The first dynasty in the northern frontier, Lai Liao!

Of course you know Song

It is the main character of the "Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties" in history textbooks.

This is the era when Chinese culture reached its peak

(Historian Chen Yinke)

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"The culture of the Chinese nation has evolved over thousands of years.

It reached its peak during the Zhao and Song dynasties.”

But at the same time as this elegant dynasty

A nomadic regime entrenched in northern China

Liao , how much do you know?

Heyday

It has been on par with the Song Dynasty for a hundred years

The territory stretches from the Sea of ​​Japan in the east to the Altai Mountains in the west.

"China" in Russian is still the transliteration of Khitan "Китай"

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Liao territory diagram, map by @Zheng Yi/Planetary Research Institute)

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This is the other side of China

There is a vast world, freedom like the wind

Give birth to brave men and heroic women

(The Wulanbutong grassland in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia gave birth to the Khitan people. The picture shows the horse racing in the snow at Wulanbutong. Image source: Visual China)

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Women are entering the political arena

A big deal, a big show

Creating the unique landscape of the Northern Dynasty

(Fengguo Temple in Jinzhou, Liaoning, is a royal temple in the fiefdom of Empress Xiao’s family. The Bodhisattvas in the temple are young women. Photographer: Yao Peng)

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Two hundred years of being king of Saibei

Eight thousand miles of vast territory

What kind of Khitan children are they?

Create such a magnificent dynasty

But often absent from the public eye

The tribesmen were exiled to other places, and their languages ​​were difficult to understand.

(Octagonal bronze mirror with Khitan script. People’s understanding of Khitan script is still limited. Photographer: @笑谈间气吐霓虹, map: @大廖萧田田/星球研究院)

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Let's go back to 907 AD

The First Dynasty of Saibei

Will be born in the bloody sunset of the Tang Dynasty

01

The Afterglow of the Tang Dynasty

A genius who established a career - Yelu Abaoji

In 907 AD, the glorious Tang Dynasty

Experienced the Anshi Rebellion, eunuchs in power, and separatist regimes

Already dying

The last puppet emperor, the 15-year-old Emperor Ai of Tang, Li Chu , was deposed.

The Bloody Sunset of the Tang Dynasty

One by one, the vassal forces competed to establish themselves as kings

Divide this huge dynasty

It also dragged China into another chaotic period since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

(A brief timeline of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, drawn by @大廖萧田田/Planet Research Institute)

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The same year Emperor Ai of Tang was deposed

An eagle cries loudly on the northern grassland

35-year-old Yelu Abaoji

Unify the eight Khitan tribes and become the leader of the alliance

He has sharp eyes and a sharp edge.

Wherever the eyes are, wherever the blade points, the land of China

(Situation diagram of the early Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, drawn by @郑艺/Planetary Research Institute)

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The two most powerful vassal forces in the late Tang Dynasty

Liang Wang Zhu Wen and Jin Wang Li Keyong

They all successively won over Yelu Abaoji

In this chaotic time, no one underestimates this grassland force

So here comes the question

Khitan, where did you come from?

How to get in?

Northeast China

The Xilamulun River , also known as the Huangshui River, originates from the Inner Mongolia Plateau.

The Laoha River , also known as the Tuhe River, originates from the Qilaotu Mountains in Hebei Province.

It converges into the Xiliao River in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia

(Schematic diagram of the Liaohe River Basin water system and location, drawn by @Zheng Yi/Planet Research Institute)

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The Khitan legend was born here

The tribe breeds here

(In the Khitan legend of "Blue Ox and White Horse", a god rode a white horse eastward from the Futu River on Mayun Mountain, and a goddess drove a blue ox cart from the pine forest on the flat ground to the Huangshui River. When the two rivers merged at Muye Mountain, they met, became spouses, and gave birth to eight sons. Later, the tribe gradually prospered and was divided into eight tribes, which are the eight tribes of Khitan. The picture shows the Xilamulun River, which is the Huangshui River. The picture comes from @Visual China)

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Historically, forests and grasslands were interlaced here.

