DamanBorn in China, every family hangs the national flag
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Thank you for your support. On June 2, 2016, a soldier named Basang paints the word "China" on Boundary Pillar 51 on China's ** border, holding red paint.
After coloring, he couldn't help but touch the word "China" on the boundary monument, his eyes full of tears.
Basang, a young man from Jilong Village, Jilong County, Shigatse, and his clan, the Daman people, have long lived in the border area between Nepal and Nepal, and are known as the "Oriental Gypsies".
It wasn't until 2003 that he and his parents realized that they could settle down under the protection of their homeland. What does it mean for them to become a Chinese citizen?
Do their ancestors have a historical connection? Now, nearly 20 years after they became Chinese nationals, how has their lives changed?
The Daman people, a special group under the Himalayas. Although they speak Tibetan and wear Tibetan robes, they are not Chinese. They come from the vicinity of Nepal, have no fixed country or place of residence, and often live in displacement and discrimination.
Although they are Buddhist, they are somewhat less religious than those of Nepal and Tibet. In their more than 200 years of wandering, they have neither been accepted by Nepal nor integrated into the lives of their fellow Tibetans.
The people of Daman are stateless and do not enjoy the rights and interests of the state. They have no land, no houses, and no means of subsistence. Even if there is open space at home, only a few tens of square meters of cottage can be built. The data shows that the average living area of the Daman population is only 24 square meters.
To make matters worse, their income is not enough to build houses, and they are short of food and money, which is unacceptable to the locals. The temperature difference between the plateau is so great that they cannot sleep in the wild, so they can only live in Tibetan homes.
* Life was very difficult for the people of Daman, who lived in dilapidated cattle and sheep pens and relied on livestock for heating. Despite the harsh conditions, they were able to find shelter in the vast expanse of the world, helping their families to farm, graze, and do chores, and exchange their labor for shelter.
The men carried heavy firewood and utensils on their backs, and the women went out to work. But before the reform of serfdom, they were oppressed and oppressed by the landlord class, and their lives were extremely difficult.
However, with the advent of democratic reforms, they began to enjoy the benefits of the planned economy and received their own food from **. Although life is still difficult, they have more hope and a future.
They used to suffer from hunger and cold, but now they have a stable living environment and basic living security. However, the advent of the market economy has broken their peace, and the instability of food has become a major problem for them.
In their free time, they choose to reclaim a small field in a deserted place to provide food and clothing for the whole family. Although they are small in number and inexperienced, they still work tenaciously for the sake of life and hope.
The people of Daman are in a natural environment, like gambling, and a single hailstorm or cold wind can undo their efforts. But they did not lose hope because of this, but formed a unique spirit of optimism.
In order to coexist peacefully, they chose Buddhism, which is believed in by both the people of ** and Nepal. Interestingly, they incorporate their optimistic and romantic nature into their understanding of Buddhism.
Unlike the Tibetan people, who make a pilgrimage to Lhasa, their beliefs are freer. They are not afraid of killing, they are not bound by Buddhist teachings, and they often do not see Buddhist teachings as a panacea for their salvation.
The people of Daman love life, and Buddhist festivals are a day for them to gather together to sing and dance. They believe that there is always a sweet moment to be found in the hardships and hardships of life.
Under the Buddhist belief that the gods abstain from life and death, they will sacrifice their prey to the bodhisattva as a way to celebrate the new year and pray for peace and security in the coming year. Perhaps because of the integration of body and mind into nature during their wandering life, the people of Daman have a unique attitude towards life and death.
At their funerals, water burial rituals are usually carried out, unlike other water burial peoples, they will find a person who watches the day to determine the date, without the need for a high monk to chant sutras to surpass the dead, believing that the deceased has found a new home.
In the Daman community, intergenerational marriages and sibling marriages are the norm. They do not have strict ethical concepts and the shackles of the Three Principles and Five Constants, their children can grow up freely, and they do not have the education of teachers, but learn more from what they see and hear.
However, in 1959, serfdom was abolished and the people became their own masters, which brought envy and longing to the Daman people. They want someone who can help them get out of their situation and move towards a new life.
They are faced with two choices: to become Nepalese or to be Chinese. Most Dammam people chose to join China because, in their eyes, Nepal had "abandoned" them.
Although the Daman people are brownish-black from the sun and ultraviolet rays, traces of white blood can be seen in the contours of their faces. What is even more striking is that their eyes are as blue as the waters of Lake Namtso.
According to the Daman elders, they originated in Nepal but were abandoned by the tribe. When asked about this history, the old man Dammam's expression was full of regret: "They don't accept us anymore. ”
There is an opinion that they may have come from a small tribe in the southern foothills of the Himalayas. It was covered in snow and ice all year round, and the crops grown could not survive, so the chief had to lead his people out of their homeland and wander in search of a better place to live.
However, based on the research of experts and scholars, as well as the legends that circulate among the Daman people, another explanation is more convincing.
Under the rule of the Qing Dynasty, in July 1791, the Gurkha dynasty of Nepal launched an invasion against the Qing Dynasty in an attempt to plunder the land belonging to the Qing Dynasty. At that time, the Qing Dynasty was strong, and when Emperor Qianlong learned of the Gurkha's aggression, he was furious and ordered Fukangan, who had repeatedly led his troops to fight against the Gurkha.
