Qiang People Research Articles

HISTORICAL EVOLUTION AND INNOVATIVE DESIGN OF QIANG COSTUMES

Рurpose. This paper analyzes the evolution process and cultural connotation of Qiang costume form, discusses the application form of Qiang costume elements in modern clothing design, and provides a theoretical basis for the innovative design of national costumes. Methodology. The field research method, literature analysis method, and case study method are used to analyze the evolution process, cultural connotation, and design application of Qiang costumes. Results. By studying the development process and style design changes of the Qiang costumes, it is concluded that its unique cultural connotation and design characteristics are closely related to the social characteristics, production methods and religious beliefs of the Qiang people. It is the materialized expression of the Qiang people's world outlook and national psychology. It reveals the reasons for the change of the Qiang costume modelling and proposes the method of using ethnic elements in modern costume design. Scientific novelty. This paper studies the development process of Qiang costume shape from the perspective of design, history, ethnology and anthropology, and puts forward that Qiang costume is the materialized expression form of local people 's world outlook, values and aesthetics, and clarifies that the change of Qiang costume shape is influenced by religious culture and Han-Tibetan culture. Suggestions are made in the form of integration of national costume elements with modern clothing design. Practical significance. The Qiang costume has been fused with other ethnic cultures in the course of historical changes, which is both inherited and changed, which is very inspiring to modern costume design. Digging deeper into the cultural connotation and design language of Qiang costume, so that it can innovate the design method and explore the design carrier while inheriting the national culture, so as to provide reference for the creation of a costume design that can embody both the traditional Chinese culture and the sense of the times.

Qiang Costumes in Maoxian, Sichuan Province: The Revival of Chinese Minority Identity for Application in Design

The purpose of this investigation was to fulfill three objectives: (1) to study the characteristics, connotations and reflected history and social development of Qiang costumes; (2) to study and analyze the cultural identity of Qiang Costumes for development into local products and (3) to design products inspired by Qiang Costumes in Maoxian County, Sichuan. The focus community was the Qiang people in Maoxian County, Sichuan Province, with the research population including local government workers, product sellers, design experts, and target consumers. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined qualitative and quantitative methodologies, the researchers gathered data through surveys, interviews, observations, and questionnaires. Results show that Qiang fabrics in Maoxian County are characterized by a number of local patterns, including fire, clouds, and flowers. These are incorporated into a rich and distinctive ethnic clothing identity. The researchers designed five everyday items based on the symbolism of Qiang clothing: a keychain, tableware, a bookmark, a fridge magnet, and a phone case. A questionnaire distributed to the target group found that the general level of consumer satisfaction with the products was at a very good level (x = 4.83). This investigation provides invaluable insights into the interplay between cultural preservation and economic development, highlighting the crucial role of integrating traditional Qiang culture into modern product design strategies.

A Brief Analysis of the Symbolic Significance and Cultural Continuity of Qiang Horn Flower Pattern

Based on Freud's theory, this paper discusses the symbolism of the Qiang horn flower pattern in Chinese Qiang embroidery and cultural continuity. The Qiang horn flower pattern is an iconic cultural symbol of the Chinese Qiang people's worship of nature, their hopes for life ideals and their desire for their life reproduction, which is in line with Freud's theory of life instinct. In Chinese Qiang embroidery, the crochet Qiang horn flower pattern is a symbol of the Qiang culture, an expression of deep knowledge of nature and humanism. During the evolution of the times, the Qiang people have skillfully applied the theory of defence mechanism proposed by Freud, and through personalized and modernized artistic innovation, made the embroidery pattern of the Chinese Qiang people realize the sublimation and regeneration on the basis of maintaining the traditional symbols. Faced with modern cultural influences, the Qiang horn flower pattern in Chinese embroidery shows a strong psychological defence mechanism and cultural regenerative ability, so that the Qiang cultural genes can be expanded and inherited with the changing times. The research of this paper not only reveals the profound symbolic meaning and psychodynamic display of Qiang horn flower pattern in Chinese embroidery, but also shows its indispensable core status and lasting influence in Chinese Qiang cultural vein, providing some theoretical insights and practical revelations for research on intangible cultural heritage protection and inheritance.

