The interesting thing about "Qi Dan" from a Danish point of view is their name - or rather one of their names - "Qi Dan" and the derived place name "Dan Gård", which is reminiscent of "Dan-mark", their myth that their kings descended from the Xianbei thunder god, and that according to their own tradition and Chinese historians they were related to the Xianbei people from the Chinese migration period, who following classical historians and poets had blue eyes and a "yellow head".
Around the turn of the millennium, Qi Dan created an empire that also included large parts of northern China, including present-day Beijing. They ruled using a so-called dual system, where a ruling people enjoy special privileges and keep themselves ethnically and culturally separate from the general population.
Every government, king, ruling party or other ruler, needs special loyal people, whom they can trust to carry out their decisions, and these people must necessarily have special privileges to ensure their loyalty. In Denmark we have had nobility and civil servants with special privileges and pension schemes.
1. Qi Dan's origin
"Qi Dan" sometimes called themselves "Liao". The Mongols called the country "Khi-tan".
Westerners knew Qi Dan's country as "Cathay" or "Khitai", and the latter gave rise to the name China. The Russians still use the word Khitai for China.
They descended from the "Donghu", which is Chinese and means "the eastern barbarians", as Sima Qian around 100 BC tells about in the "Shiji": "While to the north of Yan lived the Donghu and Shanrong (mountain barbarians), each with its own chiefs. From time to time they had assemblies of a hundred men or so, but no single tribe was able to unite the others under a single rule".
Kingdom of Liao.
"Dong Hu" means "Eastern Hu". As mentioned in previous articles, the term "Hu" implies a barbaric Caucasian appearance with large nose, arched eyebrows, etc.
A people called Qi Dan were first mentioned in the "Wei Shu", "Book of Northern Wei Dynasty", which was written in 507 572 AD. It states: "The country of Qi Dan lies to the east of the country of Kumoxi, and they are two different peoples with the same ancestors". The Northern Wei Dynasty existed from the fourth to the sixth century.
"Danu" is an ancient Indo-European word for river, which can be found in the ancient names of European rivers, such as Danubius for Danube, Danastius for Dniester, Danapris or Danaper for Dnieper, Rodanus for Rhone, and many others.
Stone lion from the Liao Kingdom.
A people who call themselves something with "Dan" thereby reveal an Indo-European origin in the near or distant past.
Qi Dan themselves claimed that they descended from the Tuoba Xianbei and that their kings were of the famous Tuoba royal family. This is partially confirmed by "Wei Shu", which states that Qi Dan descended from the Xianbei people.
The Great Liao Empire has long since disappeared, but the name of the modern Chinese province of Liaoning still bears witness to the Liao people.
Qi Dan also occasionally referred to themselves with the sovereign title: "The Supreme Peace", "Tai Ping" in Chinese. (from "God's Chinese Son"). They undoubtedly thought of themselves as a people born to rule.
In the kingdom of Liao, people seem to have been as fascinated by lions as the Chinese are by dragons. It is natural to imagine that "liao" means lion, as "lion", "l ve", "l we", "leeuw" or "lew" do in known Indo-European languages.
Lion on woven silk carpet from the Liao Kingdom.
Liao can also be found in the document "Hou Hanshu" from the Han Dynasty in the description of the western regions, section 19. Here it is written in a description of the kingdom "Alan-liao": "The Empire of Yan-cai" has changed its name to "The Empire of Alan-Liao". Which shows that the Qi Dan people shared not only language but also their fascination with lions with people in the Western mountains, probably another Xianbei people.
The Qi Dan fascination with lions can be recognized in many historical peoples, not least European - although there have been no lions in Western Europe in historical times. It is tempting to see a cultural connection between the Indo-European tribes around China and the European peoples of the Migration Period.
Lion on medallion from the Liao Kingdom.
In the Dunhuang documents, P. 1283 (in Tibetan) it is said about the language of the Qi Dan people: "In language they (Qi Dan) and Tuyhun could communicate with each other in broad outline", meaning that the languages ??must have been quite closely related to each other, such as Danish and Swedish. Tuyhun was a branch of the Murong Xianbei, and Qi Dan descended from the Tuoba Xianbei according to their own tradition. This indicates that the Xianbei tribes of the Migration Period in present-day Inner Mongolia and northern China mainly spoke the same language. The Xianbei people founded the Wei Dynasty and many other migration states. The Sui and Tang Dynasties sprang from the Xianbei people, who had adopted Chinese culture.
