More than 200 years ago, a group of Northeasters went to the westernmost part of the motherland to defend the border, and Wan Li trudged to give birth to 300 babies.

Core Tip: Xing Qian's hometown is in Lu Niu Township, Sunzhaqi, and Jingyuan Temple, one of the nine temples in the Ili River Basin in Qing Dynasty, is just across the street from his home. Jingyuan Temple was built in the second year after Xibo people moved westward to Yili. In the minds of Xibe people in Chabuchar, Xinjiang, its status is equivalent to Xibe Temple in Shenyang. Xiaoliang Shi, a Xibe female writer/contributing author, has a Wusun Mountain in the western part of Tianshan Mountain. This is probably related to Wusunguo, one of the 36 western regions in the Han Dynasty. The valley area north of Wusun Mountain and south of Yili River is the only Xibe Autonomous County in China-Chabuchar County. In fact, the real hometown of Xibe nationality is Daxinganling in the northeast, the north of Nenjiang River and Hulunbeier grassland on the left bank of Nenjiang River. They like horseback riding, archery and hunting. 1764, that is, in the 29th year of Qianlong, 1020 Xibo officers and soldiers and their families * * * More than 5,000 people set out from Shengjing (Shenyang) and moved westward to settle in Yili. The migration lasted one year and four months, with a journey of more than 10,000 kilometers, and more than 300 babies were born on the way. In folk memory, the Xibo people's westward migration, like a colorful mural, is reflected in the minds of generation after generation and cannot disappear for a long time. In mid-June, 2002, I drove a Mitsubishi SUV to Chabuchar, not far from Wan Li, looking for spider silk that changed the fate of a nation more than 230 years ago. It turned out that the interview with Xibo people was arranged in Shenyang in the northeast, which is the hometown of Xibo people, and there is still a well-preserved "Xibo Family Temple" in the city. But I finally arranged the interview of Xibe nationality in Chabuchar county, which is more than 4000 kilometers away from Shenyang. It was CCTV that made me change my plan at first. Jiao, the general director of this column. His hometown is Chabuchar, and he has been doing a large-scale TV special program >:, with 55 ethnic minorities as the main content. Chabuchar county, near the water tower, specially produced an album. Among the 56 ethnic families in China, Xibo is a special case worth studying. Xibo culture has not been well protected in the northeast of his base camp, but it has been well passed down in the west of Wan Li. Although there are a large number of Xibo ethnic groups in Northeast China, they live in scattered areas and have basically integrated into China culture, with no writing and language. Chabuchar County was originally only used as the frontier for Xibe people to move westward, but the traditional culture of Xibe people is relatively complete, and Xibe characters are still widely used here. The only Xibe newspaper in China has been published for decades, and even Xibe compatriots in Chabuchar are invited to teach Xibe. This is a miracle. "Cheng Jianjiao said. What attracts me most is moving west. Think about it, 29 years after Qianlong and 238 years ago, how more than 5,000 Xibe people used extremely primitive means of transportation to walk through the wasteland of Wan Li for 16 months! More than 300 children were born on the way! What is this real history? After more than 200 years, the true face of history has been blurred, but Xibe people have never forgotten their own history and traditions. They insist on passing on these histories and traditions from generation to generation in various ways. Among these persistent Xibe people, there is a venerable old man. People in Tea County call him "an old man who is willing to be humble". The first time I saw the old man Xing Qian, I was in Jingyuan Temple in Chabuchar County. It was June 28th, and we went to Jingyuan Temple with the VIP group of the first Xinjiang Tourism Festival. Around the main hall of Jingyuan Temple, there are more than 30 oil paintings swaying, depicting the story of Xibe people moving westward. These slightly rough oil paintings didn't attract much attention from the bustling visitors. When drums sounded outside the temple gate and people crowded out to watch Xibe's song and dance performance, the yard was immediately deserted. I noticed an old man wandering around these paintings alone. He is the author of these oil paintings, a modest old man who is too old. Before I arrived in Chabuchar County, I heard reporter Tong Zhihong talk about the old man Xing Qian. It took him 40 years to show the story of his ancestors moving westward with oil paintings. In this unique way, he recorded the history of his own nation, learned the practices of his predecessors and passed them on to future generations. A few days later, we visited the old man Xing Qian again. This time, we were at the home in front of the star, accompanied by the Propaganda Minister of the Chabuchar County Committee. The old man was very excited when he heard that we had come to visit the Xibe nationality. He shook off all his treasures: 39 oil paintings and a few Xibe poems and novels. With the old man's narrative, the western part of the great migration more than 230 years ago gradually became clear. Let's go back to that morning 238 years ago. It was April of the lunar calendar in Shenyang 18. Early in the morning, there was a sea of people in front of Xibojia Temple. The officers and men of 1020, who were selected by the emperor to go west, will bid farewell to their hometown today and start a long journey to the west. /kloc-The mid-8th century was the heyday of the Manchu Empire, and Huang Taiji Nurhachi denounced the great cause of reunifying the motherland, including Xinjiang. In the twenty-ninth year of Qianlong, in