A forensic population database of autosomal STR and X-STR markers in the Qiang ethnic minority of China

The Qiang ethnic group is one of the oldest ethnic groups in China and is the most active ethnic group among all the populations along the Tibetan-Yi corridor. They have had a profound impact nationally and internationally. The paternal and maternal genetic feature of the Qiang ethnic group has been revealed, leaving the question of the genetic characteristics from autosomes and X chromosome not answered. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of 36 A-STR (Microreader™ 36A ID System) and 19 X-STR (Microreader™ 19X System) for application in the Qiang population and to elucidate their genetic diversity in southwest China. The cumulative probability of exclusion (CPE) for autosomal STRs is 1–1.3814 × 10−15 and the mean paternity exclusion chance (MEC) for X-STRs is 1–1.7323 × 10−6. Forensic parameters suggest that the STRs analyzed here are well-suited for forensic applications. The results of phylogenetic, interpopulation differentiation, and principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) indicate that the Qiang people have extensive connections with ethnic minorities in China, supporting the view that the Qiang people are the oldest group in the entire Sino-Tibetan language family. The Qiang appeared genetically more associated with most ethnic groups in China, especially the Han. The calculation of random matching probability (RMP) was improved by Fst correction of allele frequencies to make RMP more accurate and reasonable. This study can fill in the gaps in the Qiang STR reference database, providing valuable frequency data for forensic applications and evidence for the Qiang's genetic pattern as an important ancestral position in the Sino-Tibetan populations.

Fabric Icons: The Impact of Traditional Costume Patterns on Ethnic Identity of the Sichuan Qiang Community

This is a comprehensive study focused on the symbolic significance of traditional costume patterns in the Qiang community of Sichuan. Recognizing culture as the soul of an ethnic group, this study sheds light on how these traditional costume patterns visually represent the Qiang ethnic culture and portray their tenacity and character. Utilizing systematic research into these visually striking patterns, which form a graphical system, this study offers a truthful depiction of the rich cultural heritage of the Qiang people. The paper discloses how a deeper understanding of these traditional costume patterns can enhance the Qiang community's understanding and appreciation of their indigenous culture and nurture a strong sense of ethnic identity. Engaging with these patterns is not merely an act of cultural preservation but also serves as a potent tool to consolidate unity within the community. By revealing the interplay between traditional costume design and cultural identity, this study contributes to the broader discourse on ethnic studies, cultural preservation, and anthropological design. This research provides an insightful perspective for cultural and social anthropologists, designers, and those interested in ethnic cultures and their visual representations.

Blood Service in a Region of China's Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to describe blood services in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Regions, (hereinafter referred to as Aba Prefecture), a region of China's Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the third largest area of Tibet and the main inhabited area of the Qiang people. Design: We present a comprehensive investigation into blood donations, donors, screening and supply in the 13 counties of Aba Prefecture based on data from 2013 to 2018. Geography and population were also used to analyze the differences in blood services among different regions. Participants: The number of blood donors totaled 19,047. Results: Over the past 6 years, blood donations have increased by 29 and clinical blood usage by 45%. The blood donation rate was 3.4‱ and per capita blood use was 1.04 mL, both of which were significantly lower than the national average, and blood donation decreased with altitude. It should be noted that the donation rate of the Tibetan and Qiang peoples is much lower than that of the Han population. Moreover, the rejection rate of blood in laboratory testing was found to be higher than the national average, especially in counties located at higher altitudes. Conclusions: Blood donations and usage increased every year in Aba Prefecture, but blood shortage is still an important issue. In addition, the prevalence of transfusion-transmitted diseases is relatively high, which may be linked to lower-education and unfavorable geographical and medical conditions.

