Establishing the Khitan Kingdom
3 min readA silver Pot Decorated with Fish-scale Paterns, the Liao Dynasty In the second lunar month of 916 Yeli Abaoji followed the Chinese court formalities to proclaim himself emperor in Longhua(east of present Aohan Banner of Chifeng in Inner Mongolia), and formally founded the Khitan Kingdom. Just one month after he was enthroned, Abaoji designated his eldest sonYeli Tuyu(899-937) as the crown prince, thus establishing the hereditary system of the throne. Under his orders, the first Khitan laws were enacted and the Khitan script was invented too.
A Lotus-shaped White Porcelain Tray Inlaid with copper, the Liao Dynasty A White Porcelain Pot Engraved with Lotus Patterns, the Liao Dynasty Abaoji had been a great admirer of the Han culture. He had chosen the Chinese name of Yifor himself, and given the name of Bei to Yeli Tuyu. He also relied heavily on the service of Han courtiers such as Han Zhigu, Han Yanhuiand Kang Moji, and had once issued an edict for the nationwide worship of Confucius rather than Buddha as “Buddhism was not a native religion of China.”
Militarily, Abaoji personally led punitive expeditions against other ethnic groups in the north including the Turk, Tuyuhun, and Dangxiang, thus greatly boosting the prestige of his empire. In 926, he subjugated the Bohai Kingdom established by the Mohe people in the southern parts of northeast China, and left his crown prince in charge of the colony which was renamed Dongdan.
Abaoji then ordered the return of his troops to the Supreme Capital of Linhuangfu(southeast of present Balin Left Banner of Chifeng in Inner Mongolia). Unfortunately, he fell gravely ill en route and died in Fuyu(west of present Siping City in Jilin Province) at the age of 54.
AGilded silver Watering-can, the Liao Dynasty
LiKeyong(856-908) was ethnically a shatuo Turk(a Turkic tribe). His son Li Cunxu(885-926) established the Later Tang Dynasty (923-936) following the fall of the Tang Dynasty. Later on, with the aid ofthe Khitans Shi Jingtang(892-942, also a Shatuo Turk) rebelled against the Later Tang. After successfully founding the Later Jin Dynasty (936-946) himself, Shi repaid the Khitans by ceding the sixteen prefectures–which constituted a protective screen for northern China–to them.
Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty Running the Country with Civil Administration
Portrait of zhao Kuangyin (927-976)
Zhao Kuangyin, usually referred to by his posthumous title Taizu, was the first emperor of the Song Dynasty, reigning from 960 to 976.
Zhao Kuangyin (927-976) of the Han nationality was of Zhuozhou(the same-named city in present Hebei Province) origin and was born in Jiamaying of Luoyang in what’s now Henan Province. His fatherZhao Hongyin (899-956) had been successively serving as a general of the imperial guards during the Later Tang (923-936), Jin (936-946), Han (947-950), and Zhou(951-960) dynasties–four separatist regimes established in northern China following the fall of the Tang Dynasty.
Zhao Kuangyin was the founder of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and reigned for 17 years (960-976). Once the new empire was declared, he relieved the generals of their control of the armed forces, put civil officials in key positions, carried out the separation of the three powers–namely, the executive, military and financial powers–in the central government, and developed the country through improved civil administration.