Fukangan sent troops from **, led his troops all the way west, crossed the Himalayas, and successfully defeated the Gurkha army. He marched straight into Nepal to present-day Kathmandu, forced the Gurkha to surrender, and made the Gurkha leaders swear no more against the Qing Dynasty.
Behind Emperor Qianlong's victory, there is a little-known story. The soldiers of Fukangan have lost their way at the ** border and face a test of life and death. Some of them fell into the valley, some fell into the abyss, and the surviving soldiers could only rely on the wild fruits and small beasts of the mountains to keep them alive.
However, most of the soldiers were not native Tibetans, and they came from the plains and could not adapt to the harsh environment of the mountains and forests. Any mild cold can become a threat to their lives, and only about 100 people will survive.
These surviving soldiers crossed the mountains and came to a place where the crowds lived, as if they had come to an isolated paradise of peach blossoms. They started out with a language barrier and were unable to communicate with the people around them.
However, over time, they gradually integrated into the community, became friends with the locals, and even married and had children.
Their people separated from a former tribe to form a new tribe and nation. According to later accounts and translations, the word "Daman" means "soldier on horseback" in Tibetan.
Therefore, it is likely that the Daman people are the descendants of the soldiers who disappeared during the Qing army's expedition to Gurkha. The historical record that the Daman people were good at striking iron also supports this statement.
Tibetans have a great demand for knives and iron tools, but due to history and customs, few Tibetans are willing to work in iron. Therefore, in addition to helping the sojourn owner with farm work, the Daman people also make a living by striking iron.
This is also one of the reasons why they have not been able to integrate into ** and Nepal. Because in both places, the locals are generally considered to be incapable of striking iron.
After years of applying and calling, the Daman people finally joined the Tibetan nationality in 2003 and became a member of the Chinese citizens. As early as 1956, an agreement between China and Nepal stipulated: "Persons residing in ** and whose parents have Chinese nationality and Nepalese nationality are free to choose Chinese nationality or Nepalese nationality at the age of 18."
If you choose Chinese nationality, you will automatically renounce your Nepali nationality. ”
During that special period, some Daman people mixed with Tibetans, and after marrying Tibetans, they became Chinese nationals. However, the remaining Dammam did not meet the requirements, but in 2003 they were also incorporated into Chinese nationality.
What's even more surprising is that the state and ** set aside a piece of land to build a brand new home for them. In 2004, with the help of Jilong County**, the people of Daman finally had a house of their own.
After receiving the keys issued by the party committee, the family eagerly opened the door, and they were in disbelief at what they saw: a brand-new Tibetan wooden cabinet, tap water to drink with the switch turned on, and bright lights.
What was once a mixture of hunger and cold has now been replaced by a warm home.
* Not only did we have furniture, but also cattle, sheep, livestock and farming tools according to local characteristics. In addition, the problem of our children's schooling has been solved.
When Dawa was a child, she often envied Tibetan children who could carry their school bags to school, but life in Daman was a problem even for food and clothing. The Daman child, who does not have a hukou, can only watch other people's brand-new books, paper and pencils.
Despite the hardships of our past lives, these are nation-building, and we are grateful.
Dawa's life at that time was extremely difficult, and their daily living expenses were only five or six yuan. They want to go to school, but they don't have a hukou, so they can't go to school.
To this day, they still can't write, so many people look down on them. However, China attaches great importance to basic education, giving these Dammam children who are eager to learn the opportunity to enter schools to learn knowledge.
They graduate from school in just a few years, and most of the children go on to local colleges and universities to learn more and more. There are also more children who have chosen to join the army, providing strong support for China's modern military construction.
Basang is one of them.
In 2015, Basang witnessed the People's Liberation Army (PLA) carrying an old and unable to walk grandmother from the crumbling ruins. This scene was deeply imprinted in his heart and made him see the People's Liberation Army as his idol because they had to save others in times of crisis, even at the risk of their lives.
The following year, the state conducted a conscription in the new village of Dammam, and Basang did not hesitate to enlist in the army and became a member of the People's Liberation Army. He and his two brothers in the same village have contributed to the development and construction of the country with their own strength.
China has accepted the wandering Daman people with a broad mind, and the Daman people have reciprocated this acceptance in their own way. They picked up the old crafts of the past and repaired iron tools for the Tibetan compatriots, which is the true portrayal of "throwing it into a peach and repaying it with Qiong Yao".
Most of the iron utensils in the daily life of the Tibetan compatriots, such as pots and pans, were made by the Daman people. Their craftsmanship and polishing skills are superb, and they can produce beautiful crafts in just a few hours.
As soon as a new product comes out, it will be snatched up. What's even more valuable is that the Daman people, who have gone through the ordeal, are very fond of making friends with the Han people. Many Dammam girls are married to Han Chinese who work near Jilong.
Most of the Daman people have integrated into the new local community, building their current homeland with their Tibetan compatriots.
In their hearts, the unity and unity of the country is the cornerstone of their new life, and it is also their unswerving determination. Thanks and admiration for China, they planted bright five-star red flags in all the residences they built for them in China.
Red is the color of hope. There is reason to believe that with the unremitting efforts of the people of Dammam, they will cultivate a prosperous and prosperous world in this land. What do you think about this?
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