The Khitans were nomadic people in northern China in ancient times. The name "Qidan" first appeared in Shu Wei and was written in 554 AD. At that time, Qidan was just a small tribe split from many tribes in Xianbei.
After hundreds of years of difficult development, it was not until the end of the Tang Dynasty that Qidan changed from a loose tribal alliance to a new generation of hegemons in the northern grassland. Later, under the leadership of Lu Ye Abaoji, the legendary leader of the Khitans, the Khitans established a powerful regime in northern China-Liao State (also known as Liao Dynasty).
Extended data:
Liao dynasty (9 16- 1 125? ) is a dynasty established by the Qidan nationality in the history of China. Pass on the nine emperors and enjoy the country for 209 years. ?
In 907 AD, Lu Ye Abaoji, the ancestor of Liao Dynasty, became the leader of the Qidan Tribal Alliance. Founded in 9 16 AD, the founding name is "Qidan", and its capital is in Beijing, near Huangfu (now Nanpolo City, Balinzuoqi, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia).
In 947, Emperor Taizong of Liao led his troops south to the Central Plains and captured Bianjing (now Kaifeng, Henan). Ye Ludeguang ascended the throne in Bianjing and proclaimed himself emperor, changing his country name to "Da Liao" and his year name to "Da Tong"? [5-8]。 In 983, it was renamed "Grand Khitan". 1007 Liao Shengzong moved the capital to Beijing Dadingfu (now Ningcheng County, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia). 1066 Yelv Hongji of Liao Daozong revived the country "Liao". 1 125 was destroyed by the state of Jin.
The history of qidan nationality
For hundreds of years, as a relatively weak tribal alliance, the Khitan has successively belonged to the Northern Wei, Turkic, Tang Dynasty, Uighur and other forces. In the Tang Dynasty, Kuge, the leader of the Khitans, was appointed as the first commander-in-chief at the end of the Song Dynasty. At the end of the Song Dynasty, the area under the jurisdiction of the viceroy was today's Chifeng and Tongliao, and the location was consistent with the traditional birthplace of the Qidan people.
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the northern Uighur perished, and the southern Tang Dynasty fell into civil strife, which brought unprecedented development opportunities to the Khitan. During this period, the Khitans quickly conquered the tribes such as Xi and Shiwei, and firmly controlled the vast areas outside the Great Wall.
In 907 AD, Yeluboji was elected as the Khitan Khan. Under the leadership of Lu Ye Baoji, the Khitan developed rapidly and expanded its territory. At its peak, the territory of Liao established by the Khitans reached Sakhalin Island in the northeast, Selenger River and Shileka River in central Mongolia in the north, Altai Mountain in the west, Haihe River in Tianjin, Baxian County in Hebei Province and Yanmenguan in Shanxi Province in the south, bordering the Northern Song Dynasty.
Because the territory of the Khitans spanned the whole northern China, which cut off the direct connection between China and Central Asia and West Asia, many people in the West mistakenly thought that the Khitans ruled the whole China during this period. Even today, in the Slavic world, China is called Kitaia, Cathaia, Cathay, etc. And the translated meaning of these words is actually "Qidan".
In 1 125, Liao was destroyed by gold. Yelvshi, a nobleman of Liao country, led the rest of the Qidan people to flee to the west, controlled the Mongolian Plateau and eastern Xinjiang, and established the Western Liao regime. /kloc-in the 3rd century, the Mongols rose rapidly and conquered western Liao on 12 18.
Since then, a few Khitans, led by Balahei, a nobleman of the Western Liao Dynasty, have established the Kerman Dynasty in the Kerman area near the Persian Gulf in southern Iran, which is known as the "post-Western Liao Dynasty" in history. This was also the last regime established by the Khitans, and/kloc-0 was annexed by the State of ilhan in 306.
Therefore, the descendants of the Khitan who fled with Yeleshishi in those years finally merged into many ethnic groups in Mongolia and Central Asia. Those Khitans who didn't escape became subjects of Jin State, and most of them remained in their old places, namely Chifeng City, Tongliao City, Liaoning Province and Jilin City, Inner Mongolia.
Later, Mongolia conquered the Jin State and the Southern Song Dynasty, and many Khitans joined the Mongolian army and fought with the army in various places. Many of them were arranged to stay in the conquered areas, so they settled in these places. In the Yuan Dynasty, the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty classified the Qidan people in the north as Jin people and the Qidan people in the south as Song people, so the nation of Qidan gradually disappeared from the historical stage.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Liao Dynasty