Genetic admixture history and forensic characteristics of Tibeto-Burman-speaking Qiang people explored via the newly developed Y-STR panel and genome-wide SNP data

Fine-scale patterns of population genetic structure and diversity of ethnolinguistically diverse populations are important for biogeographical ancestry inference, kinship testing, and development and validation of new kits focused on forensic personal identification. Analyses focused on forensic markers and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data can provide new insights into the origin, admixture processes, and forensic characteristics of targeted populations. Qiang people had a large sample size among Tibeto-Burmanspeaking populations, which widely resided in the middle latitude of the Tibetan Plateau. However, their genetic structure and forensic features have remained uncharacterized because of the paucity of comprehensive genetic analyses. Here, we first developed and validated the forensic performance of the AGCU-Y30 Y-short tandem repeats (STR) panel, which contains slowly and moderately mutating Y-STRs, and then we conducted comprehensive population genetic analyses based on Y-STRs and genome-wide SNPs to explore the admixture history of Qiang people and their neighbors. The validated results of this panel showed that the new Y-STR kit was sensitive and robust enough for forensic applications. Haplotype diversity (HD) ranging from 0.9932 to 0.9996 and allelic frequencies ranging from 0.001946 to 0.8326 in 514 Qiang people demonstrated that all included markers were highly polymorphic in Tibeto-Burman people. Population genetic analyses based on Y-STRs [RST, FST, multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis, neighboring-joining (NJ) tree, principal component analysis (PCA), and median-joining network (MJN)] revealed that the Qiang people harbored a paternally close relationship with lowland Tibetan-Yi corridor populations. Furthermore, we conducted a comprehensive population admixture analysis among modern and ancient Eurasian populations based on genome-wide shared SNPs. We found that the Qiang people were a genetically admixed population and showed closest relationship with Tibetan and Neolithic Yellow River farmers. Admixture modeling showed that Qiang people shared the primary ancestry related to Tibetan, supporting the hypothesis of common origin between Tibetan and Qiang people from North China.

Three-Dimensional Laser Scanning Technology Assisted Investigation and Extraction of Human Bone Information in Archaeological Sites at Shenna Ruins, China

Three-dimensional laser scanning technology can be used to quickly, efficiently, and accurately obtain spatial three-dimensional information of cultural relics without contacting the target during the scanning process. The results of this study showed that the extraction of human bones from the Shenna ruins via the auxiliary application of three-dimensional scanning technology reduced human intervention and destruction on the site compared with the traditional archaeological human bone packaging and extraction work method. When combined with the application of three-dimensional scanning technology, the original data information extracted on the spot were more comprehensive and accurate. Additionally, the technology provided us with important scientific data which can be used to discuss the phylogenetic composition of the ancient Qiang people in the settlement village, as well as a new applications of ideas for three-dimensional laser scanning technology usage in the field extraction of cultural relics. However, a follow-up study is needed to improve the comparisons of its applications, providing a conventional auxiliary means for cultural relic extraction and a technical means for cultural relic protection evaluation.

후한(後漢)의 군사사상에 관한 연구

This study attempted to more objectively investigate the military thought of the Later Han(後漢) through analysis of the view of war and way of conducting war, using the latter era as the main scope. The rule of Letters(文治), which focuses on studying abroad in Gwangmu(光武帝), helped to implement a gentle foreign policy, and domestic policies such as reducing taxes by avoiding war contributed to stabilizing the people. However, the fundamentally his war-hating Confucian ideas weakened the frontier’s military power along with the change in the military system, such as eliminating the standing army of local forces, resulting in his successors failing to adequately cope with external invasions. Later Han, whose local military power weakened, failed to respond appropriately to the rebellion of the Qiang people (羌族), and the prolonged war led to the deterioration of the rod, armaments, and finances, leading to generous self-decline. The Qianfulun(『潛夫論』) severely criticizes the rulers of the generosity, and shows the characteristics of military thought that the importance of force is dominated by Confucian ideas. In particular, it is legal to find the essence of war victory or defeat in the importance of general and military capabilities, or to find desirable general in military expertise rather than virtue(德). In the Later Han period, Confucian political ideology dominated society, but in the reality that the invasion of the immigrants continued, some Confucian scholars were arguing for military ideas that value force. If the Earlier Han(前漢) was an era of introducing Confucian governance on the legacy of Jin’s legal governance, it could be said that the Later Han was rather an era of supplementing the Confucian governance with the legal governance method.(National Defense University)