The water plants are lush, the river is flowing, and the water is clear

Khitan ancestors and ethnic groups living on the surrounding grasslands

Live as a nomad together and roam the vast wilderness

(Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, Wulanbutong Grassland, Photographer @李源)

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The difference between Chinese and barbarians is caused by favorable conditions of time and place

The 400mm precipitation line divides you and me

Nomads live wherever there is water and grass

No fixed place to live on the grassland, tired from traveling by boat

In order to be lighter, Khitan men, women and children often shaved their heads

Shave all hair except the front of the head

(Showing various types of Khitan shaved heads, drawn by @大廖萧田田/星球研究院)

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They wore felt boots and hoods.

Fighting against wild beasts and facing the wind and frost

Riding a horse and shooting for a living

(Sketch of Khitan men's clothing, drawing by Liu Yonghua, drawing by Xiao Tiantian of the Liao Dynasty/Planetary Research Institute)

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The wilderness is also full of dangers

There is no such thing as “no pain, no gain” here.

Get prey, equip weapons, and plan actions

Only the brave can lead the tribe to survive

(Horse herders on the Ulanbutong grassland, photographer @Fuxiao718)

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The Han Chinese literature is plentiful.

The Khitan people had elaborate and complex horse harnesses

Since the Khitans mastered the iron smelting technology

There are many kinds of arrows and the weapons are well equipped.

Practicing horseback tricks, the art of military

(Distribution diagram of Khitan horse harness accessories, drawn by @大廖萧田田/Planet Research Institute)

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Although there is no bureaucratic system developed in the Central Plains for thousands of years,

The Khitan tribes were loosely organized, but also flexible and efficient.

Whenever troops are dispatched, the leaders of each tribe need to discuss together

This is for " raising troops and discussing "

Men of the Khitan tribe were both soldiers and herdsmen

Daily animal husbandry and hunting for a living

In wartime, everyone is a soldier and fights on the battlefield

A cavalry unit capable of fighting

Gradually growing stronger in military operations

(Please watch Wulanbutong driving horses in horizontal mode. There are many similarities between nomadic life and military operations. Photographer @陶洪)

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On the grassland, success and failure are equally cruel

You finish your song, I will take the stage

The Khitans were entangled between the surrounding Turks, Uighurs, and Goguryeo.

Also came into direct contact with the Central Plains regime

During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, the Khitan surrendered to the Tang Dynasty

Bow down to the prosperous Tang Dynasty

(Yelü Bei's "Shooting Deer" was painted by Yelü Bei, the eldest son of Yelü Abaoji. Yelü Bei was deeply influenced by Confucian education and was quite good at painting. Image source @Wikimedia Commons)

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But two hundred years

The Tang dynasty was on the decline, and the Uighurs were also caught in civil strife.

The powerful neighbors around them have become corrupt one after another

The Khitan cavalry continued to grow

By the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Khitan had 300,000 elite soldiers and generals.

War in the Central Plains, Vacuum in the Northern Desert

The Khitans rose in the Five Dynasties

But admission depends on hard power.

(The Khitans established their country on military power and attached great importance to weapons and armaments. The picture shows a golden scabbard knife with a phoenix pattern. The photographer is @笑谈间气吐霓虹, and the map is @大廖萧田田/星球研究院)

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The powerful Khitan

There is never a shortage of brave cavalry and archers.

But how to go from a powerful nomadic tribe alliance

Becoming a truly connected nation

Khitan needs an ambitious and ambitious person

907 AD

The day Yelu Abaoji became the Khitan Khan

His brothers may not realize what this means yet.

Yelu Abaoji was outstanding and stood out in military activities

But according to convention, after three years

The Khanship will also be open to them.

(Gyeongju White Pagoda, Gyeongju is located in Balin Right Banner, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, and is the site of the Khitan royal mausoleum. Photographer @赵云天)

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But they did not wait until Abaoji abdicated.

