Population and Distribution
The Xibo people are one of the less populous ethnic groups in China. According to the fourth national census in 2000, the total population of the Xibo is 188,828. Among them, nearly 120,000 people are distributed in Shenyang, Kaiyuan, Yixian, Beizhen, Xinmin, Fengcheng and other places in Liaoning, and more than 41,000 are in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, concentrated in the Chabchal Sibe Autonomous County of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, as well as in the two counties of Huocheng and Gongliu in the basin of the Ili River, and the rest of them are scattered in Fuyu and the former Golgolos Mongol Autonomous County of Jilin Province, Shuangcheng of Hei Longjiang Province, and the eastern part of Inner Mongolia, Beijing, Shanghai and major provinces and cities across the country.
Geography
A major feature of the distribution of the Xibo people is that most of them live along the rivers and fertile plains. For example, the Xibo people in Liaoning Province mainly live in the Liaohe, Hunhe and Taizi River Basin, where there is the Liaohe Plain. The Siberians in Heilongjiang Province mainly live in the area of Nenjiang River, Songhua River, Lalin River and Hulan River, which is known as the Songnen Plain. The Xibo in Jilin live in the middle reaches of the Songhua River and the Songnen Plain. Most of the Xibe distributed in Ili, Xinjiang live along the Ili River, where there is the Ili River Alluvial Plain. These plains have a wide area, flat ground, fertile soil, sufficient water, easy to irrigate, is suitable for farming and animal husbandry in a good place, depending on the river and the water, and is also a good place for fishing. The area where the Xibo people live in the northeast is a temperate, humid monsoon climate, with cold winters and warm summers, and abundant rainfall, which is suitable for the growth of all kinds of plants. The Xibo people here mostly grow crops such as corn, soybeans, sorghum, grain, sesame, tobacco, cotton and vegetables such as cabbage, garlic and pumpkin.
The Chabuchar Autonomous County in Xinjiang, where the Sibe people live, is located in the valley basin north of the Usun Mountains, a branch of the Tianshan Mountains in western Xinjiang, south of the Ili River, with a high terrain in the southeast and low in the northwest. The southern Wusun Mountain area is over 1600 meters above sea level, with a cold and wet climate, and is a primitive forest area with hardy perennial herbaceous plants and summer pastures. The hilly areas and sloping plains are fertile, with year-round snow on top of the Usun Mountains, which is irrigated by melting snow water, and is a source of wheat and oilseeds, as well as pastureland in spring and fall. The central part is the river valley terrace plain, 590-650 meters above sea level, the soil is mostly meadow soil and irrigated swamp soil, the soil layer is thicker, the terrain is low and flat, water and grass, is the county's rice production area, along the south bank of the Ili River is secondary forest area, is a good winter pasture in the region.
The Xibo people are one of the less populous ethnic groups in China. "Xibo" is the self-proclaimed name of this nation. In Chinese, there are different translations and writings such as Rhinoceros Bi; Shi Bi, Xianbei, Yabi, Xibai, Xibi, Xibe and so on. On the realm of the meaning of the word Xibe, all say different, one for the beast or hook, that is ("Han Shu - Xiongnu biography") called "rhinoceros Vishnu"; one said for the name of the place. Hailar winding south of the room Wei mountain area, note called Xibo, people living in this area named after; most of the people of this nation believe themselves to be the remnants of Xianbei, in the folklore circulated many legends. They are concentrated in Shenyang, Kaiyuan, Yixian, Beizhen, Xinmin, Fengcheng, and other places in Liaoning, and in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where they are concentrated in the Chabchal Xibe Autonomous County of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, and in the two counties of Huocheng and Gongliu in the Ili River basin, while the rest are scattered in Fuyu, the former Golgoros Mongol Autonomous County, and Beijing in Jilin Province. According to the Fifth National Population Census in 2000, the population of the Xibo ethnic group was 188,824; the Xibo living in the northeast speak Chinese and Mongolian; those living in Xinjiang use the Xibo language, which belongs to the Manchurian group of the Altaic family, the Tungusic group of languages. There is a Sibe language.
