Do you know the approximate age (i.e. what dynasty/ies) the movements took place?
I believe there were some census but it did not count how many persons there were, but rather households. That's also how we know the ancient army's number.
First off I have to distinguish the ‘southern Man’ from the ‘northern Man’. It is the ‘southern Man’ who formed the Luliang Kingdom while it is the ‘northern Man’ who formed the Chu State. The ‘southern Man’ is the proto type Yue 粤. The ‘southern Man’ and ‘northern Man’ could have belonged to the same singular political unity a number of times such as during the Xia and Shang dynasties. However by the Western Zhou period the Man political cohesiveness reflected the political disunity and turmoil that followed the collapse of the Shang. I would say the ‘southern Man’ migrated south during the formation of the Western Zhou Dynasty at the end of the 2nd Millennium. They took the Changsha to Guilin route. The process of consolidation between the ‘southern Man’ and the Austro-Asiatic Mon civilization appeared to be less one sided as attested by the strong enduring influence of the Austro-Asiatic culture on the Luliang Kingdom and Chu State. However as the Mon had predominate the Austronesian before, this time the proto type Yue 粤 predominate the Austro-Asiatic Mon. The end result is the largely Sinitic Luliang Kingdom. During the Spring and Autumn period a large number of Chu settlers migrated south to present day Guangxi also by way of Changsha to Guilin. But the end of the Warring States period Chu people going south to Luliang was entirely refugees.
With the successful Qin conquest of Luliang which witness a large number of Qin resettlement programs, the first of which is the establishment of the proto type Taishan community by the Song or Shang 商 mercenaries who had formed a part of the Qin army led by Qin General Meng Tien and Qin General Zhao Tau. Next the BaiYue 百越 were commissioned to garrison Guilin and Xiang soon after 214 Before Christian Era. The BaiYue 百越 most likely started from present day Fujian by way of present day Meizhou crossing present day northern Guangdong to get to present day Guangxi.
As strongly advocated by its supporters, Song people migrated through Ganzhou 赣洲 Nanxiong 南雄 corridor to reach Guangdong during the Song Dynasty period. However I believe earlier migrations some of which is stated above and later migrations have the same importance in the formation of Guangdong and Guangxi.
No census has been taken prior to the Doomsday Book of 12 Century Christian Era.
Edited by foldup_gryphon, 13 September 2005 - 12:51 PM.