Three years and three years

Yelu Abaoji challenged the old customs of the Khitan tribe

With the help of his wife Shulü Ping

Repeatedly suppressing the unrest initiated by the brothers

Yelu Abaoji must have been certain:

Only I can lead the Khitan tribe to establish a country

Under the Iron Throne is the blood of brothers

In 916, Yelü Abaoji officially became emperor

The country's name is " Khitan "

(After founding the country, Yelu Abaoji ordered people to create Khitan characters. Khitan characters influenced the creation of characters of northern ethnic groups such as Jurchen, Xixia, and Mongolia. Khitan characters are translated into Chinese characters. Map by @Da Liao Xiao Tiantian/Planet Research Institute)

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After the founding of the People's Republic of China

Yelu Abaoji crushed the enemy with overwhelming force

Leading the Khitan to march east and west

Head west , across thousands of miles of quicksand

Arrived at the Altai Mountains in Xinjiang and the banks of the Erhun River in Mongolia

Conquered many tribes including the Uighurs and Tatars

(Summer landscape of the Chuya River Basin in the Altai Mountains, image source: Visual China)

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To the east , take a large piece of fertile land

He personally led an army to conquer the "prosperous country in the east of the sea" Bohai Kingdom

Expanding the territory to the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan

(Songhua River, the territory of Bohai State covers the Songhua River and Tumen River basins, and agriculture is developed within the territory. Photographer @陈剑峰)

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So far

Most of China north of the Great Wall submitted to the Khitan

(Tuotuo et al., History of Liao, Volume 1, Taizu Part 2)

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"From the sea in the east to the quicksand in the west and the desert in the north, its reputation stretches thousands of miles."

Please note that

The eagle flaps its wings and is ready to fly

And its journey

More than just grasslands and deserts

02

North-South confrontation

Beauty Creates a Prosperous Era - Empress Dowager Xiao Chuo

Unlike his predecessors

Yelu Abaoji did not intend to limit his power to plundering.

What he wanted was to establish a Han dynasty.

There are grasslands and forests for nomadic life, fishing and hunting.

There must also be land for agricultural development and strong cities.

Khitan people, aiming at the Central Plains

(Rice fields at the mouth of the Panjin River in Liaoning, for illustration only, photographer @焦潇翔)

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936 AD

The ruler of the Central Plains is the Li family of the Later Tang Dynasty

This short-lived Second Five Dynasties

The transfer of power always leads to internal strife

The new emperor surrounded his general Shi Jingtang who was guarding Shanxi

In a panic, Shi Jingtang asked the Khitan for help

Propose to offer the northern border area

In exchange for the Khitan uprising

The Khitan iron hooves marched south along the Loess Plateau

The Later Tang regime was defeated in one battle

What you get in return is crucial

Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun

(Datong, Shanxi, was Yunzhou at that time, and later became the capital of Liaoxi, a major military town. Photographer: @董宏伟)

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This is the front and back of Taihang Mountain

It is the gateway to the Central Plains and the center of northern border defense fortresses.

If there were no Youyun area, the North China Plain would be flat.

The Central Plains Dynasty had no strategic location to defend

(Sketch of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, drawn by @Zheng Yi/Planetary Research Institute)

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If the Khitan could continue to move south at this time

How will history be written?

But history cannot be assumed

After the Khitan conquered the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun

The situation in the Central Plains is becoming clearer

Chenqiao Mutiny, Yellow Robe

Zhao Kuangyin seized the Later Zhou Dynasty and established the Northern Song Dynasty

The Situation of China since the Late Tang Dynasty

The fog gradually dissipated

The confrontation between the North and the South becomes clearer

(A diagram showing changes in China's situation from the 10th to the 12th century AD, courtesy of @郑艺/Planetary Research Institute)

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Seeing this, you may find

Song was not the absolute ruler who unified the world

Song and Liao

On the battlefields of the north and south, each has his own abilities and opportunities.

Meeting at the top, a worthy match

Battle of Gaoliang River

Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi, fled in a hurry on a donkey cart

Khitan general Yelu Xiuguo was also injured

After that, the Song and Liao sides were in a stalemate for decades.

The frontier battle line has witnessed the heroic and tragic deeds of countless heroes

The Yang family will enter the historical stage

(Yanmen Pass after the snow, Yang Ye defeated the Liao army at Yanmen Pass, but later died of starvation due to the coercion of villains and lack of help. Yang Ye and his son Yang Yanzhao and grandson Yang Wenguang were collectively known as the "Yang Family Generals". Later generations developed the story of the Yang Family Generals into operas and storytelling. Photographer @杨东)

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How to break the deadlock?

