AHC/WI : Yue people hold South China

Could Yue/Baiyue people have maintained themselves in southern China (it doesn't have to be all of it), either on the form of one state or several, or as a constituent people of one big chinese state (as Hui)?

I understand the big problem was their lack of cultural (while, from what I gathered, they were related to modern Viets) and political unity, but how could have been made?

Furthermore, what would be (in the great lines, I don't expect a TL or either precise indications past the first centuries) the consequences for Far-East and maybe more global history?
 
I'm thinking of a stronger Nanyue kingdom, receiving Chinese refugees and they'll be encouraged to serve the Royal Family (and nobles).

There shall be partial Sinicization, but they'll maintain their identity, especially the language.
 
The people of Chu never join the Zhou feudal system. The result is a distinct Yangtze River civilization, not grand enough to rival that of the Yellow River but still a worthy rival. The Nanyue continue as various statelets for many centuries afterward.
 
Could Yue/Baiyue people have maintained themselves in southern China (it doesn't have to be all of it), either on the form of one state or several, or as a constituent people of one big chinese state (as Hui)?

I understand the big problem was their lack of cultural (while, from what I gathered, they were related to modern Viets) and political unity, but how could have been made?

Furthermore, what would be (in the great lines, I don't expect a TL or either precise indications past the first centuries) the consequences for Far-East and maybe more global history?
The Yue are the Ancestor of Thais, this means that the Thais won't invade the Khmer Empire.
 
You might need to shift the available crops or domesticated animals.

Out of all the regimes that have controlled China down the millenia, all but two have originated from the exact geographic region of the Zhou core territories, and even those two had it for their center of mass. The North China Plain, with Shandong, naturally dominates the bits-and-pieces patchwork of the South. It's a better tax base, it's a better recruitment base, it's a geographic unit without major internal barriers....

Hard to say. Maybe if there was a different crop in the south you could get a higher population that could hold its own. Maybe a high-yield, soil-exhausting crop in the north could weaken the plains. But given the geography of the south, even if it isn't absorbed, there's a very good chance it won't be in one piece.
 
Could Yue/Baiyue people have maintained themselves in southern China (it doesn't have to be all of it), either on the form of one state or several, or as a constituent people of one big chinese state (as Hui)?

Entirely possible. Considering that the China Plains' interest in the Baiyue (at least, in the farthest south) was almost entirely initiated by the uniquely megalomaniacal character of Qin Shihuang, and then again by the equally controlling character of Han Wudi (who exterminated Nanyue State), it's not necessarily the case that the Baiyue has to fall.

Of course, as people have mentioned that the Northern China Plain is always going to be more agriculturally rich/politically united than the hills/valleys of the Southern Hills, so there is incentive for any Northern regime to move south. But that's a) highly dependent on the stability of said northern regime, and b) dependent on whether said northern regime has more pressing things to deal with, i.e. the Mongols.

Under extreme pressure, the northern regimes will retreat from parts of Southern China. Hainan Island was constantly being abandoned and of course you have the numerous Shanyue quasi-kingdoms in the mountains of Fujian well into the Eastern Jin period in the 4th century AD.

So for a Baiyue southern China, you'd need pretty permanent fragmentation in northern China, or extreme pressure from the Mongols or some other northern people.

Baiyue Southern China will be pretty fragmented, with the numerous mountains and hills making communications difficult and local defense easy. I foresee major power centers to emerge in the Pearl and Red River valleys, maybe the Xiang and Gan Rivers too if northern Chinese regimes lose their grip on those regions.

As far as we know the Baiyue were a pretty water-savvy people (not surprising considering riverine/coastal movement was pretty much the only effective way of communication there), so if sufficiently advanced I suppose they could develop a good maritime culture. I still think Sinicization is quite likely considering that many of the northern Baiyue states are going to have to pay tribute to a northern Chinese regime, which allows for cultural and technological diffusion.
 
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