Preface
As an important ethnic group in Chinese history, the rise and fall of the Xianbei nation has carried a rich and colorful historical story, which has not only had a profound impact on Chinese history, but also left a unique footprint on the world historical stage.
This ethnic group gradually developed from a nomadic people in the early days to a unified political entity, and then later split into the Eastern and Western Wei dynasties, and finally derived many dynasties such as the Northern Zhou and Northern Qi dynasties, and its history was immersed in glory and decline.
So, how can a nomadic people step from a tribal alliance on the steppe to the palace of empire in just a few generations? How did a race that was once unfamiliar with writing embrace the Confucian classics and integrate into the tide of Chinese civilization in a few decades?
The Northern Wei Dynasty expanded its territory
In 386 AD, a chieftain named Tuoba held a tribal assembly in Niuchuan (present-day Hohhot). At this critical moment, he proclaimed his ascension to the throne, opening a new chapter in the Xianbei people's path to empire.
Tuoba Jue was born in a famous family, read military books since he was a child, and was brave. He knew that in order to gain a foothold in this turbulent northern land, nomadism alone could no longer make a living, and he had to move towards an agrarian civilization. Therefore, he made up his mind to move the base of the tribe to Pingcheng (now Datong, Shanxi), reclaim the land, and teach the people to plant.
In the face of the Han world, Tuoba has an extraordinary open mind. He recruited a large number of Han people, and hired Cui Hong, a famous minister, to preside over the establishment of systems, etiquette, and legal decrees. The establishment of the country name "Wei" is a sign that he wants to establish a new dynasty on this land.
Emperor Daowu was a true founding master. He is well aware of the importance of national integration and spares no effort to promote the process of sinicization. Under his leadership, a large number of Han people were forcibly moved to Pingcheng and mixed with the Xianbei people. He also ordered the establishment of Taixue in Beijing and hired doctors to teach Confucian classics.
The Han wind is gradually entering, and the rebound of the Xianbei aristocracy
However, the advancement of the Sinicization reform also triggered dissatisfaction and backlash among the Xianbei aristocracy. They believe that the compilation of the "National Letter" to reveal the ancestral home of the clan is a blatant insult to the Xianbei people. So, at their instigation, Emperor Taiwu, the heir of Emperor Daowu, ordered the death of Cui Hao's family, who was responsible for compiling and revising the national history, which was the "prison of national history" that shocked China and foreign countries.
This turmoil marked the beginning of the conflict between the Xianbei aristocracy and the Han Chinese. In order to calm down the national contradictions, Emperor Taiwu had to slow down the pace of sinicization. But his successor, Empress Dowager Feng, had other plans.
This Xianbei woman from the royal family of Beiyan has outstanding political means. In just two years, she rose from a palace maid to a queen, and finally took control of the government. Once in power, she carried out drastic reforms, known in history as the "Taihe reform".
The implementation of the equalization system solved the problem of the peasants' survival; the establishment of the three-long system strengthened the control over the grassroots; and the restoration of the system also ensured the livelihood of the Han bureaucrats. This series of changes,Undoubtedly, it cleared the way for the process of sinicization。
The wave of sinicization of Emperor Xiaowen
However, it was the successor of Empress Dowager Feng - Emperor Xiaowen that really pushed Sinicization to a climax. This young and wise monarch had great admiration for Confucian culture. He not only personally led hundreds of civil and military officials to Qufu to worship Confucius, but also ordered to build a temple for the ancestors in Luoyang.
More importantly, Emperor Xiaowen promulgated a series of sinicization measures, such as changing the official language to Chinese, prohibiting the wearing of Hufu, and changing the Xianbei surname to a Han surname. He also vigorously advocated the study of Han culture, and after the death of the Xianbei people who moved inward, they were all buried near Luoyang.
