The Historical Status and Core Values of Ba Culture

Peng Bangben

The Historical Status and Core Values of Ba Culture

Peng Bangben*

Ba culture came into being among people who lived in the ancient Ba region, the southwest and mid–west regions of ancient China. It is the deep–rooted culture of a specific ethnic group, in a specific region, and covers a broad scope of time and space. With rich and deep connotations, it has a profound and lasting influence on history. The historical status and core values of the Ba culture are introduced and discussed in this paper.

Ba culture; Chinese hisory; ancient Bashu

1. The Historical Status and Distinctive Features of Ba Culture

Firstly, as one of the most important regional cultures, Ba culture covers vast territory of China.

The scope of “Ba” was explicitly specified as early asRecords of Ba in Chronicles of Huayang, a work of the local ancient chronicles, geography and legendary characters in southwest China, “Ba State reached Yufu in the east, Bodao in the west, Qianfu in the south and connected with Hanzhong in the north.”[1]Yufu is literally translated as fish belly, namely Fengjie County in eastern Sichuan and belongs to Chongqing city today, it is where the well–known Kuimen, i.e. Qutang Gorge is located. During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, it was the eastern border and the east gate of the Ba State. As for “reached Bodao in the west,” according to the rules and regulations in the Qin and Han Dynasties, “The county was named Daowhen there were different ethnic minorities living together,” and therefore, Dao was an administrative division at the county level for ethnic minorities at that time. Bodao is the Yibin of Southern Sichuan today, which was the western border of the Ba State. As for “connected with Hanzhong in the north,” the capital of Hanzhong was Nanzheng of Southern Shaanxi today. It was adjacent to Nanjiang and Tongjiang counties in Sichuan, at the foot of Micang Mountain and Daba Mountain, which was the northern border of the Ba State. As for “reached Qianfu in the south,” Qian refers to the Qianjiang River and Fu refers to the Fushui River, which are the middle and lower reaches of the Wujiang River. This area has been the geographical scope of the Ba State since ancient times, and therefore it was named Bafu River. It imports to the Yangtze River in Fuling of Chongqing City. So “Ba State reached Qianfu in the south” means that the southern border of the Ba State reached as far as Fuling and Guizhou. From this we can see that the Ba State covered a vast territory and reached as far as Southern Shaanxi in the north, Wushan Mountain of Fengjie City in the east, Yibin City in the west and the conjuncture of Chongqing City, Hubei Province, Hunan Province and Guizhou City in the south.

Chronicles of Huayang

It is worth noting that the region of Ba State is different in different times. Archaeological data and documents indicate the region was even larger. It reached at least to western Hubei Province in the east, the middle reaches of the Han River, even southern Henan Province in the north, the Fujiang River Basin in the west, and the Zunyi of Guizhou in the south. However, the scope of the Ba cultural radiation is much broader than its geographical radiation. It is so broad that the legend of Ba snake swallowing an elephant spread in the Dongting Lake area of Hunan Province, indicating that possibly one branch of the Ba people migrated there. The geographical scope of “Ba culture” is definitely greater than that of the territorial scope of the“Ba State.”iwill discuss Ba culture based on the concepts of “Ba region” and “Ba State” including the historical status and core values of “Ba culture”focusing particularly on the times after the late Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and on the geographical regions of the Jialing River Basin, the middle and lower reaches of the river to be exact, the entire Qujiang River Basin, which runs from the middle of the Ba area to the Xiajiang River area through Dazhou, which can be considered the heartland of the Ba State as revealed either in theChronicles of Huayangor modern academic research. By examining the Ba culture in this area and at these times, we can find the best representative samples of the manifestations, historical status, and core values of the Ba culture. This is totally consistent with the statement that Daba Mountain is the origin and habitation of the Ba people.

Secondly, Ba culture is one of the oldest regional and ethnic cultures in China.

