A foreigner who has been wandering for 200 years became a Chinese citizen 18 years ago, and now every home flies the five-star red flag
As the king of mountains in the world, the Himalayas stand majestically on the southwest border of our country, protecting our country from foreign invasion. It is covered with snow all year round, with many world-famous snow-capped mountains standing there, and there is basically no green vegetation. But the Jilong Valley located at the southern foot of Mount Everest is densely forested and full of vitality. It is considered the most beautiful valley in the world. A group of special people live in this Feng Shui treasure land.
This special group of people are the Daman people, who live in residential areas planned for them by the government. The houses they live in are no different from the local Tibetans, but they can clearly distinguish which family is Daman and which is Tibetan, because every Daman family hangs the five-star red flag outside the house.
When you meet the Daman people, you will find that they are indeed a special ethnic group. Their skin is brown, their eyes are blue, they are large and deep, and their noses are high, closer to white Indians. Not Tibetans. But when they open their mouths, they can speak fluent Chinese and Tibetan, and their clothing and eating habits are all Tibetan style.
So, where did the Daman people come from? Why did it take root in China? What is the significance of flying the five-star red flag?
Many people may not be familiar with the Daman people, but they will definitely have an impression of the Gurkhas. The Gorkhas are considered one of the warlike ethnic groups. During the counterattack against India, they participated in the war as part of India's side and were defeated by the People's Liberation Army. Due to the harsh natural environment they live in, most Gurkhas make a living as soldiers, forming a world-renowned mercenary group. The Gurkha scimitar in their hands is known as one of the top ten famous swords in the world. People are frightened by the existence.
The history of the Gurkhas can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty. In 1768, the Gorkhas were dissatisfied with Indian rule, launched an armed riot, broke away from India, and established the Shah Dynasty in Nepal. After conquering all of Nepal, the Gorkhas embarked on the road of external expansion, attacking Kashmir to the west, India to the south, my country to the north and east, and used the Gyirong Ancient Road to harass Tibet twice in a row, burning, killing, and looting. .
It was during the Qianlong period. In order to stabilize the border areas, Qianlong sent the famous general Fukang'an to lead an army to Tibet to quell the chaos. Fukang'an was indeed the number one figure. With the cooperation of the local Tibetans, he defeated the Gurkha cavalry. Not only that, in order to eliminate future troubles forever, he went directly to the capital of the Shah Dynasty and almost destroyed the country. Seeing that the situation was not good, the king of the Shah Dynasty immediately announced his surrender and went to Beijing in person to apologize, promising never to violate the border and becoming a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty.
At this point, the war between the two countries has come to an end, but the impact does not end there. When the Gurkhas invaded Tibet, they sent many cavalry units. Most of these cavalry units were wiped out by the Qing army, and some survived and prepared to return to Nepal after the war between the two countries ended. However, due to the high mountains and steep terrain in the Tibetan area, and the lack of a guide, this group of Gurkha soldiers lost their way in the mountains and forests.
In this way, the Gurkha soldiers were trapped in the mountains for a year. During this period, they ate up all the food, hunted game when they were hungry, and drank mountain spring water when they were thirsty. They died and were injured, and less than one tenth of them remained intact. When they walked out of the forest, they were exhausted and couldn't move anymore. Fortunately, the Tibetans in Jilonggou extended a helping hand to them, provided them with food and shelter, and arranged work for them as chores and herding animals. In order to show that they were harmless, the Gurkha soldiers threw away their weapons and horses, lived in seclusion in Jilong Valley, and settled in Jilong Valley as refugees.
This detachment of Gurkha soldiers who stayed in China multiplied and multiplied on Chinese soil and became the ancestors of the Daman people. In Tibetan, "Daman" means cavalry, indicating that they have a cavalry tradition and unique national characteristics.
The Daman people have no fixed land, no cattle, sheep, or pastures, and their status is low. Most Tibetans are unwilling to accept them. The Tibetans believe that although they have laid down their weapons, they are still foreign soldiers who have invaded Tibet. They are still here after being defeated. It would be good if they are not annihilated. Why should they be provided with a stable living environment? As a result, Tibetans and Daman people are clearly distinct and rarely interact with each other, let alone intermarry.
