The only yellow race in Europe has fled from Russia to China
The Kalmyks, descendants of the Mongols, who live in the Republic of Kalmykia in the Russian Federation, are the only yellow ethnic group in Europe. Despite the fact that Russia is historically considered an Asian country, geographically, most of Russia's territory is in Europe, including nearly 25% of the territory west of the Ural Mountains and the Greater Caucasus Mountains, with a total area of about 4.27 million square kilometers, which is even more than the total area of the rest of Europe.
Traditional Europe, usually refers to the region along the North Atlantic coast, north of the Mediterranean Sea, and west of the Ural Mountains, where the majority ethnic group is Caucasian. But in fact, the region west of the Ural Mountains and north of the Caucasus Mountains also belongs to Europe in the traditional sense.
This interesting fact is that against the background of the full Caucasians in Europe, there is also a yellow ethnic group of pure Asian blood, that is, the Kalmyks. They reside in the Republic of Kalmykia, in the North Caucasus Federal District of Russia.
The Republic of Kalmykia is located north of the Caucasus Mountains and is classified as a European nation according to this principle. In fact, the Russians were not accepted by the Europeans, in addition to the Orthodox Church, which is contrary to Catholicism, but also because of the deep integration with the Mongols, Turks and other Asian nomads throughout history.
Shoigu, the Minister of Defense of Russia, is an ethnic Tuvan, which is of Mongolian origin and is a Russified Mongolian ethnic group. In Europe, there is a famous saying that "the blood of the Russians is in the blood of the Mongols", which is due to the tragic history brought about by the Mongol invasion, which made most European peoples fear the Mongols and thus became antipathetic to the Russians, and even some European extreme anti-Russian elements called Russia "white Mongols".
The model has a distinctly Russian background, with a white Russian father and a Kalmyk mother of Mongolian descent, descendants of the "ruins" left behind by the Mongol invasion of Europe in the 13th century.
Another name you may be more familiar with is the "Turks".
In 1771, the Eastern Turks returned to the motherland after many hardships, and finally chose to settle down on the land at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, and merged with the local ethnic groups, forming a unique and important ethnic group in the Chinese family, known as the "Turhut Descendants of the East".
The Republic of Kalmykia, located in western China, is the place where Emperor Qianlong wrote the inscription "All the people return to the east". In 2008, CCTV filmed a TV series called "The Legend of the Heroes of the East" to commemorate the arduous return of the Turks to China.
The episode of the play "Hong Geese" is sung by Inner Mongolia singer Hu Sileng, and the song expresses people's deep longing for their hometown: "The sky is vast, where are the geese going? In my heart is the hometown of the north. ”
The 2008 Chinese TV series "The Legend of the Heroes of the East" depicts the magnificent chapter of their return to their homeland in the 18th century. Starring well-known actors such as Ma Jingtao, Ningning, and Siqin Gaova, this drama tells the story of those Turks who remained in Russia and became today's Kalmyks.
After nearly 4 centuries of development, there is no difference between the Kalmyks and the Mongols in physical characteristics, and they still maintain their original black hair and yellow hair**, as well as their belief in Tibetan Buddhism.
They stand in stark contrast to the tall, fair-skinned, Orthodox Russians, who are generally blonde, blue-eyed, white-skinned.
There is little difference between the Kalmyks and the Mongols in physical characteristics, and since the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Mongols have practiced Tibetan Buddhism, as have the Kalmyks. Elista is the only Buddhist city in Europe, with many floating Buddhas, lamas and Buddha statues, known as the "Little Lhasa of Europe", if you don't tell you that this is a European city, many people may mistake it for a city in China** or Mongolia.
Located in Europe, Elista is known as the "Little Lhasa of Europe" because of its unique geographical location and cultural background. So, what made these Mongols choose to come to Europe and settle here?
Let's unravel this historical mystery together.
The Russian nation is the majority ethnic group in Russia, accounting for about 77% of the total population. They are Eastern Slavs and believe in Orthodox Christianity. Although the Oirats, the ancestors of the Kalmyks, were originally a nomadic people in Siberia, they quickly submitted to Genghis Khan after the rise of the Mongols in the 13th century.
Now, scholars regard Oirat as one of the Mongol tribes, including it as a "woodland Mongol", as opposed to a "steppe Mongol".