Based on records of theChronicles of Huayang,Ba and Shu were located in the same region. “Both were on the land of Huayang and in the region of Liangmin.”[2]“The Emperor Renhuang established the Ba State.”[3]The “Ba State consisted of the descendants of Huangdi, with a land estate granted in the Zhou region, with a lady from the royal family with the surname of Ji as their mother”.[4]In other words, the Ba people are the descendants of Huangdi and their history may be even longer than the Yan–Huang Emperors. “Renhuang,” one of the well–known “Three Emperors,” is described in the most ancient historical legends, “Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns.” Five Sovereigns refer to Huangdi, Zhuanxu, Diku, Yao, and Shun from about 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. There are many sayings about the“Three Emperors,” and a popular one is the saying of “Tianhuang,” “Dihuang” and “Renhuang.” It can be concluded, in accordance with the records inChronicles of Huayang, that the Bashu area has a cultural history of 5,000 to 6,000 years, at least. In the past, a substantial number of scholars left this issue open due to lack of archaeological evidence. However, the statement of Chang Qu was not created groundlessly, but on a certain basis. It has been fully proven by archaeological discoveries for a considerable period; the Bashu area has an ancient history. The documented historical data of the Bashu area of the New Stone Age are found to be as early as 6,000 to 7,000 years old. As reflected in historical records, the origin of the Ba civilization and the establishment of the Ba State are quite early. It is written inThe Classic of Mountains and Rivers: The Classic of the East China Seathat, “There was a Ba State in the southwest. Dahao gave birth to Xianniao, Xiannao gave birth to Chengli, Chengli gave birth to Houzhao, while Houzhao is the ancestor of the Ba people.”[5]“Meng Tu, an official of the Xia Dynasty, was in charge of justice in the Ba State.”[6]It is also recorded in The Bamboo Annals: “In the 8th year (of Emperor Diqi), the Emperor appointed Meng Tu the official in charge of judicial matters.”[7]This indicates that the Ba State had been in existence for a long time, and had contact and interactions with the Xia Dynasty, the most ancient Chinese dynasties. According to the records of TheClassic of the East China Sea, the origin of the Ba State traces back even further, to the Emperor Taihao of the pre–historical period of legend. The earliest record in unearthed literature is found in the oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty.

Ba or Bafang refers to the Ba State. It is recorded in the oracle bone inscriptions that the Yinshang Dynasty crusaded against the Ba State several times. The literature in the Zhou Dynasty records the Ba people’s participation in the famous Muye Battle initiated by King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty against King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty. They were so brave that they were at the vanguard and “danced in a morale–inspiring way so that the Shang army was scared back” and “the enemy turned their weapons round,” and therefore “people said that the army of King Wu had high morale and defeated the army of King Zhou by dancing.”[8]Ba people are crowned with eternal glory for their miraculous feats in the Muye Battle and for which the Ba State became an important feudal state on the southern land of the Zhou Dynasty.

The scope of the Ba people’s activities, residence and culture was quite wide. There were a substantial number of ethnic groups and small states in the pre–Qin Dynasty in a wide geographical scope. Mr. Meng Wentong, a master of history, did complete textual research and made brilliant expositions in the special section The Small States in Bashu in the bookA Discussion about the Ancient History of Bashu. He pointed out that “there were more than 100 small states in the region of ancient Bashu,”“The kings of Ba and Shu were nothing but two powerful chiefs of the states” and “l(fā)eaders of two alliances.”[9]The King of the Ba State, historically,was the leader of the alliance consisting of those large and small vassals. It is just for this reason that within the alliance under the King of the Ba State, there were Ba vassal states of Zhi, today’s Fuling area, Linjun, Bandun, Ji, and many others. The Ba State with the surname Ji is the King, or the joint leader, of all the Ba vassal states, a clan relative granted by the Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty. It became the strongest with the power of the Emperor of Zhou. The Ba State of the Cong People was called “Banden”.[10]It had the most extensive area covering the Daba Mountain and its southern foot and northern foot, with the largest population among all the branches of Ba, centered on the Qujiang River Basin, where cities like Dazhou and Bazhou are located. The early activities of the Ba State with the surname Ji were centered in the Han River Basin at the northern foot of Daba Mountain. There is a detailed account of the Ba State with the surname Ji inCommentary of Zuo: Their activities were mainly in the middle upper reaches of the Han River, with the whole Daba Mountain and the surrounding states of ethnic groups integrated, and became the leader of a large political alliance. The broad middle and upper reaches of the Han River were close to Daba Mountain, to the north and east of the Mountain. The Qujiang River and the Jialing River were to the south and west of the Mountain respectively, which merged through the river valley channels originating from Daba Mountain. After the Qin State annexed the Bashu area, Ba had long been “a solid foundation for imperial hegemony” of a grand unification of the ancient Chinese civilization.