The wave of sinicization of Emperor Xiaowen is undoubtedly the deepest impact on the Xianbei nation. Not only do they have to change their surnames and uniforms, but even their lives and deaths must be in the way of the Han people. This radical cultural reshaping is bound to arouse strong dissatisfaction among the Xianbei aristocracy.
Sure enough, Emperor Xiaowen's reforms met with fierce resistance. Some stubborn Xianbei aristocrats refused to be sinicized, preferring to give up their positions of power rather than be assimilated. The intensification of this contradiction eventually led to the split of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
The split confrontation between the Eastern and Western Weis
The division of the Northern Wei Dynasty into two regimes, the East and the West, marked a complete impasse in the process of sinicization. The Eastern Wei Dynasty was ruled by Gao Huan, a Han Chinese who pursued a highly Xianbei policy and treated the Han as slaves. In contrast, the Western Wei Dynasty was ruled by the Sinicized Xianbei Yuwentai, who inherited the Sinicization concept of Emperor Xiaowen and vigorously promoted reforms.
The confrontation between the two regimes soon turned into a bloody conflict. Gao Huan launched attacks again and again, trying to eliminate the Western Wei and unify the north. But Yuwentai relied on the elite government soldiers to fight back again and again.
This protracted war is undoubtedly a contest between two cultural concepts. Gao Huan represents the Xianbei people's complacent attitude to tradition, while Yuwentai symbolizes an open and inclusive new thinking. In the end, the latter won.
Yuwentai's reform and opening up
As the founding monarch of the Western Wei Dynasty, Yu Wentai knew that in order to defeat the powerful Eastern Wei Dynasty, the strength of the Xianbei tribe alone was far from enough. As a result, he pursued a series of reforms in an effort to expand the base of his rule.
First, he implemented the equalization system of land in the economy, and the relatively light servitude was given, which attracted a large number of peasants to move south; secondly, he established the military system of government soldiers, which not only incorporated the Han Chinese into the army, but also granted them the same military rank and power as the Xianbei people; thirdly, he vigorously promoted Sinology culturally, employing many Han doctors as officials.
These reform measures of Yuwentai greatly promoted the integration of Hu and Han. In the military system, the Han and Xianbei people were mixed together, and it was difficult to distinguish between them. A new group of warlord families emerged, which came to be known as the "Guanlong Group" and became the mainstay of the Sui and Tang dynasties.
Gao Yang's Xianbei restoration
In contrast, the Eastern Wei Dynasty and its successor, the Northern Qi, embarked on a completely opposite path. Gao Yang, the emerging monarch, not only exacerbated Xianbei, but also wantonly excluded the Han people.
Under his rule, Han Chinese landlords were deprived of their land, and Han officials were marginalized. Even those famous families with prominent backgrounds have to "sell women to pay for money, buy women and lose silk" in order to survive. The Juntian system of the Northern Qi Dynasty existed in name only, and the peasants were overwhelmed by the burden and fled to other places.
Gao Yang's Xianbei restoration is undoubtedly a heavy blow to the process of sinicization. However, this practice of ethnic discrimination also exacerbated the contradictions within the Northern Qi Dynasty. The struggle within the ruling class was becoming increasingly fierce, with peasant uprisings and successive successions of the throne. The already decaying tree of Northern Qi finally collapsed under the double blow of internal and external troubles.
epilogue
The history of the Northern Dynasties has witnessed the extraordinary process of a nomadic people gradually integrating with the Chinese civilization in the continuous collision. Wise monarchs such as Tuoba, Emperor Xiaowen, and Yuwentai all made indelible contributions to this great process.
They know that only by being inclusive, open and promoting integration can this once nomadic people take root in the vast land of the Central Plains. On the contrary, if you are complacent and discriminate against ethnic groups, you will inevitably fall into internal friction and eventually annihilate like the Northern Qi Dynasty.
From this point of view, the historical experience of the Northern Dynasties is too precious for us. It shows the importance of inclusiveness, openness and integration, and also lays a solid foundation for the establishment of the Sui and Tang dynasties.