order to strengthen the empty frontier defense in the western regions caused by successive years of war, Emperor Qianlong selected 1020 officers and men from the relatively good Xibo military camp in the Eight Banners, and moved to Ili to settle in the west, guarding the frontier. After eating a farewell dinner and drinking wine, the Xibe temple was in tears, although Emperor Qianlong verbally promised Xibe officers and men to return to their hometown after 60 years of garrison. However, the sergeants and villagers who moved to the west knew that the family members were allowed to rest this time, not for relief, but for a long time. It's far from Wan Li, so it's not that easy to come back. The road to the west is long and difficult. Most of this route crosses the present territory of Mongolia: marching westward, leaving Zhongqian Banner, passing through Ulaanbaatar, crossing Altai Mountain and entering Xinjiang. The westward army not only brought tents, grain, horses and dogs, but also brought grain, vegetables and even kindling from home: a kind of match rope made of Achnatherum splendens. A long match rope was burned and then the next one was lit. There are also shamans in the army, equivalent to priests in the western army. While encouraging their morale, they also played the role of Xibe language teachers. During the long journey of 16 months, more than 300 new lives were born. After arriving in the garrison, Xibe people actively resisted foreign aggression and devoted themselves to frontier construction. In Xibo language, Chabuchar means "granary". Ili people say Xibe people have built granaries here. This westward army has passed through the vast Mongolian grassland and experienced the tests of war, survival and reproduction. They not only continued the fire symbolizing life, but also continued their own culture. The above historical pictures are concentrated in 39 oil paintings of Xing Qian. The hometown of the old man before Star is in Lu Niu Township, Sunzhaqi, and Jingyuan Temple, one of the nine temples in the Ili River Basin in the Qing Dynasty, is just across the street from his home. Jingyuan Temple was built in the second year after Xibo people moved westward to Yili. In the minds of Xibe people in Chabuchar, its status is equivalent to Xibe Temple in Shenyang. Every year in April 18 of the lunar calendar, Xibo people celebrate their own festival "westward migration festival" here. Xing Qian's old man's surname is He. He is the abbreviation of "he ye II" of Xibe nationality. He is already the seventh generation after moving westward. Speaking of his oil paintings, the old man said, "Trees have roots, water has sources, and people have roots. The story of our Xibe people moving westward has been passed down from generation to generation. Perhaps with the development of time, the younger generation will speak Xibe dialect and read Xibe language less and less. I drew a history of westward migration, which is more intuitive, and the younger generation will understand it at a glance. Xing Qian has been a teacher all his life, teaching biology and history, and sometimes he needs to make some intuitive teaching charts, so that he has not received any art training, and he has taught himself through practice. 1954, with the encouragement of his friends, he boldly participated in the Xinjiang Youth Art Exhibition and won an unexpected prize. The award-winning painting depicts the westward migration of ancestors. This made him realize that a nation's history and culture are the most valuable. Since then, he has strengthened his determination to paint the history of westward migration. " "You draw, people of other nationalities don't draw. Nobody cares, and this history dies. "From then on. This painting is 40 years old. Under each painting by old Wu Man Xing Qian, a poem was written in Xibe to explain the historical background of the painting. He also wrote two books > a historical novel related to westward migration, of course, written in Xibe. This kind of living fossil-like writing is not used much in Xibo's hometown northeast. In China, only a few experts who study Xibe can read it. In Chabuchar, not only everyone can speak Xibe, but also there is a Xibe-language newspaper >: founded in 1946, which has been published twice a week for more than half a century. In recent years, the Chabuchar Xibe nationality has also sent teachers to their hometown in Northeast China to teach Xibe language and writing. The difference between the east and the west of Xibe nationality is a very interesting issue in academic circles. After the troops of the Western Expedition arrived in Ili, they established Xibo camp in Chabuchar, built eight castles according to the Eight Banners and settled down, and then gradually formed today's eight townships. Because of living in the special Eight Banners military camp system, other ethnic groups can't live together at will, and the ban of "Banners don't marry and Banners don't pay property" stipulated by the Qing Dynasty, Xibo people have relatively few contacts with other ethnic groups, so they have maintained their original language, customs, religious beliefs and many other characteristics for a long time. However, Xibo people who live in their hometown in Northeast China have lived together with Han, Manchu and Mongolian for a long time, and their economic and cultural exchanges are increasing. Han culture has a far-reaching influence on Xibo nationality, and there is basically no big difference between Han nationality and Xi nationality in production, life, language, clothing and customs. Those who mingle with Mongolians also accept Mongolian culture, especially in language. I have been to Xibotun, Qianguoerluosi Mongolian Autonomous County, Jilin Province, and the Xibo metropolis speaks fluent Mongolian, which has also been affected in some aspects such as living customs.