The Chuge ( zh, c=屠各, p=Chúgè, w=Ch'u-ko), also known as Xiuchuge ( zh, c=休屠各, p=Xiūchúgè, w=Hsiu-ch'u-ko) or Xiuchu ( zh, c=休屠, p=Xiūchú, w=Hsiu-ch'u) were a

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...

tribe and later ethnic group that lived in ancient China. They were described as the most influential among the Xiongnu tribes that resettled within the

Great Wall The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand Li (unit), ''li'' long wall") is a series of fortifications in China. They were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection agains ...

, and a branch of them, the Liu clan, founded the Han-Zhao dynasty in 304 AD during the

Sixteen Kingdoms The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded b ...

period. The Chuge's influence were as such that by the 4th century, they were seen as a distinct ethnic group from the rest of the Xiongnu, and they continued to appear in history until the late

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...

period of the 6th century. Their name can also be transcribed as Tuge, Xiutuge, and Xiutu.

Origins and theories

According to the ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, ...

'', the Chuge were one of the nineteen recorded Xiongnu tribes that resettled in northern China. By the

Jin dynasty Jin may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), major state of the Zhou dynasty, existing from the 11th century BC to 376 BC * Jin dynasty (266–420) (晉朝), also known as Liang Jin and Sima Jin * Jin (Later Tang precursor) ...

period, they rose to be the most honored and prestigious among the Xiongnu, and members of the Chuge were elected by the tribes to become

chanyu Chanyu () or Shanyu (), short for Chengli Gutu Chanyu (), was the title used by the supreme rulers of Inner Asian nomads for eight centuries until superseded by the title "''Khagan''" in 402 AD. The title was most famously used by the ruling L ...

s. They were spread out in the north and most prevalent in the areas around modern-day

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

and eastern

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

. One common theory among modern Chinese historians is that the Chuge were descendants of the Xiutu (休屠), also transcribed as Xiuchu, who lived around Wuwei in the

Hexi Corridor The Hexi Corridor ( ), also known as the Gansu Corridor, is an important historical region located in the modern western Gansu province of China. It refers to a narrow stretch of traversable and relatively arable plain west of the Yellow River's O ...

and were among the earliest of the Xiongnu to surrender to the Han dynasty in 121 BC. The Xiuchu were relocated into Longxi and

Beidi The Di or Beidi (Northern Di) were various ethnic groups who lived north of the Chinese ('' Huaxia'') realms during the Zhou dynasty. Although initially described as nomadic, they seem to have practiced a mixed pastoral, agricultural, and huntin ...

commanderies as well as the three commanderies of Shang,

Shuofang Shuofang () was an ancient Chinese commandery, situated in the Hetao region in modern-day Inner Mongolia near Baotou. First founded by Emperor Wu of Han in the wake of the successful reconquest of the area from Xiongnu tribes, it was dissolved d ...

and Yunzhong in the Hetao region of

Bing province Bingzhou, or Bing Province, was a location in ancient China. According to legend, when Yu the Great (–2100 BC) tamed the flood, he divided the land of China into the Nine Provinces. Historical texts such as the ''Rites of Zhou'', and "Treatise ...

. The tribes that lived in Longxi and Beidi retained the "Xiuchu" name, while those living in Bing eventually added the "ge" (各) suffix, perhaps as a result of a language habit of the regional dialect at the time. They thus became known as the "Xiuchuge" (休屠各), and their name was then shortened to "Chuge" (屠各). After the Southern Xiongnu surrendered to the Han and became a vassal state in 48 AD, the Xiuchuge lived alongside them in Bing.

History

End of the Han dynasty

The Xiuchuge people rose to power during the late-2nd century, after the Northern Xiongnu had been defeated and were being supplanted by the

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multiling ...

on the steppe, and when the Southern Xiongnu was undergoing a steady decline. The Xiuchuge were first mentioned in 156 rebelling with the

Wuhuan The Wuhuan (, < Eastern Han Chinese: *''ʔɑ-ɣuɑn'', <

against the Han dynasty, but were defeated by the Han general,

Zhang Huan Zhang Huan (; born 1965) is a Chinese artist based in Shanghai and New York City. He began his career as a painter and then transitioned to performance art before making a comeback to painting. He is primarily known for his performance work, but ...

. They later acted as auxiliaries for the Han general, Xia Yu who attacked the marauding

at Beidi in 174. In 188, the Xiuchuge rebelled again, invading Xihe Commandery in Bing and killing the local administrator, Xing Ji (邢紀). A few months later, the Xiuchuge then defeated and killed the Inspector of Bing, Zhang Yi (張懿). At the time, many of the Southern Xiongnu tribes were disgruntled with the

government as they were insistently being sent to fight against rebellions for the Han. Seeing the success of the Xiuchuge's rebellion, the Xiluo clan of the Southern Xiongnu Right Division allied with the Xiuchuge and killed the chanyu,

Qiangqu Qiangqu (; r. 179–188 AD) was the Western Wise Prince, successor to Huzheng, and ''chanyu'' of the Southern Xiongnu from 179 to 188 AD. Qiangqu's reign coincided with a troublesome time for the Han Empire, and few records address Chin ...