It turned out that the Mongol Empire was not a single entity, but consisted of four khanates, of which the Yuan Dynasty had the largest territory. In the 13th century, the Mongol cavalry conquered Eurasia, and Russia and Ukraine were ruled for 225 years, so many Russian nobles were of Mongol descent.
For example, Ivan IV, the founding emperor of the Russian Empire, is believed to have Mongol ancestry. In 1242, the Mongols destroyed Kievan Rus' and established the Golden Horde, and many Mongols emigrated to Europe.
However, with the fall of the Golden Horde in 1502, all the Mongols returned to Central Asia and Mongolia.
It turned out that after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols broke away from the "** family" and became Moxi Mongolia, and fought against the Eastern Mongolian Leagues, becoming a big problem for the Ming Dynasty.
They were known as "Wara", and once led to the death of 100,000 Ming troops in the famous "Tumubao Incident", Ming Yingzong was captured, and even once fought under the city of Beijing, almost leading to the early demise of the Ming Dynasty.
Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty was captured by Wara during the Tumubao Rebellion, but the Ming Dynasty did not die because of this. This was due to Yu Qian's excellent command, who successfully commanded the Jingshi defensive battle, defeated the invasion of Wara, and kept the Ming dynasty for 200 years.
However, the power of the Oirat Mongols grew, and they developed four major tribal alliances, namely the Dulbert, Dzungar, Hoshote, and Turghut tribes.
Actually,"Kalmykia"The name is derived from the Russian language, right"Oirat"Translation.
In the TV series "Kangxi Dynasty", the Dzungar tribe intended to rebel in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, and when the world was in turmoil, the Dzungar tribe of the Oirat Mongols gradually grew stronger, trying to rule the Moxi Mongol tribes.
However, in 1627, the Dzungars annexed the entire Tien Shan region, much to the horror of the 200,000 Turks. Due to the characteristics of the nomadic people's indefinite residence and resettlement, they do not have a so-called"Homestead"。
In order to escape the invasion of the Dzungar Ministry, they chose to flee and look for new pastures.
In 1628, about 200,000 Turkuts and Shut people set out from the Ili region to migrate westward, crossing the Ural Mountains in eight months to reach the southern Volga region.
At that time, this unoccupied land was still beyond the reach of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and the only enemies of the Turks were the Nogai people in Central Asia. After their victory over the Nogais, the Turks acquired pastures, established the Turghat Khanate, and settled there.
Although the current Turghut Mongols have settled in Ili, Xinjiang, with a population of about 250,000, their good fortune did not last long. After driving out the Nogais, a stronger enemy appeared, and that was Tsarist Russia.
In the second half of the 17th century, Tsarist Russia began to expand into the Caucasus, and it was clear that their goal of the Turgot Khanate was inevitable.
In the 17th century, Russia's expansion changed dramatically, and in the past they were required to offer valuables to the Mongols as a sign of respect, but after the Industrial Revolution, Russia's military power was no longer what it used to be, and the Russians were even more powerful with the advent of foreign guns and cannons.
No matter how heroic and good the Mongols were, they could not be compared with modern **, they were outdated.
With the support of Tsarist Russia, the Ukrainian Cossack cavalry and the Volga Germans launched an offensive against the Turkut Khanate, seized the land and fought directly. Soon, the Turghat Khanate was effectively in name only, and although they had been in contact with the Dzungars and the Qing Dynasty, the Dzungars invited them back several times, but each time they missed the opportunity.
The Cossacks were not a nation, but Russian serfs who had been exiled to the steppes of Eastern Europe for their rebellion against the oppression of the landlords, and were later organized into armed groups that became the most important cavalry units in Tsarist Russia.
In the battle between Tsarist Russia and the Ottoman Turks in the Black Sea and the Caucasus, the brave and skilled Turks were forced to join the war and became cannon fodder on the front line. Less than 20,000 of the 100,000 survived, which made the Turks deeply hated Tsarist Russia.
After ten encounters in the Russo-Turkish War, Tsarist Russia finally won and occupied Crimea and the Caucasus. Under the assimilation policy of Tsarist Russia, many Turks were forced to abandon their pastures and become serfs of Russian landlords, and were forced to abandon Tibetan Buddhism and convert to Orthodox Christianity.
As the conscription grew, the Turks, fearing that Russia would eventually destroy them entirely, began to contemplate another flight, just as they had done 143 years earlier.
Wobasi is the protagonist of "The Legend of the Heroes of the East", and his Turgot Khanate has effectively become a colony of Tsarist Russia. At that time, the sons of the chieftains of Turgots also had to be sent to St. Petersburg as hostages, learn Russian and convert to Orthodox Christianity.
