A Study on the Sinicization of the Tuoba Xianbei from the Perspective of Human-Tree Relations

By moving from the steppe to the north of Shanxi and then to Luoyang,the Tuoba Xianbei realized the Sinicization in terms of the living environment and cultural practices.The changing relationship between people and trees is a key clue to understanding this process.Trees were rare in nomadic livelihoods,and the popular rituals and myths on the steppe reflected the high regard of the Tuoba tribesmen for trees.In the natural conditions of northern China,trees constituted an important pillar of food and clothing.The Northern Wei rulers gradually drew on the old Han and Jin systems and folk experience to implement a new policy of mulberry,jujube and elm cultivation.After moving the capital to Luoyang,Tuoba’s rulers came into contact with physical objects such as sycamore and bamboo,which were familiar in the Central Plains culture,and got rid of the deviation from daily life and intellectual literacy.The connotations given to trees by the Central Plains society ultimately dominated the Tuoba people’s perceptions and emotions toward trees.