Origin and change of the Xibo people and the ancient Xianbei have a relationship of origin. Initially nomadic in the eastern foothills of the Daxingan Mountains, to the sixteen states (304 ~ 439 years). Murong and other tribes moved southward to the Yellow River basin and established a regime, which later melted into the Han Chinese. A small number of Xianbei people still live in the Nenjiang River, Chuoer River, Songhua River area, maintaining the original production methods. This part of the Xianbei people is now said to be the ancestors of the Xibo people. It is also said that the Xibo originated from the Xiongnu, or room Wei, or female genitalia. Before the Qing dynasty, they flourished in the Bo Du Ne (now Jilin Fuyu county) as the center of the east to Jilin, west to Hulunbeier, from the Nengjiang river in the north, south to the Liaohe river basin of the vast area. Generations of hunting and fishing for a living, the catch is basically evenly distributed, everyone has a share.
Late in the 16th century and early in the 17th century, the Xibo were conquered by the Manchurian rulers and organized into the Eight Banners of Mongolia and Eight Banners of Manchuria. In more than 100 years, the Xibo people from their own long-established areas of dispersion to many areas, with the frequent stationing, transfer, not only migrated to the three northeastern provinces, but also sent to garrison in Yunnan, Xinjiang. 1764, there are 1,016 people were recruited to garrison in Xinjiang, along with more than 2,000 family members of the army, from then on, the Xibo people live in the northeast and northwest. Young people acted as "Phi Jia", serving as an officer, and idle attachments and family members were engaged in agricultural and sideline production. The Eight Banners system puts the Xibo people under the direct rule of the Qing Dynasty, and the economic life and social organization have undergone drastic changes, from the original mobility of the fishing and hunting economy to a stable agricultural economy.
Socio-economic
Early life in the size of the Hinggan Mountains, Hulunbeier grasslands of the Xibo people, and later moved to the Nenjiang River, Songhua River basin. They lived a lifestyle of fishing and hunting production. In the early Qing Dynasty, was organized into eight banners, feudal production relations can be formed and developed. The land of the Banner was "communal" and was distributed in varying amounts according to the rank of the Banner officials and the Phi Kao. Originally, it was "salary" and "military pay" in nature. Qianlong thirty-two years (767), xinjiang xibeis also was organized into eight cattle record (flag), in the yili river basin cantonment garrison. Jiaqing seven years (1802), in the Sibe battalion chief Tuergen support, after a hard battle, from the Chabchal mountain pass water, from the cliffs cut large canals, and finally drew the Ili River water to irrigate the good land, so named "Chabchal canals", meaning "granary", the people have settled in the Dazhou, and the people have settled in the Dazhou. Xibo people have settled in the canal north and south. Subsequently, and with the eight banners soldiers, has in Ili, Boltara, Tacheng and other places to cut some canals, reclaimed more than 10 million mu of good land, and make some local brotherhood of people to learn a lot of agricultural production knowledge and technology? Contributed to the development and defense of the frontier. 1880s, the flag system began to disintegrate, the flag land is gradually concentrated in the hands of a few landlords, the Xibe people said more and more poor, reduced to hired laborers and sharecroppers. Chabchal three and four districts, for example, only 5 percent of the total population of landlords, rich peasants, occupying 30 percent of the total land area, and occupy all the pasture and a large number of livestock; while 58 percent of the total population of poor peasants, occupying only 14-8 percent of the total land, almost no livestock. The Bai people have been demanding for generations that the land be used as a source of livelihood for them. For generations, the Bai people have demanded the abolition of the "follow the ding" system, the clearing of land, the issuance of land deeds, and the rational use of grassland, and have fought for this, but have been brutally suppressed.
