The Oirats are familiar to Chinese history buffs as the tribe who captured the Ming Emperor Ying-tsung in 1449, in what is known as the "T'u-mu debacle."
說「衛拉特」，一般人可能「莫宰羊」，但若提到明朝時，勞動明英宗御駕親征，結果引起「土木堡之變」的北方民族﹘﹘「瓦剌」，熟讀中國歷史課本的人或許並不陌生。