In the 1993 film "Heroes Returning to the East", there is a scene depicting the son of the Turghut chieftain in St. Petersburg.
The 1993 Chinese film "Heroes of the East" tells the story of 1761, after the young Wubasi ascended the throne, the intervention of Tsarist Russia in Turghut made him unbearable, so he began to plan the feat of "returning to the East".
After returning to China, he was canonized as the Mongolian Turghut Khan of the Qing Dynasty by the Qing Dynasty. Faced with a strong enemy, he chose to flee. After ten years of preparation and ideological work, the Turks embarked on a journey "home" in 1771.
However, the Turks lived separately on both sides of the Volga, and there were about 170,000 Turks in the east. In order to avoid the detection of Tsarist Russia, they could not wait for the 200,000 Turks in the west to cross the river.
Therefore, they had to set off alone.
The Volga divides the fate of a people into two parts, the Turks in the west, under the leadership of Wobasi, experienced a lot of hardships, although on the way they suffered from the robbery of the Russian army, Cossacks, Kazakhs, bad weather and attacks of wild animals also led to the death of a large number of people and livestock, but they finally succeeded, it can be said that they experienced the danger of "nine deaths and one life".
After more than 140 years of wandering, in 1772, the Turks finally returned to their familiar homeland of Ili, Xinjiang. However, their population is only 70,000, which is less than half of what they set out for.
By the time they were gone, the Dzungar tribe entrenched in Xinjiang had been routed by the Qing army, so they had no choice but to submit to the Qing dynasty. Emperor Qianlong, who was so happy with his achievements, thought that this was an auspicious omen of "the return of all the people", so he personally inscribed the "Records of the Return of All the Turks" and "The Records of the Preferential Sympathy of the Turghutes", and carved them into inscriptions and stood in Chengde, Hebei.
The Sabre of Worbasi has witnessed the history of the return of Turghut to the East. In the Qing Dynasty, the Turks received more than 4 million taels of aid from Shaanxi and Gansu provinces and countless materials, making them feel the warmth of home.
The return of Turghut to the East is a symbol of the reunion of the Chinese nation and a historical moment for a century-old wanderer to return to his hometown.
The fate of the compatriots of the Turks on the territory of Russia was not so lucky. The defection of the Eastern Turks infuriated Tsarist Russia**, whose Emperor Catherine the Great was known for her ruthlessness, which disgraced the Russians.
As a result, Tsarist Russia directly abolished the Turgot Khanate and brought it under the jurisdiction of the Russian province of Astrakhan.
The Russian drama Catherine II depicts the life of Catherine the Great, which is full of twists and turns. One of the most distressing is that the Kalmyks are forced to serve in the Russian army for generations, or face the threat of extermination.
The four circles in the coat of arms of the Republic of Kalmykia symbolize the serious challenges faced by the Turks. They were part of the four great tribes of the Mongols, but they were exiled to Siberia or forced to join the army.
What made their hearts ache even more was that their names were abolished and replaced by a new one - "Kalmyks", which some even thought meant "defectors".
In the process, they suffered endless oppression and lost almost all hope. Yet, even in the midst of such adversity, they have persevered, upholding their culture and traditions, and proving their worth and dignity to the world.
The story of the Kalmyk people is a history of challenges and struggles, as well as a journey of perseverance in the pursuit of freedom and dignity.
In the early years of Soviet Russia, Lenin implemented a policy of "national self-determination", granting autonomy to national minorities within Russia. The implementation of this policy made it possible for the Kalmyk people, who had been oppressed for hundreds of years, to establish the Kalmyk Autonomous Republic and achieve national independence and freedom.
It is worth mentioning that Lenin's maternal grandmother was an Orthodox Kalmyk woman, and his mentor Lenin was also half Kalmyk blood, so it can be said that Lenin himself also had yellow blood.
This shows the importance that Lenin attached to and supported the equality of all nationalities.
Lenin, the great teacher of the proletariat and the founder of Soviet Russia, had a profound impact on the history of mankind. It is a pity that Lenin's life ended in the prime of life.
Under his successor, Stalin, the Soviet Union adopted a policy of "Great Russianism", which treated other peoples unfairly. Among them, the Kalmyks attracted the attention of Stalin because of their bravery in battle, many Kalmyks were forced into the army, and at the same time a large number of Kalmyks were transferred to collective farms in Central Asia and Siberia.
