dynasty in 1769 and established the Shah dynasty, also known as the Gurkha dynasty.
As mentioned earlier, the Gurkhas are known as the bravest warriors in the world, because they not only unified the entire territory of Nepal, but also expanded their territory to three times the size of Nepal.
The Gurkhas are good at learning and making weapons, and this is the top secret of their victory.
Because of their superior geographical location, they often took the enemy by surprise and dealt a fatal blow to the enemy, and even Britain, which was at its peak, was not their opponent.
The Gurkhas are best known for their saber, which is still used today as the most powerful knife.
Later, Western countries invented guns, and they followed suit, making better guns.
Since they are so strong, how did they become the size of less than 200 people today? All this began in 1784, when it was still the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
After the Gurkhas defeated the British, they were very happy and were about to discuss where to expand next, when they welcomed an uninvited guest.
This man was Shamalpa, the younger brother of the sixth Panchen Lama in Tibet, who had a conflict with his brother and left Tibet and ran to Gurkha.
The Gurkhas discovered that Tibet was vast, and now they had guides, and with this idea, the Gurkhas began to try to invade Tibet.
They prepared for a long time, and then arrogantly shouted to Tibet: "The two places bordering our territory, Nyalam and Jiyu, which were originally my Baleb places, should still be returned."
Not only that, but the Gurkhas also controlled the trade flow of Tibet, which is a clear attempt to seize the treasure land of Tibet.
The Qing Dynasty had ministers resident in Tibet, who understood the true intentions of the Gurkhas and refused.
The Gurkhas have always been rampant, believing that since the Qing government is against them, they should use this reason to send troops.
In 1787, the Gurkhas sent troops to invade Tibet under the pretext of trade disputes, and the ministers stationed in Tibet, Baotai and Yamantai, urgently sent 800 li of urgent military information to the imperial court.
When he received the news, the Qianlong Emperor was leisurely enjoying the shade in the summer villa, and when he saw the military report, he almost fell off his chair.
It reads, "A small country called Baleb has sent troops across the Himalayas into Tibet, and in late June, Baleb conquered Tibet's Nyalam, Jisu, and Dzongkha in Tibet."
Qianlong was surprised because he had never heard of this country, and it clearly said "small country", and for the Qing Dynasty, Baleb was a small fanbang, which was not a concern.
But it was this small country that let Tibet lose three regions in a row, and let his minister in Tibet send letters back overnight for help.
The Qianlong Emperor took the twist and turn, immediately summoned the ministers to discuss the military situation, at this time he did not know that this battle, later known in history as a very rare battle, and this battle turned out to be the last highlight of the Qing Dynasty.
The final battle
The historical battle of Gurkha, at the beginning, did not go well, and it can even be said that there were some nests.
Qianlong called an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures, but no one of the Manchu ministers of culture and military affairs knew about the country.
Soldiers often say that "knowing oneself and knowing the other can one survive a hundred battles", but the Qing Dynasty knew nothing about the Gurkhas, which was very bad for the Qianlong Emperor, and finally learned a little news from a Tibetan lama.
"The Gurkha army is strong, every soldier will use a musket", this is all the clues that the Qianlong Emperor got at the beginning, after hearing this, the Qianlong Emperor has begun to hesitate in his heart.
The army in the Qianlong period was quite strong, presumably this, the soldiers of the Qing Dynasty were not without chance, but they were remote, and the weather was cold, and there was altitude sickness, and they rushed to send troops, I am afraid that before the fight started, half of the people would die first.
On the other hand, the Gurkhas, who live in the plateau area all year round, have long adapted to altitude sickness, and are hardy and physically strong, and there is no chance of victory in this battle.
Thinking about it, Qianlong decided to pay tribute before the army, and on the one hand, he sent a letter to the Guorg Kingdom, and on the other hand, he asked people to gather troops and march towards Tibet.
If the Gurkhas can negotiate peace, it is naturally the best, and if peace talks cannot be achieved, the army can also go to war.
But as the saying goes, "If you are not afraid of an opponent like God, you are afraid of a comrade-in-arms like a pig", and the letters sent by Qianlong and the troops sent by Tibet had not yet arrived in Tibet, and the minister stationed in Tibet first compromised.
As we all know, in the Qing Dynasty, the most things, it must be corrupt officials, and some ministers stationed in Tibet opened peace talks with Gurkha in order to protect their interests.
But the Gurkhas were so strong that they did not eat this at all, and without saying a word, they occupied the Sassafras region of Tibet.
The Qing Dynasty sent troops to suppress it, and the strength of the troops was ten times that of the Gurkha, but in the face of the Gurkha, it was still beaten. But this trip came out, Qianlong gave the target, the indicator could not be completed, and he could not explain to Qianlong.
Therefore, for the sake of military merit, the generals sent there cooperated with the minister stationed in Tibet, Li Yingwai, deceived the Qianlong Emperor, falsely reported military merits, exaggerated, and enriched their own pockets, and in order to make the Gurkhas retire, they did not hesitate to buy them with heavy money and sign a treaty for the withdrawal of troops.
Under the temptation of heavy money, the Gurkhas really withdrew, but not long after, the Gurkhas found out that they were deceived, and the gold ingots promised by those ministers were not intended to be given at all, and several times the debt collection failed, and the Gurkhas became angry and directly sent troops to Tibet.
This time, with anger, hatred, and revenge, the Gurkhas swept through Tibet, and everywhere they went, blood flowed like rivers, and they were miserable.