Rescuing Rhythm: Preserving the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Qiang People in the Wake of the Great Sichuan Earthquake

Rescuing Rhythm: Preserving the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Qiang People in the Wake of the Great Sichuan Earthquake

Entrepreneurs of the National Past: The Discourse of Ethnic Indigeneity and Indigenous Cultural Writing in China

AbstractThis article probes a long-overlooked concept in modern China—ethnic indigeneity—to propose new ways of looking at the relationship between the Chinese nation and its multiethnic minority groups. The Western scholarly community has long held that because the Chinese state uses the Marxist-tainted term shaoshu minzu (ethnic minorities) as the official designation for the non-Han people, the concept of indigeneity is irrelevant to understanding China and its ethnic diversity. This article investigates how reform-era China has witnessed the emergence of an indigenous cultural consciousness exhibited by the non-Han people such as the Qiang people from southwest China. The article argues that minority groups like the Qiang are enthusiastic about “enterprising” their ethnic identities by writing minority histories into the foundational myths of a multiethnic, unified China and challenging the historical hierarchy of the “civilized” Han center and its “uncultured” non-Han peripheries. By analyzing locally produced scholarly and touristic discourses, ethnocultural writing, and filming efforts in southwest China, the article proposes that “indigeneity” entails the interactive processes for a minority group to carve out its cultural, economic, and political spaces of creative belonging within the state by conversing with national narratives and contending for the epistemological authority to represent itself in multiethnic China.

Confidence Charms: How Superstition Influences Overconfidence Bias in Han and the Qiang Ethnic Minority Chinese

The overconfidence effect is a cognitive bias in which individuals’ subjective confidence in their judgements is greater than their actual performance. Extending beyond a range of contributing factors in the emergence of the overconfidence bias, the present research examines whether superstition, an under-explored yet important factor, can influence people’s perceived level of confidence. Drawing on previous findings regarding the consequences of superstitions, we propose that activating the good-luck-related superstitions can increase overconfidence in one’s judgment. Specifically, Experiments 1 and 2 show that Chinese Han student and non-student participants, who were activated by different types of superstitions, displayed a higher level of overconfidence than those in the absence of superstition. Experiment 3 fully replicated the causal effect of superstition beliefs on the heightened overconfidence bias in a traditional population of Chinese Qiang people. Moreover, Experiments 1 through 3 consistently show that self-efficacy mediates the relationship between superstition and overconfidence. Taken together, these findings suggest that superstition strengthens people’s belief in their own performance ability, which in turn boosts overconfidence.

A Study on the Architectural Decoration System of Qiang Nationality Based on Symbolism Theory—A Case Study of Muka Qiang Village in Li County

As a nationality without written language, the Qiang nationality had developed up to now with its own architectural characteristics, national culture and religious belief, which is of great research value . Because the Qiang people are located in a relatively closed area, so far they had been able to retain the original architectural features and show their unique architectural features, especially the symbolic symbols with national characteristics in architectural decoration, which express some specific meanings in the Qiang people’s architecture. The current research on the architecture of Muka Qiang is lack of the symbolism analysis of its architecture. The architectural decoration system of the Muka Qiang village was analyzed based on the theory of symbolism. This paper mainly takes the Muka Qiang village in Li County as an example, analyzes the architectural decoration system of the Muka Qiang village based on the theory of symbolism, include belief and symbolism meanings, and explores its value, including the inheritance of architectural skills and culture, in for the diversified development of China’s architectural culture.