The Daman people had no choice but to make some iron tools and exchange them with the Tibetans for the food and butter they needed to live, and lived a life of no fixed abode.
By the end of the 19th century, with the British invasion, parts of Tibet in my country were included in the colonial areas established by the British in the Indian subcontinent, and the living conditions of the Daman people improved. Under British rule, they were "legal residents" and could be allocated a portion of the land for grazing and hunting. Seeing the land that originally belonged to them being taken away by foreigners, the local Tibetans even more rejected the Daman people. They never invited the Daman people into their houses, let alone ate with them. Due to the small population of the ethnic group, the Daman people had no power to compete with the Tibetans, so they had to endure bullying silently. The Qing Dynasty was declining, and it was impossible to protect them.
For 200 years, the Daman people had neither Chinese nor Nepalese nationality, and were truly "black households". They lived in houses made of stone, which leaked when it was windy and rainy, making their lives very difficult. If you are unlucky and get sick, it will be difficult to survive.
When Tibet was liberated in 1951, the Daman people were still a wandering people with no home and no support. At that time, the ethnic identification process was underway across the country, and in addition to the Han people, the identities of other ethnic minorities would also be confirmed. The Daman people consider themselves an independent ethnic group and are eager to be recognized by the state. However, the Daman people were too small in number and had no independent language. They were eventually excluded from the 56 ethnic groups and continued to live a nameless life.
In order to survive, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, young women in Daman left Jilong Valley and married outside one after another, and some even married to Nepal. But the Daman men, who are responsible for carrying on the family line, are not so "good luck". They could only stay in Jilong Valley and maintain their basic life by blacksmithing, carpentry, and grazing cattle for Tibetans. They were considered "Eastern Gypsies".
Although the Daman people live a hard life, they firmly believe in their Chinese identity. Especially with the rapid development of China, Jilong Valley, which is located on the border with China, is full of high-rise buildings and prosperous. The Nepalese on the opposite side live in simple bungalows, and their food, clothing, housing and transportation are not as good as those in Jilong Valley. Although the Daman people occasionally visit relatives in Nepal, they never stay in Nepal. When Nepalese people point to their blue eyes and call them their own people, the Daman people will seriously correct each other's mistakes: "I am Chinese, I come from Tibet."
However, due to long-term living in In the border area, they rarely go out. The outside world is almost unaware of the existence of the Daman people, and it is even less likely to recognize their Chinese identity. Therefore, Daman people have repeatedly requested to become Chinese citizens, but they have been rejected for various reasons. It wasn't until 2001 that things took a turn for the better.
In 2001, Shigatse government officials visited their jurisdiction and accidentally discovered this group of Daman people who looked like foreigners but spoke fluent Tibetan. They quickly reported to their superiors that the Daman people This is when it really comes into the public eye.
By 2003, after careful consideration, the state finally recognized the identity of the Daman people, incorporated them into the Tibetan ethnic group, applied for Chinese nationality and issued resident identity cards to 184 Daman people across the country. When this day came, the Daman people were extremely happy. They finally ended their 200-year wandering life and ushered in a new and beautiful life.
Sure enough, the country did not treat them badly. In 2005, a Daman natural village with a total area of 4,000 square meters and 49 housing units was built. Daman residents can live in it for free. Not only that, they also obtained land, cattle and sheep, and the soil on which they relied for survival.
The good days of the Daman people continue. The government allocated hundreds of thousands of funds to provide water and electricity to the Daman people, and distributed free mattresses, wooden cabinets and other household items. In addition, the Daman people have also received a number of subsidies. Village cadres receive an annual subsidy of 3,500 yuan, and each person living on minimum living allowance receives an annual subsidy of 1,400 yuan.
The Daman people not only expressed their feelings to the motherland, but also took concrete actions. Some subsistence allowance households took the initiative to find the government and applied to withdraw from the subsistence allowance, saying: "We have sound limbs and can still work. It would be shameful if we continue to accept government subsidies!" At the same time, the Daman people also cooperated with the government to build the village into a Tourist attractions, people of all ethnic groups are welcome to travel to Daman.
Every Damanese is proud to be Chinese. When you walk into Daman Village and look up, you will find bright five-star red flags fluttering in the wind on the roofs of 49 Daman households.