The Lost "Daughter Country"
On the banks of the Dajinchuan River in Malbang Township, Jinchuan County, there is a watchtower nearly 50 meters high, which is the landmark building of the Dajinchuan Tusi Shaluoben Xiaoguanzhai - Malbong Guanjie, known as the king of China.
According to the locals, this watchtower was once the residence of the queen of the Eastern Lady Kingdom, and the queen handled government affairs at the top of the tower.
Source: China National Geographic
Yeerji Castle in Luoer Township on the east bank of Dajinchuan is said to have been built for the training of royal troops in the Dongnu Kingdom, and was later rebuilt by Dajinchuan Tusi Shaluoben during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.
The name "Dongnuguo" has appeared many times in historical documents such as the old and new "Book of Tang", "Tang Huiyao" and "General Dictionary".
The most prominent feature of the East Women's Kingdom is the social system of women-centered and women-worship, women are kings, and the succession to the throne adopts a combination of the queen's lifelong system and the family monopoly system, and men have no right to participate, which is highly similar to the "daughter country" in "Journey to the West".
So far, the scope and center of the East Woman Country is still an unsolved mystery, the Old Tang Dynasty Book ·The Biography of the East Woman Country" contains: "The East Woman Country, another species of the West Qiang, there is a woman country in the West Sea, so it is called the East Woman Yan." The vulgar takes the woman as the king, the east and Maozhou Dangxiang Qiang, the southeast and Yazhou, the east and west, the north and the south? There are rivers that flow from north to south with viable boats. ”
Corresponding to the current territory of China, it is probably located in Aba Prefecture of Sichuan, Danba County of Ganzi Prefecture and Changdu of Tibet Autonomous Region on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The first draft of the ruins of the Dongnu King City drawn by Lu Mingyuan (source: "Weiaba" WeChat public account)
Many scholars in the academic community also believe that the large and small Jinchuan basins of the western Sichuan Plateau, where Dongnuguo is located, belong to the arid valley area of the Hengduan Mountains, with sufficient light and heat resources, suitable temperature, and rainfall concentrated in the high temperature season.
The high mountains and deep gorges in this area act as a barrier, isolating the plateau from the plains and basins, and can undoubtedly bring a precious sense of security to the queen in the era of war and chaos.
In order to find the lost "daughter country", Jinchuan County has specially invited historical experts from many research institutions, including the Palace Museum, Tsinghua University, Peking University and other research institutions to investigate and find the ruins of the Eastern Female King's City.
Source: "Micro Aba" WeChat public account
Jinchuan is remarkable for accumulating and preserving many ancient historical factors and cultural traces, such as the language retains a large number of ancient Tibetan components, Bon has always prevailed, the legend and historical memory of Tusi's ancestors from Zhangxiong "Qiongbu" are widespread, and its culture and customs also retain many Zhangxiong elements, which are consistent with the culture of Dongnuguo.
In particular, there is a mountain in the shape of "Qiongniao" in Dujiaogou in Jinchuan County, and the ruins at the bottom of the mountain nest are considered to be the ancient capital of the Dongnu Kingdom.
Buqiong Shenshan (photo by Snow Mountain Cold-water Fish, source: "Wei Aba" WeChat public account)
Source: Zhizhong Aba
Collation: Liu Li (Aba Prefecture Local Chronicles Office)