In the Soviet-German war of 1941, the Soviet army conscripted a large number of soldiers in order to defend against the German attack, including many Mongolian soldiers in the Soviet Union. In fact, for a long time, there were many Mongolian soldiers in the Soviet army, and there was even a Marshal of Mongolian origin named Gorodovikov.
During World War II, the Mongolian Gorodoviv served as a cavalry marshal of the Soviet army, leading his army from the Black Sea to Berlin. At that time, more than 50,000 Kalmyks joined the Soviet army, including almost all Kalmyk adult males between the ages of 18 and 60.
However, despite their valiant fighting, they suffered huge losses. It is recorded that more than 20,000 Kalmyks were killed in the battle, and another 30,000 were taken prisoner.
Unexpectedly, however, some Kalmyks, dissatisfied with the Soviet Union's misclassification, chose to join the German army and formed the "SS Kalmyk Division" to fight against their own compatriots.
This phenomenon was not uncommon during World War II, such as the three Baltic states, which also shared a common ethnic background but wore different military uniforms and fought against their own compatriots.
1944: Civil War and mass exile of Estonians during World War II In 1944, a civil war about Estonians and the capture of 30,000 people caused Stalin to develop a great distrust of the Kalmyks.
This event took place during World War II, when Estonians fought between Soviet and German armies, only to have a civil war internally. This betrayal and exile had a profound effect on Stalin's attitude towards the Kalmyks.
In 1943, the Kalmyk Autonomous Republic was abolished, and all Kalmyks, young and old, were forcibly exiled to Central Asia.
The exile was a long distance, with harsh conditions, poor sanitation and a poor diet, which led to the death of about 25% of the Kalmyks. At the same time, these exiles intermarried with other peoples in Central Asia, resulting in an almost complete Central Asianization of the Kalmyk identity.
The film tells this history of pain and tragedy, reminding people of the terrible consequences of war and betrayal.
In 1957, Khrushchev came to power, and exiles such as the Kalmyks were able to return to their homeland. Although the population of the Kalmyks at this time was just over 100,000, far less than they had been more than 300 years ago, they were finally able to return to their homeland.
In 1989, the Soviet Union corrected the illegal and erroneous disposition of the Kalmyk people, re-established the status of the Kalmyk Autonomous Republic, and demonstrated respect for the Kalmyk nation.
This female Kalmyk veteran of the Soviet Army took out the ** of her youth and revealed the demographic plight of the Kalmyk Republic. The country has a population of only about 300,000 people, of which 32% are ethnic Russians, 13% are Caucasian nationalities, and only 55% are Kalmyks.
They have become a marginal people in Russian society, neglected by Caucasian societies in Europe. Their living conditions and cultural backgrounds are little known, and they urgently need the attention and understanding of society.
White Russians and Kalmyks celebrate Mongolian holidays together, and although Kalmyks retain many Mongolian traditions due to their strong inferiority complex, such as holding Naadam conferences, living in yurts, worshipping immortals, and practicing Tibetan Buddhism, in the eyes of Russians this may be just a performative event.
The Kalmyks, known as the "Yellow Cossacks", were heroic fighters in the Russian army. To this day, the Kalmyks are still one of the important recruits of the Russian army, and the Russian army has specially equipped them with accompanying lamas to facilitate their prayers during battle.
The Kalmyks are an important part of the Russian army, they are extremely well represented in the army, and they have repeatedly won military exploits. Behind this, however, is the unfortunate reality of the low economic level and high unemployment rate of the Kalmyk people, and the fact that a large number of young people choose to join the army.
The lack of an industrial base and demographic superiority of the Kalmyks did not even have railways and airports, only roads, which made their economic situation at the bottom of Russia.
In Elista, the capital of the Republic of Kalmykia, despite the influence of Vladimir Putin in Russia, the Kalmyks have always maintained close ties with the Turks and other ethnic Mongols in China.
In 1997, the Russian Republic of Kalmykia privately invited the twelfth descendant of Wobasi Khan, the last princess of Turghut, Manlin, to visit Elista.
To this day, the Kalmyks respect and call the descendants of Vobasi Khan in China "Khan".
Manlin was a warrior from Kalmykia, a descendant of Wobasi Khan, born in 1938 and now an Air Force colonel and university professor. Manlin was the last of the Turgot princesses, and like their ancestors, this nation has always stood firmly on the cusp of history.