Qiang people
The Qiang people (Chinese: 羌族; pinyin: qiāng zú) are an ethnic group in China. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by China, with a population of approximately 200,000 in 1990. They live mainly in mountainous region in the northwestern part of Sichuan on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau.
History
A group called "Qiang" were mentioned in ancient Chinese texts as well as in inscriptions on oracle bones 3000 years ago. However, this was applied to a variety of groups; they are not the same as the modern Qiang. Nonetheless, it is possible that the modern Qiang might be descended from one of the groups referred to as Qiang in ancient times.
Many of the peoples formerly designated "Qiang" were gradually removed from this category in Chinese texts as they become sinicized or reclassified, and by the Ming and Qing dynasties, the term "Qiang" denoted only non-Han people living in the upper Min River Valley and Beichuan area, the area now occupied by the modern Qiang.