Great variety was not unusual in the historical past of Ancient China. In such an enormous nation, many ethnicities co-existed, and have been instrumental in the shaping of its historical past. However, variety didn’t all the time imply peace in China. There was so much of animosity too, so much of fingers pointed at people who didn’t belong to the core of the Chinese ethos. Such animosity usually spilled into violence. In the mid 300’s AD, throughout the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms , the Chinese Emperor of the short-lived state of Ran Wei, known as Ran Min, dedicated a horrible genocide in opposition to a neighboring Caucasian-looking tribe – inflicting a horrible loss of life.
The Chinese Massacre that Shocked the World
In Chinese historical past, there was usually rivalry and battle between smaller neighboring kingdoms. The interval of the Sixteen Kingdoms is probably the most chaotic of all, and lasted from 304 to 439 AD. China was fragmented right into a collection of small, short-lived dynastic states, and battle was waged throughout the land. The totally different ethnicities residing in China at the time solely made the battle worse, as hatred now took maintain of everybody’s senses. Most notable was the long-lasting enmity between historically Han Chinese, and the Wu Hu peoples. The Wu Hu have been the so-called “Five Barbarians”, non-Han folks residing in Northern China.
Map of Northern China in 350 AD. (SY/ CC BY-SA 4.0 )
The Wu Hu possible had numerous origins. These 5 tribes have been known as by the Chinese as: Di, Qiang, Jie, Xiongnu, and Xianbei. Their identities usually are not sure. It is assumed that Xiongnu and Xianbei have been nomadic tribes from the steppes in the north. The Di and Qiang have been herdsmen who spoke Sino-Tibetan or Turkic languages, whereas the Jie might have had Yeniseian origins, from Siberia. Either means, they have been a stark distinction to the Han Chinese. Great numbers of these “barbarians” migrated into China throughout the Eastern Han period , and subsequently overthrew the Western Jin dynasty , creating their very own kingdoms. This finally led to the Sixteen Kingdoms interval.
During the 4th century AD, these Wu Hu tribes – notably the Jie folks – opposed the rule of the highly effective normal Ran Min, who was rapidly rising as the strongest determine in the Sixteen Kingdoms battle. The Jie particularly have been at odds with him: this tribe helped the formation of the Later Zhao dynasty, whose eventual fall at the arms of Ran Min led to the battle. The battle, nonetheless, went into the favor of Ran Min, who gained an enormous victory at the Battle of Xiangguo in 352 AD.
Han dynasty battle scene . (schmeeve/CC BY-SA 2.0 )
A Desperate Measure from a War-Crazed Han General
During the battle, in an intense political battle the place alliances have been switched on a whim, Ran Min counted on his means to influence some of the Wu Hu (barbarians) to struggle on his aspect, and betray the Jie folks. However, the second got here when he realized that such a factor was not potential, so Ran Min adopted a very radical method – he issued a nation-wide order that every one Jie have been to be exterminated. He proclaimed that it was an obligation of each Han particular person to kill the Jie every time potential – indiscriminately. The Jie differed from the Chinese in look, that they had distinctly excessive nostril bridges, and bushy thick beards, which made them a straightforward goal for the Asiatic Han.
An amazing genocide rapidly ensued. Men, girls, kids, the outdated and the infirm, all have been massacred just because they belonged to the Jie tribe. Ran Min gave the order: for every severed Jie head {that a} Han particular person introduced, an immense reward was provided. Great wrath was unleashed. As Ran Min’s armies moved additional into the territories of the Five Barbarians, loss of life was rained upon not simply Jie, however the different Wu Hu tribes as effectively. Any individuals with excessive nostril bridges and bushy beards have been killed outright. Many ethnic Chinese have been massacred as effectively, just because their look was just like that of Jie.
A Loss of Life of Incredible Proportions
During this Chinese bloodbath of the Wu Hu, over 200,000 folks have been killed mercilessly. This was a close to whole genocide, as nearly all of the Jie folks in China have been brutally murdered. Great mass graves have been dug, and heaps of our bodies unceremoniously buried there. The Chinese didn’t differentiate: not even kids have been spared. The majority of the victims have been beheaded, as the Jie heads have been required to say the rewards.
It was a horrible “no prisoners” coverage, a determined measure by the power-hungry normal Ran Min who would cease at nothing to rid himself of the foreigners in China. And not solely have been the Wu Hu massacred, however hundreds of thousands of them fled from the terror and migrated into Mongolia and elsewhere. Ran Min’s navy successes, nonetheless, didn’t final. His horrible deeds caught up with him, as he was finally defeated in battle, captured, and executed after being whipped 300 instances.
Top picture: A illustration of an historic Chinese battle scene. Stunning stone carved structure. Source: Igor/AdobeStock
By Aleksa Vučković