Thirdly, Ba culture is one of the most distinctive regional cultures in the pluralistically integrated Chinese civilization.

Ba culture is regional culture with distinguishing characteristics. First, from the perspective of social spirit, scholars have summarized Ba culture as possessing “l(fā)oyalty, braveness, faithfulness and righteousness” or “l(fā)oyalty, braveness, Integrity and righteousness.” A rough summary could be,“l(fā)oyalty, braveness and faithfulness; boldness, vigorousness, and inclusiveness,” all of which form the core values of Ba culture. From the perspective of material and technology, the Bandun, an ethnic minority, produced cinnabar, Ba salt, and widely known Ba clear wine, which is recorded in historical documents. The archaeological discoveries at the Chengba Site and the Luojiaba Site include Ba bronze weapons, paintings and images of legendary characters of the Ba people on other bronze objects and seals. These reflect the brilliant and ancient civilization of the Ba people. The recorded historical and cultural legends like the Ba snake swallowing an elephant, Linjun throwing away a sword, the Goddess of Yanshui, the marriage between Ba and Chu, the alliance forming between Qin and Ba, a Ba man shooting a tiger, and many others enjoy great popularity. The renowned and magnificent Bayu Dance, in a specific and real way, reflects the major historical event of the Muye Battle, always excites people’s imaginations.

2. The Core Values of Ba Culture

Enjoying a high position in history, it distinguishes itself from other cultures through its unique style and distinct features. Additionally, it has a rich connotation of value concepts. An analysis of the most prominent core values follows.

First is the value of loyalty, braveness, faithfulness and righteousness.

When we read historical records, the loyal, brave and faithful image of the Ba people is seemingly ready to come out at our call. It is well founded to say that the Ba people or Ba culture’s excellent spirits and valuable characteristics can be reflected as“l(fā)oyalty, braveness, faithfulness and righteousness.”

The loyalty of the Ba culture is expressedin people’s loyalty to their motherland, and it is recorded in theChronicles of Huayang:

There was a revolt in the Ba State in the late Zhou Dynasty. Manzi, the General of Ba, borrowed troops from the Chu State to quell the revolt at the cost of three cities of the Ba State. The King of Chu agreed and sent rescue troops to the Ba State. After the unrest subsided, the Chu envoy went to Ba to demand the three cities as promised. Manzi said, “We quelled the unrest by borrowing troops from the Chu State, however, our country is indivisible and it is impossible to offer our cities; to manifest our credibilityiwould like to offer my head to the King of Chu instead to express our gratitude.”Then he committed suicide by cutting his throat and his head was offered to the Chu envoy. The King (of Chu) said, “Ifihad an official like Manzi of the Ba State, why doineed the cities?” The head of Manzi was buried with the etiquette of Shangqing, an official with high rank in the Chu State, and the body was also buried with the etiquette of Shangqing in the Ba State.[11]

There is no need to regard this legendary story as historical fact, yet it embodies a concentrated and strong reflection of the Ba people’s spirit that loyalty to one’s country and one’s duty is far more important than one’s life.

Secondly, the loyalty of Ba culture is also manifested in the firm commitment to one’s oath. “In the crusade against King Zhou of Shang by King Wu of Zhou, the major role of the Bashu troops was recorded inShangshu(Shujing, earlierShu–king), an ancient royal literature revealed to the public.”According to records in Shangshu, King Wu of Zhou required the allied forces to “Lift their Ge, a bent weapon, erect their spear, and swear.” The entire army swore, “To be a mighty powerhouse like tigers and bears, and resolutely defeat the enemy.”[12]After the oath, in historical records it says, “The Ba troops were so brave and strong that the Shang army soldiers were scared and turned their weapons around, and therefore people said that the army of King Wu had high morale and defeated the army of King Zhou by dancing.”[13]The Ba warriors kept their oath and killed many enemies, so the soldiers of Shang turned their weapons around and the Yinshang Dynasty was destroyed by the coalition forces.

