Dajiu Longkou

　　Tubot, only sporadic records of him remain in the Qing Dynasty historical archives, but among the people, he is regarded as the figure who had the greatest impact on the survival and development of the Xibo people during their westward migration. During the Guangxu era, to commemorate Tubot’s achievements, the Xibo people built the “Tugong Ancestral Hall” at the head of the canal at Longkou and in his hometown, Nadachi Nongli. In 1994, the Xibo people donated funds to rebuild the Tubot Memorial Hall in Nadachi Nongli, making it an important site for people to remember him.

　　The Dajiu Longkou canal dug by Tubot is located at a mountain pass more than 40 kilometers southeast of Qapqal County. It is a dam-less intake, from which the canal draws water from the Ili River. In October of the lunar year 1802 (the 7th year of the Jiaqing reign), 37 years after the Xibo people migrated westward to Ili, under the leadership of Tugutong (Commander) Tubot of the Xibo Regiment, the construction of the Qapqal Grand Canal officially began. Finally, in 1808 (the 13th year of the Jiaqing reign), after six years of work, a grand canal stretching approximately 100 kilometers from east to west was successfully excavated, with a depth of one zhang (approx. 3.3 meters), a bottom width of one zhang two chi (approx. 4 meters), and a surface width of three zhang (approx. 10 meters). Like a giant dragon across the Qapqal Plain, it irrigates the arid and rain-scarce lands on both banks. At that time, it was called the “Qapqal Buha.” Qapqal means “granary” in the Xibo language, and Buha means “grand canal.” As the name suggests, this title not only indicates the benefits the canal would bring but also reflects the Xibo ancestors’ aspiration for abundant harvests, prosperity, and a happy life.

　　The completion of the canal expanded the Xibo people’s arable land from over 10,000 mu to more than 80,000 mu. Several Nongli (Xibo administrative units) living along the southern bank of the Ili River successively relocated to both sides of the canal. The eight Nongli were distributed along the Qapqal Grand Canal, where they built fortresses and settled down. It was precisely the completion of the Qapqal Grand Canal that transformed the ancient wilderness into a granary, giving rise to a landscape dotted with villages and crisscrossed by fields. Historians and social scholars share a common view: it was the completion of this canal that ultimately changed the fate of the Xibo people who migrated westward.

　　When the Qapqal Xibo Autonomous County was established on March 17, 1954, the canal’s name was adopted as the county name. To this day, the Qapqal Grand Canal continues to play an important role in local agricultural and animal husbandry production. In the year following the canal’s completion, in 1809 (the 14th year of the Jiaqing reign), 54-year-old Tubot, in recognition of his exceptional contributions to digging the canal, was summoned to Beijing and commended by Emperor Jiaqing. He also became the first Xibo person allowed to return to his ancestral home in the northeast for a family visit 45 years after the westward migration. In the Xibo epic “Song of the Westward Migration,” people have immortalized their praise for Tubot in song, passing it down through generations.