Genetic polymorphisms and phylogenetic analyses of the Ü-Tsang Tibetan from Lhasa based on 30 slowly and moderately mutated Y-STR loci

As a result of the expansion of old Tibet on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Tibetans diverged into three main branches, Ü-Tsang, Amdo, and Kham Tibetan. Ü-Tsang Tibetans are geographically distributed across the wide central and western portions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau while Lhasa is the central gathering place for Tibetan culture. The AGCU Y30, a 6-dye fluorescence kit including 30 slowly and moderately mutated Y-STR loci, has been validated for its stability and sensitivity in different biomaterials and diverse Chinese populations (Han and other minorities), and widely used in the practical work of forensic science. However, the 30 Y-STR profiling of Tibetan, especially for Ü-Tsang Tibetan, were insufficient. We utilized the AGCU Y30 to genotype 577 Ü-Tsang Tibetan unrelated males from Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to fill up the full and accurate Y-STR profiles. A total of 552 haplotypes were observed, 536 (97.10%) of which were unique. One hundred and ninety-four alleles were observed at 26 single copy loci and the allelic frequencies ranged from 0.0017 to 0.8180. For the two multi-copy loci DYS385a/b and DYS527a/b, 64 and 36 allelic combinations were observed, respectively. The gene diversity (GD) values ranged from 0.3079 at DYS391 to 0.9142 at DYS385a/b and the overall haplotype diversity (HD) was 0.9998, and its discrimination capacity (DC) was 0.9567. The population genetic analyses demonstrated that Lhasa Ü-Tsang Tibetan had close relationships with other Tibetan populations from Tibet and Qinghai, especially with Ü-Tsang Tibetan. From the perspective of Y haplogroups, the admixture of the southward Qiang people with dominant haplogroup O-M122 and the northward migrations of the initial settlers of East Asia with haplogroup D-M175 hinted the Sino-Tibetan homologous, thus, we could not ignore the gene flows with other Sino-Tibetan populations, especially for Han Chinese, to characterize the forensic genetic landscape of Tibetan.

Research on the Current Situation and Promotion Strategy of Qiang Embroidery Inheritance in Qiang Village of Xiuxi Based on the Perspective of Living Inheritance

Living inheritance not only refers to the inheritance of key skills, but also relates to the prosperity and growth of the entire Qiang culture. Qiang embroidery is the material carrier of the traditional skills of the Qiang people. Xiuxi Qiang Village is a typical pure Qiang Village. Qiang embroidery flourishes here, but it also faces many problems, such as low recognition by villagers and insufficient policy support. This article understands the current situation of Qiang embroidery development and the problems faced by collating the existing literature, and proposes to promote the regional economy, build the material basis for inheritance, realize the reconstruction of inheritance concepts, strengthen publicity and brand building, the construction of cultural service facilities, and the development of talents. In this way, it promotes the double prosperity and development of Qiang embroidery and local culture and economy of Qiang Village in Xiuxi.

Mixed-method study on medicinal herb collection in relation to wildlife conservation: the case of giant pandas in China.

Medicinal herb collection has historical and cultural roots in many rural communities in developing countries. Areas where herb collection occurs may overlap with biodiversity hotspots and crucial habitat of endangered and threatened species. However, impacts of such practices on wildlife are unknown and possibly underestimated, perhaps due to the elusive nature of such activities. We examined this phenomenon in Wolong Nature Reserve, China, a protected area in the South-Central China biodiversity hotspot that also supports a community of Tibetan, Qiang and Han people who use herb collection as a supplementary source of livelihood. We adopted a participatory approach in which we engaged local people in outlining spatial and temporal dynamics of medicinal herb collection practices. We found that the overall spatial extent of herb collection increased in the past two decades. We then overlaid herb collection maps with localities of giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) feces collected over two time points in the reserve. Using a Bayesian parameter estimation, we found evidence for declined giant panda occurrence in the areas most recently impacted by emerging medicinal herb collection. Our methodology demonstrates the potential power of integrating participatory approaches with quantitative methods for processes like herb collection that may be difficult to examine empirically. We discuss future directions for improving explanatory power and addressing uncertainty in this type of mixed-method, interdisciplinary research. This work has implications for future attempts to understand whether and how prevalent but subtle human activities may affect wildlife conservation.