Shangshu

The braveness of the Ba people was demonstrated in the most incisive way in the above historical record, and there is no need to provide any more introduction. The next to be discussed is the faithfulness of the Ba people. The Ba people kept their word, which was fully displayed in the above famous historical facts, for example, they swore to crusade against King Zhou. Here more historical records are taken as examples to further illustrate the characteristic of faithfulness.

During the reign of King Zhaoxiang of the Qin Dynasty, a white tiger was a scourge of the state and threatened the people in Qin, Shu, Ba and Han. The King of Qin tried to recruit brave warriors tokill the tiger and the warriors would be rewarded with huge wealth: “Person who can kill it would be rewarded a high position and corresponding amount of money and cloth.” Liao Zhong and Yao He, Yi People, an ancient tribe in the east, living in Quren, the Yunyang area of Chongqing today, invited Qin Jing, also a native of Yi in Langzhong, to jointly set up white bamboo crossbows on the tower, along the only road the white tiger would pass, aiming at killing it. The bow had enough strength due to the toughness of white bamboo. The shaft of the arrow was made of hardwood. When the tiger appeared the shaft pierced its brain after it hit the tiger. The white tiger was active in a group of tigers. After it was hit, it stared wish wide eyes, enraged, killed the other tigers, then roared until it died. The King of Qin was so pleased that he said, “This group of tigers ran amok in four prefectures and have killed 1,200 people. The warriors killed the tigers and no credit is bigger than this.” Yi people should be rightly rewarded as agreed. However, the King of Qin changed his mind as he looked down upon the Yi people. He asked his official to cut on the stone as covenant, agreeing to exempt Yi people from rent and tax, and forced labor. No rent would be levied on farmland less than one qing, 6.6667 hectares, and no poll tax would be levied even if a Yi man married ten wives. Those who wounded others would be punished based on seriousness; and those who killed others would be exempted from capital punishment if enough money was paid. It also says in the covenant, “If Qin people violate the rights of Yi people, one zhong, an ancient unit of measurement of wine, of clear wine would be offered to Yi people as compensation.” The Yi people were glad and accepted this covenant. After the development of the Han Dynasty, Yi people in the Ba prefecture continued to enjoy exemption of rent, tax and forced labor, and they rendered great service to Liu Bang, founder of the Han Dynasty, in the pacification of the Central Shanxi Plain. They were required to shoot white tigers for the safety of citizens in that area. According to the policy of the Han government, everyone of each household only paid 40 qian, an ancient monetary unit, as tax to the government and did not offer any forced labor. Therefore, they are called “White tigers Fu Yi, Yi people enjoying the exemption of taxes due to the white tigers.” “Fu” stands for “exemption” here. But they were still liable to perform military service for the government. Another name for these men is “ban dun man,” man here stands for barbarians, namely“Jiangtou Huzi,” Jiang head tiger today.[14]

