The Quanrong () or Dog Rong were an ethnic group, classified by the ancient Chinese as " Qiang", active in the northwestern part of China during and after the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by ...

(1046–221 BCE). Their language or languages are considered to have been members of the

Tibeto-Burman The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people spea ...

branch of the

Sino-Tibetan languages Sino-Tibetan, also cited as Trans-Himalayan in a few sources, is a family of more than 400 languages, second only to Indo-European in number of native speakers. The vast majority of these are the 1.3 billion native speakers of Chinese languages. ...

Etymology

Scholars believe Quanrong was a later name for the

Xianyun The Xianyun (; Old Chinese: ( ZS) *''g.ramʔ-lunʔ''; (Schuessler) *''hɨamᴮ-juinᴮ'' < *''hŋamʔ-junʔ'') was an ancient nomadic tribe that invaded the

猃狁 (written with ''xian'', defined as a kind of dog with a long snout 'Erya''.html"_;"title="Erya.html"_;"title="'Erya">'Erya''">Erya.html"_;"title="'Erya">'Erya''or_a_black_dog_with_a_yellow_face_[''Shuowen_Jiezi.html" ;"title="Erya">'Erya''.html" ;"title="Erya.html" ;"title="'Erya">'Erya''">Erya.html" ;"title="'Erya">'Erya''or a black dog with a yellow face [''Shuowen Jiezi">Erya">'Erya''.html" ;"title="Erya.html" ;"title="'Erya">'Erya''">Erya.html" ;"title="'Erya">'Erya''or a black dog with a yellow face [''Shuowen Jiezi'']). According to sinologist Li Feng (sinologist), Li Feng, "It is very probable that when the term Xianyun came to be written with the two characters 獫狁, the notion of 'dog' associated with the character ''xian'' thus gave rise to the term Quanrong 犬戎, or the 'Dog Barbarians'." Claiming ancestry from two white dogs, the Quanrong tribe worshipped a

totem A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or '' doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While ''the ...

in the form of a white dog. They are classified as a nomadic tribe of the Qiang and were the sworn enemies of the

Yanhuang Yanhuang or Yan Huang (Chinese language: t , s , p ''Yán Huáng'') was the name of an ethnic group of ancient China who inhabited the Yellow River basin area. They claimed their descent from the two tribes led by the Flame Emperor (''Yandi'') ...

tribe.

History

According to the '' Book of the Later Han'': The Discourses of Zhou in the Guoyu records that at the time of King Mu of Zhou the power of the Quanrong gradually increased. Conflicts during the king's reign made him consider a

punitive expedition A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong beh ...

to the west against them. Duke of Zhai was against his father's plan: "this is not advisable. The illustrious former Emperors did not advocate the use of force." King Mu did not listen but won an unexpected victory in the subsequent clash, capturing the five kings of the Quanrong along with five white wolves and five white deer. In 771 BCE, the Marquess of Shen invited the Quanrong to join him in an attack on

King You of Zhou King You of Zhou (; 795–771 BC), personal name Ji Gongsheng, was the twelfth king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the last of Western Zhou Dynasty. He reigned from 781 to 771 BC. History In 780 BC, a major earthquake hit Guanzhong. A sooths ...

. The joint force subsequently occupied the Zhōu capital

Haojing Hao or Haojing (), also called Zongzhou (), was one of the two settlements comprising the capital of the Western Zhou dynasty (1066–770 BCE), the other being Fēng or Fēngjīng (). Together they were known as Fenghao and stood on opposite banks ...

, killing King You and capturing his concubine

Bao Si Bao Si () was the concubine of the ancient Chinese sovereign King You of Zhou. She was considered one of the most beautiful Chinese women ever. Life Legends record that during the last years of the Xia dynasty, two dragons entered the palace of ...

. In the end, the invaders left after taking a tribute from the Zhou and stealing the

Nine Tripod Cauldrons The Nine Tripod Cauldrons () were a collection of ding cast by the legendary Yu the Great of the Xia dynasty of ancient China. They were viewed as symbols of the authority given to the ruler by the mandate of heaven. At the time of the Shang dyna ...

. Duke Xiang of Qin sent an army to assist the Zhou as well as troops to escort King You's son

King Ping of Zhou King Ping of Zhou (; died 720 BC), personal name Ji Yijiu, was the thirteenth king of the Zhou dynasty and the first of the Eastern Zhou dynasty.Sima Qian. ''Records of the Grand Historian'', "Zhou Dynasty Annals". History He was the son of Kin ...

to the eastern capital of

Chengzhou Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang ...

, effectively ending the Western Zhou and ushering in the beginning of the Eastern Zhou dynasty and the Spring and Autumn period. At the time of

Emperor Ming of Han Emperor Ming of Han (15June 28 – 5September 75), born and also known as and as , was the second emperor of China's Eastern Han dynasty. He was the fourth son and second crown prince of Emperor Guangwu. It was during Emperor Ming's reign t ...

(reigned 58–75 CE) it was said: During the reign of

Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty ...

(reigned 626–649 CE), Court Academician Liǔ Kàng petitioned: The traditional base of the Quanrong is modern Wēiróng Town in Jingning County, Gansu.

Notes

References

Lectures on Wolf Totem (in Chinese) (Retrieved February 2010)
* {{Historical Non-Chinese peoples in China Ancient peoples of China Zhou dynasty ja:犬戎

Etymology

History

See also

Notes

References