After liberation, the Sibe people entered a new era of ethnic equality, solidarity and mutual help, and politically enjoyed equal rights with all ethnic groups. 1954, the establishment of the Chabchal Sibe Autonomous Prefecture, carried out a series of social reforms, and embarked on the road to socialism. Workers, peasants and I dagger production continued to develop, and the people's standard of living continued to improve. Although still predominantly agricultural, but after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, agricultural scientific farming cit agricultural machinery was popularized. Industrial and mining enterprises were further developed. All social programs are vibrant.
Culture and art
The Xibo people's literature and art is rich and colorful. There are folklore, folk stories, folk songs, feast songs, God's work, fables, and readings. Among the people, there are profoundly influential long narrative poem "rate country song", "Kashgar song", "Song of the Three Kingdoms", as well as beautiful prose epistolary genre "Huifenka letter" and so on. The folk songs strongly reflect the people's resentment and resistance against the feudal rule, and the songs pour out the pure love of the working people and the ideal of building their own happy life. The Xibo people can sing and dance well. The songs are melodious and passionate. The dance is especially famous for "Beilun". Musical instruments are "Dongbra", "reed flute", "Mokhne", and embroidery and other arts and crafts are also rich and colorful. There are also a variety of mass recreation, sports activities, such as archery, horse racing, wrestling, playing Qiu Gan and so on.
After liberation, under the care of the Party and all levels of ==== and attention. The cultural and educational undertakings of the Xibo people have been reborn. Xibo people have a high degree of culture and education, many intellectuals are fluent in several national languages, many people in addition to education work, but also poor turning snow publishing business. Sports activities in the Xibo people have a wide range of mass, especially good at horseback riding, archery, many excellent archery archery, in the successive national games are among the best. Medical and health care has also been a great development, the population mortality rate declined - the growth rate increased, the emergence of a prosperous scene.
Customs and habits
Sibe residence is linked with the camp flag system, a flag (cattle record) is a large village, but also a combat unit and production organization. Therefore, all built castles, easy to guard. Castle around the length of 3 to 7 miles ranging, the castle lived in 100 to 200 families. The streets are well organized, each house is surrounded by a low wall, and the houses are all facing north and south, built with adobe, usually 3 rooms. In front of the house, there are orchards, vegetable gardens and animal pens.
The families of the Xibo people, until the founding of the People's Republic of China, still maintained a fairly complete feudal patriarchal system. There were patriarchs above the family. Parents and elders were respected. The clan of the same name is not married, but aunts and uncles, aunts and aunts between the children can be married, and there is a phenomenon with foreigners to pass the festival. Elderly people still maintain the flag dress style since the end of the Qing Dynasty, especially elderly women, who love to wear cheongsam and tie the trouser legs. Diet, rice, wheat-based food, often eat branded hairy cake. Avoid eating dog meat, avoid wearing dog skin, fox skin products; in the house is not allowed to whistle, home sick, women give birth, hanging red cloth or a bunch of grass at the front door, prohibiting outsiders from entering. Raising livestock and poultry. Burials are common, and every family has a fixed cemetery.
Religion and Important Festivals
The Sibe people have absorbed different foreign cultures because of their constant migrations, and they believe in Shamanism and Lamaism. Due to the influence of Chinese culture, they also believe in gods such as "Guan Gong" and "Zhou Cang". The most interesting is the Sheng Tong Zi Nei Taiping Temple (commonly known as "Sibe Family Temple"), originally for the Lama Temple, but in addition to enshrining the Three Buddhas, eighteen Lohan, and molded with the God of Guan, Zhou Fu and other idols. Westward-migrating Siberians have also practiced Lamaism. At the same time also enshrined Confucius, Guan Di, Niang Niang and other deities. Ancestor worship also occupies an important place.
The festivals of the Xibo people are roughly the same as those of the Han and Manchu people, such as the Spring Festival, the Qingming Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival. However, the way to celebrate the festival is not quite the same. Such as the Dragon Boat Festival, they have splashing water, dangling sheep, horse racing or picnic and other activities. In addition, the fourth month of the lunar calendar on the 18th is the Xibo people from the east to Xinjiang commemorative day, every year held a large-scale celebration.
