Ancestors, Chieftains and Indigenous Women

Chapter 7 Ancestors, Chieftains and Indigenous Women

The transformation of the economic system and the political situation in Dongchuan had drastic consequences for the population structure in the area. Han Chinese migrants from other provinces poured into the area in ever in- creasing numbers and settled down alongside the various indigenous groups as neighbors. As they lived side by side in the same area, they had no choice but to interact with each other in the course of their daily lives. Even though this process might be construed as “sinicization,” it was not a one-way traf- fic. Discord was also rife among the different Han Chinese groups as well as among the indigenous people themselves. Among the interactions or conflicts between the Han Chinese and the indigenous people, dissension was not con- fined to these two opponents. As has been said, the points of contact between the diverse local groups can also be traced by following multiple landscape and space practices and representations. As the most fascinating historical process in Southwest China, the interaction between the different social groups, whether peaceable or hostile, is one of the major topics that has attracted scholars in this field. One example of this is the recent collected volume edited by David Faure and Ho Ts’ui- P’ing, Chieftains into Ancestors: Imperial Expansion and Indigenous Society in Southwest China. This book is the fruit of the collaboration between historians and anthropologists in an attempt to reveal the indigenous historical voice.1 By tracing legends and rituals relating to chiefs, ancestors and local deities, the authors show how these three potent forces formed salient points of contact between the indigenous people and the Chinese imperial state. Echoed their studies but focused on the ritual space and landscape, this chapter will pursue another case study related to the controversy aroused during the identification or definition of an ambiguous ritual space in Dongchuan. It will look at the encounters between different peoples, indigenous or not, in the memory pre- served in lineage history, the legends of the ancestors and chieftains as well as in accounts and records of intermarriage that took place on the southwestern frontier.

1 Faure and Ho, Chieftains into Ancestors: Imperial Expansion and Indigenous Society in Southwest China.

The Meng Yan Shrine: An Indigenous General Who Surrendered

At the foot of Golden Bell Mountain, one of the ten best views, as the 1761 Dongchuan Gazetteer mentions, was situated at a holy place called the Meng Yan 孟琰 Shrine. The Meng surname is one of most famous indigenous sur- names that traces its history back to the legendary Chief Meng Huo 孟獲 who lived in Southwest China in the third century. Following the decline of the Han dynasty, Shu Han 蜀漢 (221–263 AD), one of the Three Kingdoms into which the dynasty split, established the centre of its rule in Sichuan. In an attempt to wrest control over the whole of China, Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮 (181–234 AD), the chancellor of the incumbent Shu Han ruler, launched a campaign against the indigenous tribes in the south and by 225 AD had this area under its control. One of the conquered rebellious indigenous tribes was led by the clan of the Meng surname. A well-known tale says that Meng Huo was arrested and released no fewer than seven times (qiqin qicong 七擒七縱). After his seventh release, Meng Huo was finally so impressed by Zhuge Liang’s wisdom and for- bearance that he made his submission and swore an oath of loyalty to the Shu Han.2 Thereupon the clan of the Meng surname was appointed to govern this area on behalf of the Shu Han until the Western Jin 西晉 dynasty (265–316 AD) put an end to the competition between the Three Kingdoms in 265 AD.3 Zhuge Liang is perhaps the most famous ancient Chinese strategist both in the standard histories and in folk legends. The story of conquering the clan of the Meng surname is also an important dramatic sub-plot that reoccurs in tales of Zhuge Liang’s heroic and altruistic deeds. It was passed down replete with very vivid descriptions, and its popularity grew after the publication of the Romance of The Three Kingdoms, one of the greatest novels of classical Chinese literature in late Imperial China. Zhuge Liang’s southern campaign is also represented as one of the most important moments in the early history of interaction between Han Chinese and the indigenous peoples in Southwest China.4 Certainly, from the perspective of storytelling among the Han Chinese people, this dramatic account of how the members of the rebellious clan of the Meng surname achieved local leadership under the Shu Han is proof that the indigenous people living in Southwest China were willing to surrender to and collaborate with the Han Chinese officials.

2 Huayang guozhi, 241. 3 Fang Guoyu, Yizu shi gao, 98–99. 4 Various stories about Zhuge Liang still circulate in most parts of Yunnan. Wuhou shrines (wuhouci 武侯祠, memorial shrines to Zhuge Liang) were founded in many towns and villages.