The Di and the Qiang Nationalities in the West Sichuan Plateau in the Historical Periods Prior to the Qin Dynasty

The history of the Di and Qiang peoples in the west Sichuan Plateau can be traced back to the Xia and Shang Dynasties,which can be proved both in literature and in archeological documents.The Di and the Qiang peoples inhabiting the northwest Gansu-Qinghai Plateau are consanguineous and divided into two nationalities.The west Qiang nationality is vastly scattered.Archeological findings and historical documents show that the stone coffin burials in the Minjiang upper reaches are the cultural remains of the Di people,whereas the stone coffin burials along the Yalongjiang River,Jinshanjiang River and Dadu River are the cultural remains of the Qiang people.