During the Tang Dynasty, the eight peoples of Qi Dan were united under King Kuge. On behalf of the emperor, he waged war against the Turks. He was allowed to bear the imperial family name Li and thus became related to the Tang emperors.
Lions have not lived in Western Europe since before the last ice age, yet European people are also deeply fascinated by lions and have been since ancient times. Royal coats of arms are unthinkable without lions.
From left to right, the royal coats of arms of Scotland, Denmark, England, Norway and Sweden.
In their distant past on the steppe of the Liao River, the Qi Dan people worshipped the Sun, as did so many other peoples. Their original religion also involved sacrificing white horses and gray oxen to their gods. They became devout Buddhists early on.
Originally, the Qi Dan consisted of eight different peoples or tribes. In the last year of the Tang Dynasty, in 907 AD, they were united under King Yelu Abaoji. In 916 AD, he formed the state of Qi Dan. He called himself "Wang", which means king in Chinese. In 947 AD, King Yelu Deguang renamed the country "Liao".
Qi Dan breaks camp. Chinese drawing, unknown origin.
King Abaoji established his capital, Lin Huang, which, alphabetized with English consonants and Italian vowels, would be pronounced "Lin Hwang", in present-day Inner Mongolia.
Yuezhi also used the place name ending -huang as in Dun-huang and Guis-huang. One might think that -huang, -hwang or -vang means pasture, as it does in at least one Indo-European language - or perhaps kingship or something similar.
2. The Kingdom of Liao
Immediately after the Qi Dan nation was unified around 907 AD, King Abaoji began expanding his kingdom. To the north, he subdued the Uyghurs, who then lived in Mongolia.
A Qi Dan king with big nose and big eyes in typical Xianbei dress - One of many decorations on the White Pagoda of Qingzhou in Suoborigasumu Inner Mongolia - Photo Oliverjungle Singapore.
To the east, Qi Dan conquered the countries of Fuyu and Bohai. They were merged into one unit, which was given the name "Dong Dan", meaning "East Dan". In some places it was called the kingdom of "Dong Dan Guo", meaning "East Dangard", since we can alphabetize the expression Guo with English consonants and Danish vowels to "Gj r", as it is pronounced in the name of modern China - which would indicate that the usual original kingdom must have been called "Dan Gj r" meaning "Dangard".
For example, the expression "East Berlin" assumes the existence of an original "Berlin", which is not connected to the compass direction east.
King Abaoji's son Yelu Bei became the first king of East Dan.
King Yelu Abaoji introduced a civil service system inspired by the Chinese mandarin system. As a result, the nobility was pushed aside.
Queen Shulu brought Prince Yelu Deguang to power in 926 AD. He supported a Tang general's efforts to reestablish the Tang Dynasty. In return, the Liao, as they now called themselves, were given the nearby sixteen northeastern Chinese provinces, including present-day Beijing.
This expansion led to open confrontation with Song Dynasty China.
The Song emperor personally led an army against the Liao to reclaim its 16 provinces. However, after a few weeks of fighting against Qi Dan's armored cavalry, the Chinese were utterly defeated, and the emperor himself fled the battle riding a donkey disguised as a poor peasant.
Three Deer eating from a tree. Carved in jade from the Liao dynasty. As in Scandinavian mythology, where four deer, Dain, Dvalin, Dun r and Duratro eat from the leaves of the World Tree Yggdrasil. The absurd idea that some deer walk around in a tree and eat from its leaves is so special that it is difficult to deny that there is a connection. Photo Chinese Internet.
After King Deguang's death, the usurper Yelu Lihu ascended the throne. However, Yelu Ruan took power from the usurper, but he himself was assassinated by a relative.
His successor, Yelu Jing, balanced between the Qi Dan aristocracy and the kingdom's large group of discontented oppressed peoples. King Yelu Jing was assassinated by a servant in 969 AD. After that, General Han Derang ruled as guardian of the Dowager Queen Chengtian and the minor King Yelu Longxu.
The Song rulers sent one army after another against the Liao Tartars, as they called them, but each time they were defeated. The Liao's armored cavalry seemed invincible. The Song Dynasty was unable to win back the disputed provinces.
After many exhausting battles, the two kingdoms concluded a peace treaty in 1004 AD, known as the Treaty of Chanyuan.
Amulet from Princess Chen's tomb made of Baltic amber.
It established that the border between the two kingdoms ran through present-day Hebei Province south of Beijing. This peace lasted for more than a hundred years.