History clearly records the covenant reached between the Qin government and the Ba people. Despite of some twists and turns in the performance of the government, “the covenant was performed as agreed.” Their “stonecutting covenant” reflects a certain principle of reciprocity, projecting the ancient spirit of contract, and is regarded as an excellent cultural tradition. According to historical records, Liu Bang destroyed the Qin Dynasty and was offered the Lord of Han by Xiangyu to rule Bashu. Fan Mu, a native of Langzhong, enjoyed local prestige, and had a sharp eye. He could see that Liu Bang was ambitious and capable of unifying the whole country, and he convinced Liu Bang to recruit the Cong people to put down all rebellions. After the pacification of the Central Shanxi Plain, Fan Mu was offered the position of Marquis Jianzhang Chang’an. Liu Bang planned to crusade the east of Hanguguan Pass, while the Cong people wanted to return to their hometown. Their desire to return home was not challenged because their outstanding service was immediately recognized by Liu Bang. Liu Bang told Fan Mu, “It is like people walking in gorgeous clothes at night if they do not return to their hometown after they get rich and honored.”Fan Mu was offered Marquis Cixiang Langzhou again, however, he resolutely refused. Not long after,he was offered Marquis Dumian. So, it says in later generations, “After the pacification of the Central Shanxi Plain, Fan Mu was offered three marquises.”Immediately after Liu Bang exempted tribute from the Cong people in seven surnames including Luo, Bu, Zan, E, Du, Xi, and Gong. There was a river named Yushui, the Bahe River today, in Langzhong, and most of the Cong people lived in the Yushui River Basin. They were born bold and brave, and were the frontline vanguard of the Han army. With candid spirits, they loved dancing and Liu Bang was pleased, “This is the dance of the Muye Battle! How magnificent and mighty it is!” The court musicians were ordered to learn the dance of the Cong people, which is the “Bayu Dance” of today.[15]

Fan Mu and Liu Bang “reached agreement in pacifying the Qin,” which reflects the spirit of contract. Both parties kept their promises, and this supports the excellent traditions of the Ba people.

The “righteousness” of the Ba culture, is replete in history. It is reflected in the historical records, and is recognized by sages, particularly historians. For example, the reason for the Ba people’s role as the brave vanguard in the Muye Battle and pacification of the Central Shanxi Plain not only lies in “their born boldness and braveness” and “their candid spirit and their passion for dancing,” but also in the nature of “righteousness.” The battle crusaded against violence and enforced justice on behalf of heaven. Thus, their role as vanguard reflects their ancient philosophy and spirit of upholding righteousness, and they have been known as “righteous people”since ancient times. They are highly praised in theChronicles of Huayang, “Ba people are plain and righteous, honest and sincere, with characteristics of their ancient ancestors.” “The ritual musical enlightenment of the Ba Prefecture began to rise, the Ba people were physically handsome with intelligent minds, and there constantly emerged outstanding characters. There were an increasing number of poems and songs in praise of them. Thus, royal officials gave due diligence and singing literature became popular among country gentlemen.”[16]“The Ba people of the seven surnames” are praised particularly “as righteous people, they made a living by shooting tigers, rendered meritorious service in the early Han Dynasty. Courageous and skillful in battle, they were named divine troops!”[17]Their heroism and awe inspiring justice was impressive.

The ancient Ba people had kept their glorious tradition of braveness, boldness and justice. It records further state, “Ban Dun Men rendered great service to the emperor Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty, and were known for their candid spirit and passion for dancing. Liu Bang admired this and said, “This is the dance in the Muye Battle! How magnificent and mighty it is!” The court musicians were ordered to learn the dancing of the Cong people, and this is the “Bayu Dance” of today.”[18]This is the historical origin of the well–known Bayu Dance. Interestingly, while seeming to have no relevance to each other, it is no surprising that the integration of fighting and dancing is the tradition of the ancient military culture. In ancient times, soldiers sang and danced to boost morale, and thus threatened and oppressed the enemy. The ancient people were particular about rites before fighting. Both parties would stand in a carefully arranged array and beat drums before marching ahead. It was a general tradition of a substantial number of ethnic groups in history to stick to such an ancient military rite, and in some ethic groups it was passed down to modern times. In the World War I, the Scots would advance toward the enemy ranks, in plaid kilts, beating drums and playing bagpipes. The Bayu Dance derives from this ancient traditional military salute of the Cong people. The beautiful majestic music and dance vividly show the core values of faithfulness and optimism, and the unrestrained heroic temperament of the Ba people. Liu Bang was so excited by the great victorythat he ordered the court musicians, professionals in music and dance, to learn and perform the Bayu Dance. It became a national traditional program with profound influence.

Bayu Dance

Second is the value of openness and inclusiveness.

Another important category of the core values of the Ba culture is openness and inclusiveness.