Research on Spatial Morphology of Traditional Settlements Based on Spatial Syntax—A Case Study of Xiuxi Village, Li County, Sichuan Province

The protection of traditional settlements mainly focuses on the spatial morphology. For the previous research methodology, it tends to make analysis through qualitative methods rather than quantitative methods. Taking Xiuxi Village, Li County, Sichuan Province as an example, this paper studies the spatial morphology and actual space of the traditional settlement of the Qiang people, refines and analyzes its spatial elements, obtains the overall spatial structure characteristics of the traditional Qiang settlement, so as to verify the feasibility of spatial syntax in the protection and renewal of the spatial morphology in the traditional Qiang settlement, and propose a specific case for the spatial morphological research of traditional Qiang settlement by the using of a quantitative analysis method.

Summary of the Present Situation of Inheritance of Qiang Dance in Pre-School Education

The Qiang Nationality has a long history and forms a dance form rich in lively rhythm, beats and heroic dance postures in the long process of its development. As a member of the Chinese traditional dance culture, and affected by Qiang Nationality's no written language, the Qiang dance can only be inherited by means of oral or mental instruction. Therefore, its inheritance has already been in crisis with the Qiang people's gradually going out of the national and geographical restrictions. At this time, teaching Qiang dance in the pre-school education can achieve the purpose of cultivating the traditional dance feelings of Qiang Nationality from the early childhood, thus making the children become inheritor and disseminator of Qiang culture. At the present stage, many scholars in our country have explored the inheritance of Qiang dance in pre-school education, and have reached certain research results. After clarifying the internal and external influencing factors of the Qiang dance and its inheritance, this paper summarizes the existing research results mainly from the two aspects including the problems of Qiang dance inheritance existing in the pre-school education and its application to the inheritance strategy.

A Study on the Control and Guidance Strategy of the Diaolou Style Building of Qiang People Based on Behavioral Analysis

Diaolou style building is an important residential building of Qiang people. In recent years, Qiang people’s own cultural identities and behavioral awareness have transformed. Due to the lack of attention to the inheritance of original architectural style and the absence of a detailed scientific protection of the landscape, the architectural style of Diaolou style building gradually loses its vitality. It is difficult to control and guide it effectively. And tourism economy which enjoys a direct link with the architecture has been confined to further development. From the perspective of behavioral science, this study innovatively analyzes the Diaolou style building of Qiang people by combining the methodology of Lew in metal of behavior and Analytic Hierarchy Process. Firstly, 32 symbols are chosen as Diaolou architectural style factors from the selection of more than 100 Diaolou architectural decorative symbols. Then by measuring their weight coefficients through the Analytic Hierarchy Process, eight main style factors have been screened out. After field research, we analyze the actual use of the style factors of the six typical villages such as Gina. On this basis, this paper analyzes the behavioral factors of Diaolou style building of Qiang people, deconstructs its use and puts forward a concept which takes style control as a guidance and behavior guidance as a strategy to protect and develop Diaolou style building of Qiang people. It is also proposed that a control and guidance strategy of inheritance and development of Qiang Diaolou architectural style, including master the influencing factors as a whole, follow the principle of people-oriented, compound function, dynamic development and highlighting national aesthetics, based on its style system, and grasp the trend of architectural style, etc. The study provides an effective guarantee for the further development of rural tourism, and a necessary theoretical and technical guidance for the government to adopt targeted steps.

The excavation of the Dadianshan Cemetery in Changning, Yunan

AbstractIn 2012, 198 burials were excavated in the Dadianshan Cemetery site in Changning County, Yunnan. The striking differences in burial structure and grave goods of these burials suggest that the cemetery was used by two different ethnic groups. The structure of the burials can be classified into earthen cave burials, earthen pit burials and urn burials. The first type has never been seen in the Bronze Age archaeology of Yunnan. They yielded rich assemblage of grave goods predominantly comprising bronze artifacts, the main types of which were sabers, spearheads, bracelets, yue-battle axes, swords, buckles, etc. They were likely associated with the ancient Ailao people of the late Spring-and-Autumn to late Warring-States Periods. The second burial type was prevalent in Bronze Age Yunnan. These burials yielded small number of or no grave goods. In addition to bronze, the grave goods assemblage also comprised of iron, bimetallic, stone and pottery artifacts. They were likely associated with the Di and Qiang people during the mid Warring-States Period to the late Western Han Dynasty.