During Yelu Longxu's long reign, the Qi Dan people experienced steady progress. During his time, many beautiful monasteries and pagodas were built, which still stand today. The Qi Dan people and the other peoples of the kingdom were placed under the same law. The conditions of the slaves were improved, so that they became a kind of serfs.
King Yelu Zongzhen and his successor Yelu Hongji struggled with contradictions between the royal house and the nobility and power struggles between queens and mistresses. Queen Xuan-yi was accused of witchcraft. Around 1100 AD, numerous uprisings took place throughout the country.
3. The Qi Dan People's Culture
The wooden pagoda at Fogong Monastery in Shanxi.
A jade figurine from the Liao kingdom shows three deer eating from a tree. This brings to mind the four deer, Dain, Dvalin, Dun r and Duratro, who graze on the World Tree Ygdrasil in Scandinavian mythology. However, the Liao tree is not an ash.
By all accounts, the culture of the Liao kingdom was not inferior to the culture of Song Dynasty China.
The kingdom's founder, King Abaoji, already established an academy in his capital for the education of new officials. His successors established local schools and district schools throughout the country.
The Qi Dan people were Buddhists and perhaps Nestorian Christians. A very large part of the beautiful and unique pagodas and monasteries found in northeastern China were built under the Liao rulers. The wooden pagoda at Fogong Monastery in Shanxi was built under the Liao. It is assembled without a single nail.
Yelu Diela, a brother of a Qi Dan king, constructed a Liao character set to replace the Chinese characters. It is still not understood by historians.
At Suoborigasumu in modern Inner Mongolia is the ruined city of Qingzhou with the White Pagoda.
Qi Dan princesses and queens wrote poems. A man named Yelp Bei had a large book collection in his Wanghaitang castle on top of Mount Xiwulu.
In the Liao kingdom, books circulated, printed with wooden blocks. A well-known Buddhist canon was called "Da Zang Jing" and its successor with more specific Qi Dan content was called "Dan Zang", i.e. "Dan Canon". Here you can see that Qi Dan called themselves "Dan".
As a prelude to the traditional annual royal hunt, the entire court followed the king to the hunting grounds. This tradition was called "nabo".
In what is now Inner Mongolia, a Qi Dan tomb has been found belonging to the princess of Chen, a granddaughter of King Yelu Xian. She died, at the age of 18, in 1018 AD, of mercury poisoning. She was buried with her husband, a Qi Dan nobleman. He died at the age of 35.
On their heads they wore golden crowns of gold and silver. On their faces were gold funerary masks. Their heads rested on silver pillows decorated with gold, and necklaces of amber, pearls, and jade lay on their chests. More than a thousand such artefacts were found in the tomb.
Bodhisattva from the kingdom of Liao. Unknown origin.
Apparently, Qi Dan women were in many ways equal to men. The princess of Chen had her horse harness taken with her to the grave, as well as her bow.
Some Chinese sources believed that Qi Dan had a strong sense of ethnic superiority over other nomadic peoples, over whom they made themselves masters. They considered the subordinate nomadic peoples, perhaps Mongols and Turks, to be something on a par with slaves and draft animals, it is said. Other of their subjects, who were settled peasants, were treated a little better. The Liao people exploited all these different groups without scruples and responded with extreme brutality to any rebellion, these sources said.
It must be said that they probably had their knowledge from the Jurchen people, who under the name of the Manchus later conquered all of China and established themselves as the Qing Dynasty, which held power for several hundred years. They were Qi Dan's former subjects and mortal enemies, and perhaps they were a little biased.
4. The end of the Liao Kingdom
The Jurchen were a tribe that lived in the eastern part of the Liao Kingdom. The Chinese knew them as Nutzen. They later became the Manchus.
During the reign of King Yelu Hongji around 1090 AD, the Jurchen were united under their leader Wanyan Aguda, and they became the most powerful force within the kingdom after the Qi Dan people themselves. The new Jurchen leader refused to perform a traditional dance for King Hongji, which was supposed to symbolize his loyalty to the Liao. The king appointed Aguda as the Prince of Donghuai, but the Jurchen leader would not be bought, and they continued their rebellion.
Qi Dan characters - they are completely different from the Chinese ones.
The Qi Dan nation's frequent name changes must reflect internal disagreements within the country's leadership. Each time a new group came to power, they introduced a new name to show that a completely new era had begun. In 947 AD, King Yelu Abaoji renamed his kingdom "Great Liao". King Liao Yelu Longxi revived the name Qi Dan in 983 AD. In 1066 AD, King Yelu Hongji brought the name Liao back to honor and dignity. As mentioned earlier, they also sometimes called themselves "Taiping", which means "Supreme Peace".