The Ba area, has a frequent flow of immigrants, like Sichuan province today. Just as described by scholars, its culture is like a large reservoir, with water flowing in and out from all sides. A dynamic integration is realized in an open state. There were at least five or six mass immigrations and countless smaller ones in the history of Sichuan. The mass immigrations in the early years are traced back to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Archaeological excavations reveal that a lot of immigrants moved into the Xiajiang area, to the east of the Sichuan basin, from Chu. Elements of a strong Chu culture are indicated in the unearthed objects of the Warring States Period from the west of Zhongxian Chongqing City in the Xiajiang area, to the west of the Sichuan basin centered on the Chengdu plain, represented by funeral customs and daily use pottery ware. These reflections of the Chu culture indicate immigration or population flow. TheChronicles of Huayangexplicitly specifies that during the Warring States Period there were cities like Jiangzhou, an urban area of Chongqing today, Dianjiang, Hechuan County of Chongqing today, Pingdu, Fengdu County of Chongqing today, and Langzhong, Langzhong City of Sichuan province today, in the Ba State.[19]This reflects that the Chu State pressed on towards the Ba people, so the Ba people had to draw back to the northwest, and gradually gave up cities like Jiangzhou, Dianzhou, and Pingdu and in the end retreated and stood on the defensive in Langzhong. This suggests that in the mid and late WarringStates Period, the Chu people occupied cities like Jiangzhou, and Dazhou to the east of Langzhong. Chu “stretched across one thousand miles inclusive of nine ethnic groups.” The Strategy of Qin records,“Nine ethnic groups” are inclusive of Qun Man, Bai Pu, Cong, Lu and so on. It was the famous Dazhou City area located in the Qujiang River Basin, the central area where generations of Cong people, namely Ba people, lived. After the Chu people captured these cities, they regarded them as immigration cities in common practice. It was reflected in literature that the number and size of immigrants reached a considerable level. In the Ba Records of theChronicles of Huayang, it records that in the 2nd year of Yongxing under the reign of the Huan Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, 154 BC, Dan Wang, the prefecture Chief of Ba, submitted a written statement to the Emperor:

According to theBa Prefecture Map, it is 4,000 li in length from south to north, 5,000 li in width from east to west, with a circumference of more than 10,000 li. There is complex terrain to the east of Jiangzhou, and more than half the population is honest and sincere Chu people; there is flat and spacious land to the west of Dianjiang, with sharp and alert people. My suggestion is to divide the Ba Prefecture into two small counties, namely Linjiang and Anhan with consideration of varied customs and temperaments.[20]

This is the earliest proposal for the division of the Ba in history. Dan Wang said, “It is 4,000 li in length from south to north, 5,000 li in width from east to west, with a circumference of more than 10,000 li,” suggesting that different ethnic groups have completely varied customs, and so the Ba should be divided into different prefectures. It was exaggerating. In actuality, the Ba Prefecture stretched across a vast land with different ethnic groups. If Dan Wang’s border is taken, namely from Jiangzhou, Chongqing today, to Dianjiang, Hechuan today, the Dazhou area is right to the east of this line and is indeed on steep mountains. “More than half population are honest and sincere Chu people”indicates that mass population of the Chu State immigrated to Jiangzhou. Both the Chunshenjun hometown legend passed down by generations①New Records of Nine Domains. In the item of “Dazhou” it records “Wan Qing Pool,” written in Ba Prefecture Map that it was the site where Chu Childe Huang Xie lived.” (Written by Wang Cun and checked by Wang Wenchu and Wei Songshan:Yuanfeng Records of Nine Domains II appendix New Records of Nine Domains · Sites Vol. 8, published by Zhonghua Book Company, 2005, page 681.) Cao Xuequan of Ming Dynasty quoted Scenic Geography in his Famous Historic and Cultural Sites of Shu: “(the county) was eighty li in length from east to north with a pool of ten thousandqing. It was former residence of Chunshenjun. There was a farmland of one thousand qing nearby, and neighbors collected water from this pool.” In Yuan Dynasty National Chorography it records “There was a pool of one thousand qing in Dazhou, which was said to be the former residence of Chunshenjun. There was a farmland of one hundred qing with lots of flowers and fruits.” The same was recorded in Ming Dynasty National Chorography·Sichuan·Kuizhoufu·Mountains and Rivers. Local Chronicles since Qing Dynasty adopted this saying, Wanqing Pool was located in Da County, or Wanyuan County, without specific location confirmed. Both of Da County and Wanyuan County belonged to the ancient Dazhou. All the above sayings, apparently, inherited from New Records of Nine Domains, which was written to make additional records of mountains and rivers, folk custom, products, historic sites during Daguan Year of North Song Dynasty to Yuanfeng Records of Nine Domains. It is worth noting that New Records of Nine Domains explicitly points out that “the site of Chu Childe Huang Xie,” which was cited from Ba Prefecture Map. It indicates that it is anecdote long circulated and it has supporting evidence in historical records, a reflection of the fact that Chu people migrated to Ba area like Dazhou in the Eastern Zhou Period.and the Chu cultural elements of the Luojiaba Site are consistent with the historical records, from Wanyuan in the north to Dazhou as well as the Xuanhan area to the northeast of Dazhou. These sites are proof of the Chu migration.②A Preliminary Exploration on the Western Movement of Chu Culture and the Hometown of Chunshenjun in Eastern Sichuan, Proceedings of International Academic Seminar on Chu Culture and Pre Qin History and Culture compiled by Chinese Pre Qin History Society, Unearthed Literature Research and Conservation Center, China Regional Culture Institute of Wuhan University (Changjiang Publishing and Media Hubei Education Press, August 2013).

