Dengzhi (), also known as the Dengzhi Qiang (鄧至羌) and Baishui Qiang (白水羌), was a state established by the Qiang ethnic group that existed during the

Northern and Southern dynasties The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered a ...

period in China. It was located west of

Chouchi Chouchi ( zh, c=仇池, p=Chóuchí), or Qiuchi ( zh, p=Qiúchí), was a polity in China ruled by the Yang clan of Di ethnicity in modern-day Gansu Province. Its existence spanned both the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern and Southern dynasties per ...

and south of Dangchang, which is equivalent to the northern part of present-day

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Its capital was Dengzhi City (west of modern day Jiuzhaigou County,

), and their rulers all had the surname "Xiang" (像/象).

History

According to the ''

Book of Zhou The ''Book of Zhou'' () records the official history of the Xianbei-led Western Wei and Northern Zhou dynasties of China, and ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. Compiled by the Tang dynasty The Tang dy ...

'', Dengzhi was first founded by Xiang Shuzhi, a Qiang chieftain who ruled over the Bai River or Baishui (白水) and later proclaimed himself king. The city of Dengzhi was located north of the river and was named after the

Cao Wei dynasty Wei () was one of the major dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dynasty. Its capital was initia ...

military general,

Deng Ai Deng Ai (197 – late March 264Vol.04 of ''Sanguozhi'' and vol.02 of ''Jin Shu'' both indicated that Deng Ai was arrested in the 1st month of the 1st year of the ''Xianxi'' era. The month corresponds to 15 Feb to 14 Mar 264 in the Julian calendar ...

, who once came to the area during the Conquest of Shu Han. The Dengzhi's earliest interaction with the

was during the reign of

Emperor Wen of Song Emperor Wen of Liu Song ((劉)宋文帝, (Liu) Song Wen-di; 407 – 16 March 453), personal name Liu Yilong (劉義隆), childhood name Che'er (車兒), was an emperor of the Liu Song dynasty of China. He was the third son of the dynastic founder ...

(424–453), when Xiang Qudan sent horses to the

Liu Song dynasty Song, known as Liu Song (), Former Song (前宋) or Song of (the) Southern dynasties (南朝宋) in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the first of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties peri ...

as tribute. During the reign of Xiang Shupeng, he actively pursued diplomatic relations with the

Southern Qi Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succee ...

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 ...

and Liang dynasties, receiving various titles in return. In 509, Xiang Lanti ascended the throne, presumably succeeding Xiang Shupeng. The

Book of Liang The ''Book of Liang'' () was compiled under Yao Silian and completed in 635. Yao heavily relied on an original manuscript by his father Yao Cha, which has not independently survived, although Yao Cha's comments are quoted in several chapters. ...

records that the Dengzhi people wore hats called "Tuhe" (突何) and their clothes were the similar to those of the Dangchang, a neighbouring Qiang kingdom to the north. Various historical records also record that Dengzhi's customs and habits were the same as Dangchang. The last recorded ruler of the Dengzhi was Xiang Yanheng, who was the tenth descendant of Xiang Shuzhi. In 554, Xiang Yanheng lost power after his state was attacked by the

Tuyuhun Tuyuhun (; LHC: *''tʰɑʔ-jok-guən''; Wade-Giles: ''T'u-yühun''), also known as Henan () and Azha (; ), was a dynastic monarchy established by the nomadic peoples related to the Xianbei in the Qilian Mountains and upper Yellow River valley, ...

, causing him to flee to the

Western Wei dynasty Wei (), known in historiography as the Western Wei (), was an imperial dynasty of China that followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei. One of the Northern dynasties during the era of the Northern and Southern dynasties, it ruled the weste ...

. The Western Wei paramount authority,

Yuwen Tai Yuwen Tai () (505/7 – 21 November 556According to Yuwen Tai's biography in ''Book of Zhou'', he died aged 52 (by East Asian reckoning) on the ''yihai'' day of the 10th month of the 3rd year of the reign of Emperor Gong of Western Wei. This co ...

sent troops to escort him back to his domain. Dengzhi's subsequent events are not recorded in historical records, but by the time 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 ...

replaced the Western Wei in 557, Deng province had been established in Dengzhi's place, meaning that the state would have likely ceased to exist around this time.

Rulers

{, class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;" !Common names in Chinese Characters !Duration of reigns , - , Xiang Shuzhi (像舒治) , Unknown , - , Xiang Qudan (像屈耽) , c. 424–453 , - , Xiang Shupeng (像舒彭) , c. 479–509 , - , Xiang Lanti (像覽蹄) , 509–? , - , Xiang Yanheng (像檐桁) , ?–554

References

* ''

'', vol
49
* ''

Book of Wei The ''Book of Wei'', also known by its Chinese name as the ''Wei Shu'', is a classic Chinese historical text compiled by Wei Shou from 551 to 554, and is an important text describing the history of the Northern Wei and Eastern Wei from 386 to 5 ...

'', vols. 7 (Par
1
an
2

101
* ''

'', vol
54
* ''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

'', vol
75
Former countries in Chinese history Dynasties of China Ancient peoples of China