When Qianlong got the news, he was shocked and learned the whole truth, but the mistake had already been made, and the only way was to send troops again to suppress the Gurkha.
This time, Qianlong sent Fu Kang'an, Hailancha and other famous generals to lead troops to Tibet, and the Qing Dynasty, as a nation on horseback, was naturally the most powerful cavalry, and after the cavalry came on the field, it quickly won back a game on the battlefield.
After the reconquest of Sassagi, the Qing army continued to set out towards Jisu, the most important pass in Tibet and the border of Tibet, which borders Nepal and beyond that, the Gurkha region.
There were many pillboxes in Gurkha, and there were many muskets, which was bound to be a vicious battle, and under the battle of life and death of the Qing army, it finally took Ji Shu, and from the beginning of the battle to the recovery of all the lost territory, the Qing army only took a short 5 days.
The Gurkhas claimed to be the strongest at that time, although they occupied the right time and place, but the Qing army was victorious in the overall defense and cavalry strength, the Gurkhas did not expect the Qing army to be so brave and abandoned, and fled out of Tibet without abandoning their armor.
But how could the Qing government be sent so easily, after all, the blood feud that sacked Tibet had not yet been repaid, and under the order of Fu Kang'an, thousands of troops attacked the homeland of Gurkha.
The Qing army conquered the Himalayas, advanced deeper into the territory of the Gorge, and then crossed the steep mountain range, raiding the pillboxes of the Gorge all the way.
The Gurkhas were shocked, from the initial arrogance to the unbelievable later, and then to the horror, they realized at this moment that they seemed to have provoked a great country.
Nepal is easy to defend and difficult to attack, the terrain is dangerous, the British defeat that year, because of the terrain, but the Qing army overcame this and soon found a breakthrough.
In order to fight this battle, Fukang'an even used artillery, and under the attack of various armies, the Gurkhas were finally defeated on all fronts.
Their king, having learned of the news from the front, panicked and sent the bravest generals to lead the troops, trying to save the defeat, but in the end to no avail.
In the end, the king of Gurkha had to surrender and submit to the Qing government, and thereafter paid tribute every year. After the Gorkha Rebellion was calmed, Qianlong ordered Tibet to be rectified.
Fusion
On the way to rectify Tibet, people found that at the junction of Tibet and Nepal, a group of people appeared, this group of people was in rags and had no spirit.
Upon inquiry, it turned out that the group turned out to be defeated Gurkha soldiers, who had separated from the army and lived by begging.
The Qing government deemed them not a threat and allowed them to live here, and this group of people, later, became the Damanese people of today.
During the Qianlong period, the Qing Dynasty was still at its peak, and the Daman people always wanted to serve the Qing government, but did not get the consent of the Qing government, and after that, the Qing government also began to die, and the Central Plains fell into a dark hour for a century.
As the times changed, the Gurkha king ceased to exist, and the group traveled through Tibet and Nepal for generations.
Over a long period of time, the Gurkhas have gradually been assimilated by the Tibetan people due to their frequent contacts with the Tibetan people, and their culture, clothing, and diet are very similar to those of the Tibetans.
Because of their small population, they usually acted collectively, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, they lived in the town of Kerung, in the Tibetan region, and although they did not have Chinese nationality, the Chinese government did not expel them, but treated them as guests.
The living conditions of the Damanese are very difficult, they only borrow everywhere they go, so their houses are very simple, and more often they use local materials, using stones, thatch or wood to build their houses.
Sometimes in order to earn a living allowance, they also go to the town to help the locals work in exchange for a little pay, and the women of the Daman tribe generally make some handicrafts in exchange for money to survive.
With the continuous development of New China, the economic situation of Tibet gradually improved, tourism also developed, and the Daman people sometimes acted as guides to earn living expenses.
After the founding of New China, the Daman people did not give up and applied to New China to become a Chinese nationality.
After investigation, the government finally agreed to the Daman's request in 2003, and the Damanese were classified as Tibetans under unified management, enjoying the same rights as Chinese citizens.
After more than two hundred years of wandering, the Damanese finally have a home of their own!
Although they have blue eyes, high noses, and look very different from Tibetans, when they meet tourists who come to travel, they always proudly say that they are Chinese!
In order to settle the Daman, the Chinese government built a village for them in the local area, Daman Village. The complete Dammam village is not only a neat two-storey building, but also a new and smooth road.
From infrastructure, to drinking water problems, land, livestock and other issues, all of them helped the Damanese to solve the problem perfectly, and after the village was built, the government also sent them new daily necessities and clothing.
Later, the government also included Dammam Village in the poverty alleviation list, truly solving their living problems from the root.
Today's Damanese people work hard to make their lives better while farming and doing other crafts.
The Damanese have an ancestral craft of making knives, and as we said before, they make knives that are very special and of very good quality, and now they are back to their old business, but instead of producing weapons, they produce kitchen knives or axes.
Their forging process has also brought great improvement to their lives, because the forging process is outstanding, and many people come to learn forging technology, and they are very enthusiastic.
After the Daman became Tibetan, the culture was completely Tibetan and sinicized, and their education was the same, and their descendants, like Tibetan children, had to learn Tibetan and Chinese.
Today's Daman people have long been the same as the locals, and every household in Daman Village will hang a five-star red flag, surrounded by beautiful mountains and waters, that red is particularly bright.