. Though the Han court appointed Qiangqu's son,

Yufuluo Chizhi Shizhu Hou (; d. 195), personal name Yufuluo (於夫羅), was a puppet ''chanyu'' of the Southern Xiongnu during the late Han dynasty. In 188, he was appointed ''chanyu'' by the Han court following the murder of his father Qiangqu and wo ...

as the new chanyu, the Xiuchuge and their allies rejected him, forcing Yufuluo into exile east of the

Fen River The Fen River drains the center of Shanxi Province, China. It originates in the Guancen Mountains of Ningwu County in northeast Shanxi, flows southeast into the basin of Taiyuan, and then south through the central valley of Shanxi before turni ...

and electing a

marquis A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wido ...

from the Xubu clan in his place. After the marquis of Xubu's death, the chanyu position was abolished and a nominal king was installed instead in the rebel's territory, although Yufuluo still claimed the title in exile. The Southern Xiongnu began to disintegrate, but while the other tribes distanced themselves from the chaos of the ongoing Han civil war, the Xiuchuge were drawn into the conflicts instead. In the 190s, the Xiuchuge, who also became known as the Chuge around this time, allied with Zhang Yan of the

Heishan bandits The Heishan bandits or Black Mountain bandits () was a bandit confederacy in the Taihang Mountain range during the later years of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. They played a part in the internecine feuds that followed the Eastern Han dynasty's ...

in the

Taihang Mountains The Taihang Mountains () are a Chinese mountain range running down the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau in Shanxi, Henan and Hebei provinces. The range extends over from north to south and has an average elevation of ; its principal peak is ...

and later killed Gongsun Xu (公孫續), the son of the defeated Jizhou warlord,

Gongsun Zan Gongsun Zan () (before 161 - April or May 199), courtesy name Bogui, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Early life and battles with foreign tribes Gongsun Zan was born in Ling ...

. The Chuge later retreated west as

Cao Cao Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation f ...

and

Yuan Shao Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred tow ...

established control in the north. In 214, they were attacked and defeated at Gaoping County (高平縣; present-day Guyuan,

Ningxia Ningxia, officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region in Northwestern China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1954 but was later separated from Gansu in 1958 and reconstituted as an autonomous ...

) by Cao Cao's general

Xiahou Yuan Xiahou Yuan () (died February 219), courtesy name Miaocai, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is known for his exploits in western China (in parts of prese ...

. Due to the hostile tribes and their remoteness from the imperial court, a number of commanderies in Bing, including Shang, Shuofang and Yunzhong, were abolished and essentially abandoned. In 216, Huchuquan, Yufuluo's brother and successor, was detained at Ye by Cao Cao, who then had the last vestiges of the Southern Xiongnu rearranged into the Five Divisions around Taiyuan Commandery in Bing.

Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern dynasties

Han-Zhao dynasty (304–329)

Despite their defeat, the Chuge identity eventually gained prominence among the Five Divisions. During the Jiaping era (249–254), the Five Divisions were briefly unified by the Commander of the Left Divisions, Liu Bao. The Chinese court intervened, splitting them back into five and forcing their nobles to send hostages to the capital,

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

, including Liu Bao's son, Liu Yuan. During his time in Luoyang, Liu Yuan became highly sinicized and was soon appointed a general under the

Western Jin dynasty Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

. In 304, taking advantage of the

War of the Eight Princes The War of the Eight Princes, Rebellion of the Eight Kings, or Rebellion of the Eight Princes ( zh, t=八王之亂, s=八王之乱, p=bā wáng zhī luàn, w=pa wang chih luan) was a series of coups and civil wars among kings/princes (Chinese: '' ...

, Liu Yuan and the Five Divisions rebelled in Bing province and founded the Han-Zhao dynasty. Official history states that Liu Yuan was a direct descendant of the ruling Luandi clan of the Xiongnu through his grandfather, Yufuluo and was thus a descendant of the Han dynasty, since the chanyus used to marry Han princesses through ''

heqin ''Heqin'', also known as marriage alliance, refers to the historical practice of Chinese monarchs marrying princesses—usually members of minor branches of the ruling family—to rulers of neighboring states. It was often adopted as an appeasem ...

''. However, several passages in contemporary records refer to Liu Yuan, his family and members of the Five Divisions as "Chuge". Modern scholars such as Tang Changru have cast their doubt on Liu Yuan's lineage from the Southern Xiongnu chanyus and believe it to be a fabrication for legitimacy.Tang, Changru (December 2010). "〈魏晋杂胡考一屠各〉". ''《魏晋南北朝史论丛》'' (in Chinese). Beijing:

Commercial Press The Commercial Press () is the first modern publishing organization in China. The Commercial Press is known for its academic publishing and translation work in humanities and social sciences, as well as the '' Xinhua Dictionary''. History In ...

. .

Later history

Aside from the Liu clan of Han-Zhao, there were many other recorded Chuge between the Sixteen Kingdoms and late

period. The Chuge outlasted most of their Xiongnu counterparts and became a major ethnic group. They had various Chinese surnames such as Bi (畢), Zhang (張), Li (李), Guo (郭), Dong (董), Cheng (成) and Huang (黃). Wang Zhuo, a general notable for serving five different dynasties, was a Xiuchu from Qin province in the northwest, and his sons, Wang Tong and Wang Guang became officials for the Former Qin dynasty. The Chuge eventually became subjects of the

Northern Wei dynasty Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an imperial dynasty of Chi ...

and were mentioned as far as the

Northern Zhou dynasty Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty and ...

in the late 6th-century before disappearing from history, presumably assimilating into the rest of Chinese society.

References

{{Reflist Han dynasty Nomadic groups in Eurasia Asian royal families Xiongnu