An old general term for nomadic tribes of the western highlands of Qinghai, Gansu, and Ningxia (Shang 商 period term: Qiangfang 羌方). In a narrower sense, a people relative to the Tanguts (Dangxiang 黨項), a branch of the Tibetians. Since oldest times, these nomad tibes of the west had contact with the Shang and Zhou 周 rulers, and some important persons of the Zhou aristocracy had the surname Jiang 姜 that is in fact identical to 羌. In the last decades of the Warring States period 戰國, the belligerent tribes of the Qiang (or Jiang-Rong 姜戎) were defeated by the state of Qin 秦 that installed the first Chinese commanderies (jun 郡) of the west. The customs of the Qiang are known by literary descriptions, they adopted the surname of the mother and conducted cremation burials. When the Xiongnu 匈奴 federation controlled the steppe north of the Chinese empire since the begin of the 2nd century BC, the Qiang tribes submitted to this powerful union. The Han Dynasty 漢 emperors Han Wudi 漢武帝 and Zhaodi 昭帝 installed special administration units (Huqiang xiaoweiqu 護羌校尉區) to "protect" and to detract the Qiang from the influence of the Xiongnu. The old territory of the Gansu corridor was administered by the Chinese, the deployed soldiers built up military colonies (tuntian 屯田) where the Qiang were resettled as workforce. In the second century, several insurgences of the oppressed Qiang tribes shook the Later Han Dynasty. During this time, Qiang tribes migrated to the east into the proper Chinese territory. At the begin of the Jin Dynasty 晉, a large part of the population of modern Shaanxi and Sichuan consisted of immigrated Non-Chinese people. Most of them were servants, slaves and tenant farmers of the Chinese large land owners.From the 290es on, numerous rebellions contributed to the downfall of the Western Jin. In 384 a Qiang chieftain named Yao Yizhong 姚弋仲 occupied the territory of modern Shaanxi, his son Yao Chang 姚萇 founded the Western Qin empire (Xiqin) 西秦. Nonetheless, the Qiang merged with the Chinese population. After the downfall of the Tang Dynasty 唐, Tangut-Qiang tribes founded the empire of Western Xia (Xixia) 西夏. Today, some Qiang are left and are officially accepted as one the ethnic minorities of China (Qiangzu 羌族).