It may have been this internal division that ultimately paralyzed their power and paved the way for their downfall.
Song Dynasty China made a deal with the enemy of their enemy around 1120 AD. They agreed with the Jurchen to wage a two-front war against their common enemy, the Kingdom of Liao.
Before long, the Jurchen were in open rebellion against the Liao kingdom, while the Song Dynasty Chinese were attacking the southern border.
The Song Dynasty armies, as usual, had little success in fighting the Liao's ironclad cavalry. In battle after battle, they were repulsed.
However, in a series of battles in present-day Jilin province, the Jurchens defeated the otherwise invincible Liao cavalry, marking the beginning of the end.
King Yule Yanxi lost his temper and fled into the mountains with only a few family members and servants.
A new king, Yelu Chun, took over the defense of the kingdom. However, he died after a few months and his widow, Queen Xiao, continued the fight. In 1122 AD, she had to surrender the last city, present-day Beijing, to the Jurchens.
In 1125 AD, the Jurchen captured the fugitive King Yule Yanxi in the city of Yingzhou near the White Pagoda, and the Liao kingdom ceased to exist. By then, the Qi Dan nation had existed for 218 years.
5. The Outlaws of the Marsh
A classic Chinese novel is "The Outlaws of the Marsh". It is a collection of tales and legends from the Song and Yan Dynasties, written together by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzong and first published in a roughly collected form in 1541, several years before the first white Europeans arrived in China. The plot describes, among other things, the war between the Chinese and the Liao Tatars. The novel was written during the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), and the plot takes place around 1100 AD.
The Outlaws of the Marsh.
The leader of the outlaws, Song Jiang, was a historical figure mentioned in other documents from the period. Like the famous novel "Three Kingdoms", "The Outlaws of the Marsh" is based on real historical events, but of course with many artistic additions. However, "The Outlaws of the Marsh" has better character portrayals and a more captivating plot. It is actually a really good robber story, which can be compared to "Robin Hood". "Three Kingdoms" seems a bit confusing in comparison, because it mentions so many names of battles, rulers and generals. The Chinese names are, somewhat difficult for Westerners to remember. We think they all sound more or less the same.
After many brave deeds, the robber chieftain Song Jiang and his men were granted amnesty by the emperor. They were sent to war against the enemies of the Song dynasty. The first were the Liao Tatars. They lived to the north.
The Liao Kingdom included what we used to call Manchuria, as well as the eastern steppe including present-day Beijing, where the country of Yan was located in China's classical antiquity.
They encountered the Tatar forces, who carried black flags and banners. Their general is described as follows: "On a brilliant, noble horse rode forth a Tatar general. He was fair with red lips, golden hair and green eyes, he was tall and strong. On the banner behind him was written "Aliqi, General of the Great Liao Kingdom". However, during the battle he was killed by a stone thrown in the face, and the Tatars fled. (The Outlaws of Mars IV page 1762).
Chinese drawing of two Qi Dan men - Note the musician on the left, who has a brown beard and hair. Dancing seems to have been very important to the Qi Dan. Drawing chinese internet.
The novel tells us that in the Liao kingdom, the jacket was buttoned on the left side, like the dancer in the picture. The fiddler also has brown hair and a beard like the Liao men in the novel.
Next, the outlaws encountered an army led by two royal nephews, Yel Guozhen and Yel Gubao, both immensely brave. They wore golden crowns. This army was also defeated, and the two nephews fell. (The Outlaws of the Marsh IV page 1766)
Later, the outlaws encountered a new army led by the king's younger brother, Prince Yely Dezhong. "In the distance they could see the Liao soldiers swarming towards them, like a dense dark mist, like rolling yellow sand dunes. Their black flags were rows of raven clouds, their noble horses were charged with a deadly spirit. Their broad-brimmed hats of green felt were like lotus leaves moved by the breeze in a thousand ponds, their iron helmets were like ten thousand leagues of ocean waves shimmering dull under the winter sun. Each buttoned his jacket on the left side and was clad in double mail over a thick woven cloth, their hair cut short at the shoulders, brave dark men, they had green eyes and brown hair." (Outlaws of the Marsh VI page 1775) It almost sounds like an old poem that has been incorporated into the novel.
At the funeral of the Tang Empress Wu Zetian (624-702 AD), 61 kings from the north attended. To commemorate the event, statues of each of the kings were made, which can still be seen near Xian. Unfortunately, most of them no longer have their heads.
