The Qiang live in terraced villages with thick stone towers on the upper Min and its side valleys (Wikipedia, Qiang people: the towers' dating is not given).
Their villages decide for themselves by headman, feud and the village ritual specialist (the 'duangong' of the later records). Their religion is animist, with guardian mountain gods; Tibetan Buddhism has affected the north-west, Chinese Buddhism and Daoism the east (same page; for later centuries). They are the Dangxiang's close relatives (Chinese scholars treat Tanguts and Qiang as one stock: Wikipedia, Tangut people).
They sell herbs, musk, furs and hemp at Maozhou and Weizhou and buy salt, cloth and tea.
Who he is
- Title
- Village headmen and clan elders of the Qiang stone-tower villages
- Since
- not known
- Born
- not known
- Family
- not known
- Confidence
- low
No headman named for 1200. The Song's Manyi chapters name groups, not chiefs, and we could not reach them.
Overlord
None. The nearest Song post is Weizhou or Maozhou; titles are nominal (general pattern).
What it holds
- Terraces, orchards and stone-tower villages
- Summer grass on the ridges
- Passes to the Zagunao and the Songpan side
How it was acquired
By custom.
Allies and rivals
Feuds among valleys; trade with Maozhou and Weizhou; the Song prefects grant titles.
How things stand that morning
Self-governing; no revolt or campaign known for the winter.
Wealth
Herbs, musk, furs and hemp to sell; barley, buckwheat and peas on the terraces (general pattern). No maize: it reached China in the 16th century.
Military
Village militia in the stone towers; no numbers.
Places of note
- Lixian (Zagunao valley): Valley centre.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Geography and the general pattern; Wikipedia's page has no Tang-Song detail.
On the map: Ground is drawn in the province record Min Qiang.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, Qiang people (read this session)
- Wikipedia, Tangut people (Minyak, Tibetan Buddhism at the Xia court; read this session)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.