大吉岭（尼泊尔语: दार्जीलिङ；英语：Darjeeling；藏语：rDo-rje gling）位于东经88度15分47秒、北纬27度2分30秒，是印度西孟加拉邦的一座小城，大吉岭区的首府，位于喜马拉雅山麓的西瓦力克山脉，中印间界，平均海拔为2,134米。为什么我会忽然提起这个地方呢？你不觉得这个名字听起来似曾相识？我问过我的印度同事，问他这个名字在他们的语言里是什么意思，他也承认这不属于他们的语言。我告诉他这是中文。那么为什么印度的土地会有一个中文名字呢？想就知道了，原来这块土地显然应该属于中国，都是英国人搞的鬼，他们强画的麦克马洪线，把这个原本属于中国的土地生生地画进了印度的版图。英国人对印度人特别好？不是啦，那时印度是他们的殖民地，他们出入印度比在他们自己的国家更方便，而且他们从没想过有一天印度会独立，他们原以为这块土地永远会属于他们，这样您就明白了吧，对了，他们是为他们自己霸占这块土地的。那为什么英国人单单对这块土地情有独钟呢？原因也很简单，这里地理条件优越，气候宜人，尤其适合茶叶的生长，是世界著名的茶乡，闻名于世的大吉岭红茶即诞生于此。早期人们把茶种由福建带来这里，并在这里繁殖成功。尽管现在中国的影响在逐渐地淡去，当地居民中也鲜少再看见中国人的身影，然而当地的主食馍馍（一种将猪肉，牛肉和蔬菜包在面皮里制作的蒸饺，放在汤里）和带汤的面条以及邻此皆比的中餐馆还在默默地诉说着这段历史的哀伤。
Darjeeling, a town in the Indian state of West Bengal, is internationally famous for its tea industry and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the headquarters of Darjeeling district, located in the Mahabharat Range or Lesser Himalaya，along the border in between China and India, at an average elevation of 6,710 ft (2,050 m). Why mention the name? Is it a familiar sounding name to you (Chinese)? I asked my Indian colleague whether the name has meaning in their languages and he answered no. I told him that the name is of Chinese origin. How did it come to be that a place with a Chinese name is located in India? The answer is simple. It used to belong to China. The illegal McMahon line (British), which is not recognized by the Government of China even until today, forcibly removed the territory from China and ‘presented’ to India. Why were they so nice to Indian? That is because last time India was their colony. They went in and out India even more easily than in their own land, never thinking that one day India would become independent. They thought India would belong to them forever. Now you understand. Right, they did this for themselves. What made them so interested in this place? Because of the location and the wonderful weather, it’s suitable for tea growing. The world famous Darjeeling tea is just from here. In the early days, people brought the seed of tea from Fujian China to Darjeeling and started the tea plantation. Although now the Chinese influence is becoming weaker, and Chinese are seldom seen here, The main food momo (again sounds familiar? a steamed dumpling containing meat cooked in a doughy wrapping and served with clear soup), soup noodle and Chinese restaurants still remind us of this painful history.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
The missing Huns / 远去的匈奴
匈奴是中国历史上另一个强大的国家，曾经驰骋在现今的蒙古大草原。然而这个曾经令汉人无比头痛的民族却在一夜之间消失得无影无踪，史书上始终找不到关于他们迁移的记载，只是提到在他们消失了四百年后，东欧草原突然出现了被称作‘Hun’的人，中国史书称之为匈人，然而这匈人是否就是匈奴人，他们与匈牙利人有没有关系？如果是的话，在那杳无音信的四百年内他们究竟去了哪里？为什么在他们一路迁徙过程中竟没有一个国家的历史提到他们？为什么西方学者把他们称作‘Hun’?为什么他们的称呼如此接近我们？（西方人称我们为‘Han’）是因为西方人觉得他们像是东方人，而唯一的他们所知道的东方人就是汉(han)的原因吗？还是在他们自己的语言中匈奴的发音就是‘Hun’？抑或他们与匈奴根本毫不相干，他们的族名用他们自己的语言说来就是Hun？如果他们跟匈奴毫无关系，那他们有来自哪里？他们到底是谁？
Xiongnu （匈奴）is another powerful country in Chinese history. It used to occupy the Mongolian grassland. But this powerful group of people who used to create lots of headaches for our Han （汉,dominant race in China）, mysteriously disappeared overnight. There is not a single trace left in the history books. After 400 years, suddenly there was a group called the Huns who appeared on the East Europe prairie. Chinese history books called them 匈 and now the majority of the scholars worldwide believe they are Xiongnu. Are they really Xiongnu(匈奴)? Or could they relate to todays’s Hungarians? If yes, where were they within that 400 years? How come when they migrated from northern China to Eastern Europe, having passed through so many countries, there is not even one mentioned in their history books? Why do western scholars call them the ‘Hun’? How come it’s so close to our name Han (汉)? Is this because they looked like eastern people and the only eastern group the western people knew at that time was Han? Or perhaps it was just the way in which they addressed themselves? Or maybe they were not Xiongnu at all, Hun was the name translated by the sound of their own language? If they are not Xiongnu, who are they? Where were they from?