And further in the novel: "The Tatar cavalry consisted of broad-shouldered men, with waists of steel and legs of iron. They rode excellent horses. Their bows were tipped with horns, their poplar arrows were scoured with sand. Their wide tiger-skin cloaks contrasted with their narrow saddles of decorated leather. They were born in the border region, they grew up trained in the use of weapons. For generations they had ridden the noblest horses. Their infantry marched to the sound of bronze trumpets and the beating of sheepskin drums. Their cavalry played pipes and flutes as they advanced." (The Outlaws of the March IV page 1776).
The king of Liao and his advisors planned to buy the outlaws over to their side with gold, silk, horses and furs. A leading general opposed. He was described: "About 35 years old, tall and straight, he was fair and had red lips, brown hair and green eyes, and possessed incomparable courage and strength."(The Outlaws of Marsken IV page 1793)
During the negotiations, Song Jiang was entertained by the slow dances of the native girls.
A king who attended Wu Zetian's funeral, he buttons his jacket on the left - He must be a Qi Dan.
The leading general of the next Liao army that the outlaws encountered looked like this: "A brown cloth covered his forehead and bound his long black silk matte hair. Over his sleeveless black suit he wore a silvery armor. A lion-head belt held the dark gleaming metal." "His name was Quli Chuqing and his personal guard consisted of 3 thousand horsemen with black shoulder-length hair." (The Outlaws of Marsken IV page 1850)
It sounds like there were at least two different peoples in the kingdom of Liao, some with brown hair and green eyes and others with smooth black hair.
Lions seem to have been very important to the Liao kingdom, another general wore a lion's head on his helmet: "How was he dressed? A lion's head helmet, armor from the skin of a horse over a fine green suit". (The Outlaws of Marsken IV page 1851)
In the novel, the outlaws eventually succeeded in defeating the natives, contrary to the real story. All of Song Jiang's 108 heroes survived the campaign against the Liao-Tatars.
But Song Jiang and his men's next campaign for the emperor and the Song Dynasty was against real civilized Chinese in the area around the Yangtze, the Great River. They had rebelled against the emperor. Here many of the outlaws fell.
6. What did Qi Dan look like?
"Doughty dark men, they had green eyes and brown hair," says the classic novel and we must believe that at least some Qi Dan looked like that.
The Chinese writer Hu Gui wrote that Qi Dan used eagles for hunting. Painting owned by the National Palace Museum of Taiwan, purchased and donated by Kosi Gramatikoff.
In old pictures, it is striking that a common type is men with black or brown hair and well-groomed mustaches or full beards with a tendency to go bald early.
However, it cannot be ruled out that the men shaved their heads themselves. As it is written in the "San Guo Zhi", which describes the original Xianbei on the Liao River around the end of the Han dynasty, perhaps around 200-300 BC: "They often hold gatherings in late spring, enjoy music on the water, marry their daughters and have their heads shaved for celebrations."
Qi Dan types. There were probably several different types. But one type stands out. Men who go bald early with well-groomed mustaches or full beards.
The first two from the painting from the National Palace Museum of Taiwan and the last three from a Chinese drawing of unknown origin. The two in the painting from Taiwan look more modern Asian than the three in the Chinese drawing of unknown origin.
The royal family and the leading generals are described in the novel as having golden or brown hair and green eyes. According to Qi Dan's own tradition, they descended from the Xianbei royal family of Tuoba.
The Tuoba must have been the royal family above all: several hundred years after their kingdom, Northern Wei, had disintegrated, they re-emerged as kings of Qi Dan and Dan Xiang (Tangut). They were truly "kings who returned", as Tolkien wrote. The Xianbei and their Tuoba royal family were known to have "yellow heads".
Two Dan Xiang types for comparison.
Left: Illustration in Buddhist sutra showing Emperor Hui (1068 AD to 1085 AD) of Greater Xia presiding over a Buddhist sutra translation.
Right: A Buddhist monk from Xi Xia. Found by Kozlov in Kara Khoto. Exhibited at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg
It can be seen that Qi Dan and Dan Xiang resemble each other. They are both represented by men who go bald early, with well-groomed beards.
7. The Western Liao Kingdom
A Liao noble, Yelu Dashi, met with the fugitive king King Yelu Yangxi during the Jurchen and Song dynasty attacks. But he apparently judged that the war was lost.
Qi Dan traveling. Chinese drawing of unknown origin.
In the year 1124, he collected the slain Qi Dan and led them to Kasgar in the Tarim Basin.