The Xibo legend
Linghua and BaTuGaJie's story
Legend has it that this story took place in today's shenyang city new sub-district of shifosi township Xibo inhabited by Latahu village. The story is that the Xibo Batu family young man Gaje, and the neighboring Han Yang family girl Linghua love, a pair of lovers with the love of the destruction of the stone tortoise spirit of the heroic struggle, and finally eliminated the stone tortoise spirit, the two also died in battle. The song glorifies the spirit of Xibo youths who defy violence and national unity for love.
The story of Grandma Bao's broken pillow.
Legend has it that this story took place in the village of Beisijiazhi, where the Xibo people live in Xinchengzi District, Shenyang City. The story is about a betrothed but not married Xibo girl, dedicated to serving the paralyzed neighbor Bao grandmother, until the death of Bao grandmother, she got a rich inheritance - gold and silver jewelry from the broken pillow of Bao grandmother, but she gave all the gold and silver part of the poor people. The song glorifies the noble and kind character of the Xibo people.
The legend of the Gray Soil Post and the Turning Back Post.
Shenyang Xinchengzi Xinglongtai Xibe Town belongs to the Xinmin Village, which was originally known as the "gray soil Gang", the Xibe people also known as the "back to Gang". Legend has it that, in the Qing dynasty during the Kangxi period, from the Burdune (now Jilin Fuyu) moved south of Shengjing Sibe officials and soldiers in the ranks of a Hulha (He)'s young man named color Lunbao, often in the north of this place to look at the ancestral home Burdune, and miss his fiancée, Guarjia Ou Jina a family, after the Guarjia Ou Jina a family to come to Shengjing to the Ou Jina and color Lunbao to the end of the marriage, at the same time there are E, Zhao, Bu three families with the family to follow the five family cousins in this place! Reunion. Therefore, the "gray soil Gang" renamed "back to the Gang", every year on the night of New Year's Eve, Xibo people are to the north to worship their ancestors.
The legend of Xili mom.
Legend has it that in ancient times, the Xibo tribesmen went out to hunt, leaving behind a girl named Xili, looking after the elderly and children. The hunters have not returned, Xi Li girl overcame all kinds of difficulties, eliminate the drought, protect the elderly and 18 children, and the children raised adults, all formed a family, to protect the Xibo tribesmen to flourish. The Jade Emperor recognized her as his daughter and named her "Xi Li mother", which later evolved into "Xi Li mother", and became the female ancestor worshiped by the Xibo family for generations. The legend reflects the status and role of women in overcoming difficulties, defeating demons and reproducing in the ancient Xibo people.
The legend of Sipu Clangue.
Legend has it that Sapu Clang Er - Guarjia's, is a patriotic general at the end of the Qing Dynasty, he had led the flag soldiers to fight against the invasion of imperialism. Because of the corruption of the Qing government, foreign compromise and surrender, he was empty of ambition, only to put his heart and soul in public service. He and the Hui patriotic general Zuo Bao Gui and other places in Shenyang to build bridges, roads, in the disaster year for the poor people to give porridge to solve the problem and so on. The people all know the color of the Lord to do good things for the people, respect him. It is said that his family lives in Shenyang city Xinchengzi district Yin hometown Xiaoyingzi village, the local people still circulate his story.
The legend of intermarriage between Sikhs and Han Chinese.
Flag people do not intermarry, is the Qing dynasty on the eight banners of Manchuria people stipulated the decree, into the eight banners of Manchuria in the Siberian people must also comply with this decree. Legend has it that at the end of the Qing Dynasty, a famous Xibo girl rode a horse to hunt, fell into the water due to horse fright, was rescued by a Han Chinese young man, and since then the two fell in love, but the girl's father is a flag general, not allowed to intermarry between the two communities, forcing their daughters to drink a big smoke soup to die. The Han Chinese young man arrived, opened the girl's coffin to look, see the girl is not dead, there is gas, they secretly back home to recuperate. After the two fled to another country, tied for a hundred years. The legend reflects the Xibo resistance to the old system, national unity and mutual integration.