Xiongnu （匈奴）is another powerful country in Chinese history. It used to occupy the Mongolian grassland. But this powerful group of people who used to create lots of headaches for our Han （汉,dominant race in China）, mysteriously disappeared overnight. There is not a single trace left in the history books. After 400 years, suddenly there was a group called the Huns who appeared on the East Europe prairie. Chinese history books called them 匈 and now the majority of the scholars worldwide believe they are Xiongnu. Are they really Xiongnu(匈奴)? Or could they relate to todays’s Hungarians? If yes, where were they within that 400 years? How come when they migrated from northern China to Eastern Europe, having passed through so many countries, there is not even one mentioned in their history books? Why do western scholars call them the ‘Hun’? How come it’s so close to our name Han (汉)? Is this because they looked like eastern people and the only eastern group the western people knew at that time was Han? Or perhaps it was just the way in which they addressed themselves? Or maybe they were not Xiongnu at all, Hun was the name translated by the sound of their own language? If they are not Xiongnu, who are they? Where were they from?
Mysterious Xixia / 神秘的西夏
西夏是中国历史上的一个王朝，曾经强大一时，但被成吉思汗所领导的蒙古大军所消灭。党项人是他们的主导民族。党项是羌人的一支，现已基本上被蒙古人所杀。当时党项最强大的一个部落为拓跋氏，奇怪的是鲜卑人中最强大的其中一支也为拓跋氏。这两个拓跋部落究竟是一回事还是毫不相干，只是由于音译的关系才凑巧相同的呢？要知道这两个种群的起源地相去甚远，鲜卑起源于大兴安岭地区的鲜卑山，活跃于西伯利亚一代；而羌人则起源于四川，后来其中的一支也就是党项羌才移居到今天的宁夏一代建立起了不可一世的西夏王朝。那为什么那么巧两个完全不搭界的民族会同时拥有‘拓跋’这个部落呢？
Xixia (西夏) is one of the dynasties in Chinese history. It used to be very powerful, but in the end was diminished by the Mongolian army led by Genghis Khan. Dangxiang (党项）was the dominant race at that time. Dangxiang is one branch of Qiang (羌), now basically all killed by the Mongolians. One of the biggest tribe of Dangxiang was Tuoba (拓跋). Now comes the strangest thing. One of the strongest tribe among Sibe (鲜卑）was also Tuoba. Are these two Tuoba tribes related or do they not have any connection at all? Is it definitely the same Chinese Kanji or has the meaning been lost in poor translation? These two groups of people were extremely far apart. Sibe was originated from Daxinganling’s Mount Xianbei, and had been basically active in the Siberian area. Qiang was originated from the Province of Sichuan. After that one branch of Qiang, Dangxiang, migrated to today’s Ningxia area, and set up their powerful Xixia dynasty. What made these two different groups of people belonged to different tribes under the same name?
Xixia (西夏) is one of the dynasties in Chinese history. It used to be very powerful, but in the end was diminished by the Mongolian army led by Genghis Khan. Dangxiang (党项）was the dominant race at that time. Dangxiang is one branch of Qiang (羌), now basically all killed by the Mongolians. One of the biggest tribe of Dangxiang was Tuoba (拓跋). Now comes the strangest thing. One of the strongest tribe among Sibe (鲜卑）was also Tuoba. Are these two Tuoba tribes related or do they not have any connection at all? Is it definitely the same Chinese Kanji or has the meaning been lost in poor translation? These two groups of people were extremely far apart. Sibe was originated from Daxinganling’s Mount Xianbei, and had been basically active in the Siberian area. Qiang was originated from the Province of Sichuan. After that one branch of Qiang, Dangxiang, migrated to today’s Ningxia area, and set up their powerful Xixia dynasty. What made these two different groups of people belonged to different tribes under the same name?