On the other side of the Tien Shan Mountains, they also established a capital, namely in Balashagun in present-day Kyrgyzstan. Where Wusun once lived, and where the Western Turkic khan received the Buddhist pilgrim, Xuanzang, in AD 645.
Here in Central Asia, in the year 1124, King Yelu Dashi proclaimed a new kingdom of Liao. Perhaps because of their black banner color, it was also known by the name Kara Khitan, which means Black Khitan.
Chinese historians count them among their ancestors and call the kingdom West Liao.
Allready, the area was largely inhabited by Muslim Turks.
With usual determination, Qi Dan immediately began to create a kingdom for themselves to replace the one, they had lost. They seemed to work with playful ease. The Western Liao or Kara Khitan soon extended from Mongolia to the Oxus River.
Qi Dan built their Buddhist temples and Nestorian churches everywhere. The Muslim imams gnashed their teeth in impotent rage. It was one of the few times in history when Islam was rolled back from an area it had once conquered.
Qi Dan also called himself "Gur Khan", it's Turkish and means "Lord of the World", quite ambitious, one must say.
Kara Khitan in Central Asia around 1200 AD. prior to the Mongol conquests.
During their westward expansion, they clashed with the Seljuk Turks, who had established a kingdom in present-day Persia under Sultan Sanjar.
In September 1141, Qi Dan defeated the Turks in a battle at Qatawan, near Sarmakand. Qi Dan's army was led by King Yelu Dashi with the Christian name "David".
News of these victories over the Muslims reached the Crusaders in the Kingdom of Jerusalem and fueled the myth of the Christian king, Prester John, who would come from the East and defeat the Muslims forever.
In 1143 AC king Dashi was followed by Queen Xiao Tabuyan.
Her son, Yelu Yieli, succeeded her on the throne in 1150 AD. King Yieli was also known by the name "Elias", it is said.
He was in 1164 AD. succeeded by his sister Queen Yelu Pusuwan.
Yelu Zhilugu ascended the throne in 1177 AD and was to become the last native ruler of Kara Khitan. It is said that his Christian name was "Georgos".
There is some intelligence that Qi Dan imprisoned some Muslim imams in Kasgar and other places. This brought them into further conflict with the overwhelmingly Muslim population. The leading Muslims most likely felt greater loyalty to their co-religionists in the neighboring state to the west, the Muslim Khwarizm Sultanate, than to their own state, as Muslims often do.
In 1211 AD a Mongol chieftain, Kuculug, fled to Western Liao. He was on the run from his rival and mortal enemy, Genghis Khan. Kuculug belonged to the Mongolian Naiman tribe, who were Nestorian Christians.
He somehow managed to establish himself on the throne of his new country. King Yelu Zhiligu ended his life in a prison. In 1218 AD Genghis Khan and his Turko-Mongol armies invaded Western Liao. They met little resistance and were welcomed as liberators by the Muslim population. Kuculug fled west, but the Mongols caught up with him and killed him.
By then, the Western Liao had existed for 90 years.
The modern province of Guanxi.
It is said that the Mongols deported many surviving Qi Dan to Guanxi Province in South China, where they resisted the Ming emperors long time.
One of our acquaintances comes from Guanxi, and her grandmother had blue eyes, nobody knows why, she says.
On the website Russia.com was a discussion about the partial Caucasian origin of the Chinese. One topic was the relatively high frequency of blue eyes in Guanxi.
A Guanxi panelist said that his grandfather had told him that in the late Qing Dynasty, the imperial soldiers sought out and killed all blue-eyed children they could get hold of. Mothers with such children hid in the forests. The soldiers said that such children would grow up and one day become great leaders and come and rule over them.
Perhaps the grandfather or great-grandfather, as it probably was least, remembered the time around 1900, when boxers and Qing Dynasty soldiers persecuted Chinese Christians, "Foreign devils" and probably also domestic devils, who had similar appearances to the foreign devils.
This author visited the Chinese park, Seven Lakes, near the border between the provinces of Guandong and Guangxi some years ago. Here, the locals had created various figures and exhibitions in some caves for popular entertainment. A figure in one of the caves depicted the thunder god with a hammer with a short handle, with which he produced thunder. To my later annoyance, in my surprise, I did not take a photo, which I have regretted so many times.
8. Literature
Thanks to the website "China History Forum" - which unfortunately is no longer with us - for information and inspiration..
"Outlaws of the Marsh" by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong - translated by Sidney Shaperio. Foreign Language Press Beijing China.
