Page:Chinese Life in the Tibetan Foothills.djvu/91

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The province was practically depopulated by the robber bands of Li Tzŭ-ch‘êng (李自成), Chang Hsien-chung (張獻忠), Wang San-huai (王三槐), and others. Many were slaughtered, many fled. Afterwards immigrants from Hupei, Hunan, and other provinces occupied the deserted soil and bound themselves by oaths for mutual protection against remnants of robber bands or returning émigrés.

Many old inhabitants returned, to find their lands in possession of strangers. Such people, the weak taking to beggary, the strong to robbery, together with the scattered remnants of the earlier robber bands, all together received the name of ku-lu-tzŭ.

This term is peculiar to Ssuch'uan and it was contracted into ku-fei (嘓匪). The explanation of this is not satisfactory. The Kuang Yün (廣韻) says that ku resembles the sound of quacking and gabbling, while lu means flattering words such as beggars use. The Chêng Tzŭ T‘ung (正字通) speaks of tu-lu (吐嚕) as meaning k‘o-hsi (可惜), a term of pity. In some parts evilly disposed beggars are still called tu-lu-tzŭ, so it is possible that it is a term of pity, and meant, pity the poor aborigine. Some explain by saying the ku-fei were to be feared because of their number and character while the lu-fei were to pitied because of their extreme poverty. This explanation, which seems reasonable, makes the term ku-lu-tzŭ mean robbers and beggars; and it may have been applied by the Mongol and Manchu troops who came to the province to restore order.

As the Ch‘ing dynasty gradually got control of the country the ku-lu-tzŭ were dispersed, and began to be spoken of as p‘i-fei (痞匪), which means obstructionists. They were also jokingly called hsien-ta-lang (閒打浪), or idle wave beaters; this is now contracted to ta-lang-êrh, and seems to mean one who lives by his wits or his luck.

These obstructionists lived in blue tents, and were used as entertainers at funerals or festivities. On such occasions they pitched their tents at the door of the dwelling house