The last ancient immigration was “Huguang people went to Sichuan.” Before this immigration, there was a huge loss in population of Sichuan because of several decades of chaos caused bypeasants in the late Ming Dynasty, war between the Ming Dynasty and the Qing army, large scale rebellion of Wu Sangui and suppression by the Qing government. On one hand, the Qing government invited and pacified native people, on the other hand, large numbers of immigrants moved into Sichuan, consequently, immigrants lived together with native people. This is similar to the Qujiang River Basin like Dazhou and Bazhong, which consisted of a majority of immigrants and a certain number of native people. In the Bashu culture it was the ancient tradition for foreign immigrants and native people to live in harmony. There was no exclusiveness and people were inclusive and all–embracing. The Ba area was a combination of multiple ethnic groups, including Ba people with the surname of Ji, Zhiba people, Ba people of Linjun, and Ban Dun Manin the Qujiang River Basin. Should there be no inclusive spirit, it would have been hard to sustain the alliance of ethnic groups since the Xia and the Shang Dynasties. Inclusiveness necessarily leads to openness, which are two main characteristics, and the same thing as well. The inclusiveness spirit of the Ba culture is related to the historical fact and tradition that Bashu has been an immigration area for a long time; meanwhile, it is also inseparable from the open idea, formed in the historical process. It is a valuable cultural character. If a region is open with people coming in from and going out to all sides, it must be vigorous. From the perspective of system theory, it is an open system, while a closed system is not vigorous at all. It is the root cause for the long history, vitality and fine tradition of openness and inclusiveness of Bashu culture.

Third is the value of unity.

The Ba culture is royal, brave and righteous, inclusive and open, and romantic and all–embracing. More importantly, once it became a part of the Chinese unified civilization community of pluralistic integration, it has long been recognizing Chinese identity, resolutely pursuing and cherishing the grand unification of China, and abandoning any division, which is regarded as its outstanding core value.

Since following King Wu of Zhou who aimed at the establishment of a unified order for China at the latest, the Ba people have long been recognizing China or Chinese civilization. The Ba area has always been one resolute “part” in the unified pluralistic country throughout history. Just as Mr. Meng Mo’s summary, Bashu was,“a solid foundation for imperial hegemony” for ancient dynasties in the pursuit of unification in history. As the Qin Dynasty annexed Bashu, “Qin was becoming increasingly strong and looked down upon other vassal states,”[21]and ultimately it unified the whole China; Liu Bang assigned Xiao He to “annex Bashu and pacify the Central Shanxi Plain,” destroyed Xiangyu and gained prestige and great fame. During the Jin Dynasty, Wang Jun was assigned to defeat the Wu State for reunification; “The Sui Dynasty regarded Bashu as their foundation to pacify the world;” during the Song Dynasty, the emperor took Sichuan first and then occupied the south of the Yangtze River; since the Qin and Han Dynasties’ development and management of the southwest of China, Bashu has been a critical base and support for the central government’s management of the southwestern frontier, and the safeguarding and consolidation of the unification of the country.[22]