Sunday, March 7, 2010
消失的鲜卑 / The Lost Sibe
我喜欢研究民族，尤其是那些已经消失了的民族。他们是谁？现在他们到底去了哪里？我们跟他们到底有没有联系？他们究竟还有没有后人？这些问题一直困扰着我，很想知道其究竟。鲜卑人就是其中的一个。
我总觉得一个人如果来过这个世上，就不免会留下一些足迹，更何况是一个民族。鲜卑人（Sibe)，从现在的地名不难看出一些端倪。在俄语中--ria的意思就是--的地方。顾名思义，就是Sibe人也就是我们所说的鲜卑人的地方，而且，了解历史的人也一定知道鲜卑人的确生活在那里。其实西伯利亚是一个很糟糕的翻译，正确的应称为鲜卑利亚。也就是鲜卑人生活的地方，这样就合情合理了。那么他们是不是已经彻底灭绝了，还是留有后人？我想他们中肯定有很多人早已经汉化，或融入其他民族中了。但还有一部分人还保留了原汁原味，他们就是今天的锡伯族。我个人认为锡伯又是一个不太好的音译，我认为他们自称Sibe，所以有些人译作鲜卑，而有些人又把它译作锡伯，因人而异，过去的研究工作实在不发达，大家也只能自己看着办。而Sibe在有的史书中又称为Siwe,中国史料有的译作室韦，也是蒙古人的祖先。这是我们也能看出北方少数民族的一些关联，我猜想鲜卑人在他们失败后有一部分逃到较隐蔽的地方，还保留了自己的族称及大部分的风俗习惯，如今天的锡伯族；但大部分人与其他民族发生了融合，从而形成了新的民族，如今天的蒙古族。
I’m interested in doing research on minority groups, especially those who have already disappeared. Who are they? Where have they gone? Are we related to them? Do they still have offspring? These questions have always puzzled me. I’m extremely keen on finding out. One of them is Sibe.
I believe if a person came to this world, he will definitely leave some trails behind. Let alone a group of them. Even until now, from the name of the place—Siberia, we still can figure out something. –ria in Russian language means the place of --. So Siberia should mean the place of Sibe. It clearly suggests that this place at one time belonged to Sibe. Are they completely distinguished? There’s one minority group in northern China called Sibo. From the name itself, we still can see the links. Sibo was the name given by the Chinese Government in the 1950s. I believe this was due to a lack of expertise and poor translation at the time. (Minority groups have their own languages) This group was also documented in some of the history books as Siwe—ancestors of today’s Mongolian. From here, we are able to see the links in between of some of the northern minority groups of people in China. I think after being defeated, some of the Sibe fled to isolated areas, still keeping their original tribal name and most of their traditions, rather like Sibo today. Some mixed with other tribes and changed their names, like today’s Mongolians.
我总觉得一个人如果来过这个世上，就不免会留下一些足迹，更何况是一个民族。鲜卑人（Sibe)，从现在的地名不难看出一些端倪。在俄语中--ria的意思就是--的地方。顾名思义，就是Sibe人也就是我们所说的鲜卑人的地方，而且，了解历史的人也一定知道鲜卑人的确生活在那里。其实西伯利亚是一个很糟糕的翻译，正确的应称为鲜卑利亚。也就是鲜卑人生活的地方，这样就合情合理了。那么他们是不是已经彻底灭绝了，还是留有后人？我想他们中肯定有很多人早已经汉化，或融入其他民族中了。但还有一部分人还保留了原汁原味，他们就是今天的锡伯族。我个人认为锡伯又是一个不太好的音译，我认为他们自称Sibe，所以有些人译作鲜卑，而有些人又把它译作锡伯，因人而异，过去的研究工作实在不发达，大家也只能自己看着办。而Sibe在有的史书中又称为Siwe,中国史料有的译作室韦，也是蒙古人的祖先。这是我们也能看出北方少数民族的一些关联，我猜想鲜卑人在他们失败后有一部分逃到较隐蔽的地方，还保留了自己的族称及大部分的风俗习惯，如今天的锡伯族；但大部分人与其他民族发生了融合，从而形成了新的民族，如今天的蒙古族。
I’m interested in doing research on minority groups, especially those who have already disappeared. Who are they? Where have they gone? Are we related to them? Do they still have offspring? These questions have always puzzled me. I’m extremely keen on finding out. One of them is Sibe.
I believe if a person came to this world, he will definitely leave some trails behind. Let alone a group of them. Even until now, from the name of the place—Siberia, we still can figure out something. –ria in Russian language means the place of --. So Siberia should mean the place of Sibe. It clearly suggests that this place at one time belonged to Sibe. Are they completely distinguished? There’s one minority group in northern China called Sibo. From the name itself, we still can see the links. Sibo was the name given by the Chinese Government in the 1950s. I believe this was due to a lack of expertise and poor translation at the time. (Minority groups have their own languages) This group was also documented in some of the history books as Siwe—ancestors of today’s Mongolian. From here, we are able to see the links in between of some of the northern minority groups of people in China. I think after being defeated, some of the Sibe fled to isolated areas, still keeping their original tribal name and most of their traditions, rather like Sibo today. Some mixed with other tribes and changed their names, like today’s Mongolians.
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