The migration to Sichuan, including today's Sichuan province and Chongqing municipality, has been ongoing since prehistoric times. Various movements have occurred throughout its ancient history, despite the region's geographical isolation and mountainous surroundings. The most notable migration movement is "Huguang filling Sichuan" (Chinese: 湖广填四川) during 17th to 18th century, which shaped the modern population and ethnicity makeup of Sichuan[1].
History
editPre Qin rule
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The exact origins of Sichuan's early inhabitants remain uncertain, but it is thought that some migrated through the mountainous areas around the basin, while others might have already lived there for a period before settling in Sichuan. This mainly consist of two routes, one from the edge of Tibetan Plateau[2] through western mountains, and the other from the plains of downstream of the Yangtze River went upstream via the Three Gorges[3]. Their settlement in Sichuan could date back approximately 5000 to 7000 years ago[4]. Cancong (Chinese: 蚕丛), one of the earliest legendary figures in Shu mythology, was said to have hailed from the mountains west of the Chengdu Plain[5].
Migrants from the east and west respectively developed the Ba and Shu cultures after entering Sichuan. This was not until Qin occupied Sichuan and overthrew the governance of local regimes, including Ba and Shu. After annexed by Qin, Ba and Shu people started to move out from Sichuan Basin. The majority of the Shu populace, including nobles and commoners, decided to migrate south[1], with the furthest branch reached what is now northern Vietnam, where Shu's prince Thục Phán established the kingdom of Âu Lạc[6]. As for the Ba people, some moved to the mountains, while the remaining population was gradually assimilated by the Han Chinese. This significant outflow of native Sichuan people emptied the region's population.
After Qin rule
editAfter seeing the considerable decline of population in Sichuan,
Mongol conquest of China
editZhang Xianzhong and Huguang tian Sichuan
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Impacts
editLanguage
editCulture
editNotes and references
edit- ^ a b 谭红, ed. (2006). 巴蜀移民史 (in Chinese). 四川出版集团・巴蜀书社. ISBN 978-7-80659-809-2.
- ^ "茂汶羌族自治县石棺发掘报告". 考古学报 (2). 1973.
- ^ "巴渝文物古迹巡礼·地下文物篇 巫山县大溪遗址 - 重庆考古". cqkaogu.com. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ 陈德安 (2007). "古蜀文明与周边各文明的关系" (PDF). 中华文化论坛.
- ^ 蒙默, ed. (1989). 四川古代史稿 (in Chinese). 四川人民出版社.
- ^ "華陽國志/卷三 - 维基文库，自由的图书馆". zh.wikisource.org (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-05-17.