These historical events fully demonstrate that both Ba and Shu people have been important forces in the pursuit and safeguarding of the grand unification of China. It is their spiritual tradition and cultural gene to cherish national solidarity and harmony, and the unification and stability of the country.

The core values of the Ba culture are also a crucial part of the core values of Chinese civilization.They, as fine resources of traditional culture, provide unique support for the construction of the socialist core value system, and are of important historical status and practical significance. The Ba culture is worthy of our pride in its important historical status and profound core values. The Ba culture, with deep significance of the above core values, is undoubtedly an outstanding and distinctive regional culture, and a significant resource for our economic and social development, and in particular the development of cultural undertakings and industries. It is worth noting that recently our government has putted forward the Belt and Road Initiative, and Ba is the key hinge of the North Silk Road and the South Silk Road, and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, acting as a link in Belt and Road. It is beyond question that the ancient Ba area is welcoming an unprecedented development opportunity. It is our glorious mission to make use of local cultural resources to develop social cultural undertakings and cultural industry, advance comprehensive economic progress for society, and further create huge economic and social benefits. Therefore, we should change our idea and have a comprehensive understanding of cultural resources, in particular a profound understanding of their cultural value and economic and social value for the development of the region, so as to let them serve the construction of core socialist values and also serve for economic and social development. Accomplishing these goals requires us to organize power to deeply explore and comprehensively sort out local cultural resources, identify the background characteristics, and enable the effective transfer of resource to capital. First, unique cultural elements are to be explored, let them integrate and penetrate into various products and industries, particularly the cultural tourism industry in order to enhance its quality and added value. Second, distinctive highlights are to be collected from local resources as the growth points of cultural industries, things like cultural creativity, cultural tourism, and cultural sports, like mountain leisure sports, to construct and extend the industrial chain and form a development pattern. Third, a refined, profound and unique cultural symbol system is to be explored in local resources, in the pursuit of a world manifestation mode of Ba culture in the urban and rural environment, creating urban and regional specialty brands. Thus, the distinctive cultural image and popularity of the Ba area will be created and enhanced in an overall way, and comprehensive strength of a city, particularly soft power and core competitiveness, will be improved, so as to constantly promote the development and prosperity of the economic society. In short, this is a kind of broad and profound foundation with equal emphasis on theory and practice. It requires serious study to select the finest from a vast quantity and to plan for local cultural construction and economic social development.

We learn the rich culture with long history and fine ecology of the Qujiang River basin, places like Dazhou and Bazhong, through the study of local chronicles and field investigations, which are the most distinct resources locally. Most resources are not recyclable, while cultural resources grow all the time. The more we use our cultural resources, in an appropriate way, the more resources of richer significance there will be. The descendants of the Ba people have a clear responsibility to keep them in good condition, as they are so rich and unique. Urbanization is developing at a high speed today. The more developed the city is, the rarer such resources will be. As a matter of fact, such resources have vanished or are vanishing in many rapidly developed regions. As a latecomer, we can turn this into an advantage. The less developed regions should not follow the old path of the developed regions; otherwise, they would become backward even though they make great efforts in catching upwith others. We should closely integrate our own resources and cultivate our own uniqueness and characteristics, to achieve leapfrog development through a new path of differentiation.

( Translator: Huang Yan; Editor: Xiong Xianwei )

This paper has been translated and reprinted with the permission ofForum on Chinese Culture, No.1, 2016.

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[22] Meng Mo, et al. Sichuan Ancient History· Preface [M]. Sichuan People’s Publishing House, 1989. 5.

*Peng Bangben, professor, School of History and Culture, Sichuan University.