Should we continue to fight or make peace?

The fate of Khitan lies in the hands of a widowed woman

When her husband Yelu Xian died, Xiao Chuo was about 30 years old.

Like most of the previous Khitan queens, she

From the Xiao family

Unlike the Central Plains dynasties, which were wary of foreign relatives interfering in politics

The special marriage tradition of the Khitan royal family

It established that the Queen's family was deeply involved in Khitan politics

(History of Liao Dynasty: Biographies of Empresses and Concubines)

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"The Liao people regarded saddle horses as their home, and their empresses and concubines were often good at archery and charioteering, and they never failed to accompany the army in hunting."

Yelu Xian was weak and sickly since childhood.

Before her husband's death

Xiao Chuo has already gone to court to deal with military and political affairs

Yelu Xian specifically instructed his subjects

"When writing down the Queen's words, you should also use '朕' or '我'"

(Fengguo Temple in Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, is said to have been built by Emperor Shengzong of Liao at the order of Empress Xiao, who is better known as Empress Xiao. Photographer: Li Wenbo)

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This is a wise female politician.

Govern the country well and distinguish rewards and punishments clearly

Gained strong support from civil and military ministers at the court

With other tribes watching closely

Xiao Chuo maintained the Khitan's stable political situation for more than ten years

She may not have to go through the harsh public opinion faced by female rulers in the Central Plains.

But there are still difficult political choices to make

But the relationship between Song and Liao

It has reached a critical point

(Chanzhou is located in Puyang, Henan Province today. The picture shows the Puyang Sipailou. Photographer: @刘辰)

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Chanzhou City in 1004

Xiao Chuo, who was over 50 years old, took her son with her and planned

Song Zhenzong, who had lived in the palace for a long time, was reluctant to give in under the insistence of his ministers.

Both the Song and Liao sides are at the gates of the city, and it is a matter of life and death.

At the critical moment

The scales of history have tilted slightly towards peace

Song and Liao both took a step back

Known in history as the " Chanyuan Alliance "

(Main content of the Chanyuan Alliance between Song and Liao, drawn by @Zheng Yi & Xiao Tiantian of the Liao Dynasty/Planetary Research Institute)

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Although the Khitans had cavalry, they might not have an advantage if they went south.

Although Song was weak militarily, it had the support of the vast south.

Neither the Song nor the Liao could easily defeat the other side.

The Chanyuan Alliance was the result of the two sides being evenly matched.

Rational and careful consideration

The annual tribute paid by the Northern Song Dynasty to the Liao Dynasty

It accounts for only a tiny part of the central government's budget.

Song gladly accepted the offer of a state's finances in exchange for border peace.

(Tianning Festival Silver Ingot, image source @Visual China, map @Da Liao Xiao Tiantian/Planet Research Institute)

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Regarding the Song and Liao sides that fought during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

For the people who have been in chaos for a hundred years without peace

Treaty of Chanyuan

A chance for everyone to take a breath

The Khitan people, who were used to riding horses,

What kind of Northern Dynasty will they build?

03

A Moveable Feast

The Princess's Funeral - Princess Chen

Nabo , Khitan language, means camp

Even if a semi-nomadic and semi-agricultural country is established

The Khitan emperor's nomadic nature remained unchanged

No fixed place to live, mobile office

Migrating in four seasons is called Nabo

Caught the first fish in spring ice fishing

After the ice and snow melt, release hawks to hunt swans

In mid-April, go to the mountains to escape the heat and enjoy the flowers

(Spring azaleas in the Greater Khingan Range forest, for illustration only, photographer @刘兆明)

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In mid-July, go into the mountains to shoot deer

Turn to autumn

When the weather gets cold, go to Dong Na Bo to avoid the cold

Discuss major policies and receive envoys from Song and other countries

(Wulanbutong in winter, for illustration only, photographer @陶洪)

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Spring goose hunting and fishing

Falconry in summer, deer hunting in autumn, tiger hunting in winter

There are roughly main locations

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the Khitan four-season Nabo itinerary, map by @大廖萧田田/星球研究院)

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Emperor's Seasons

The political center of Khitan moved accordingly

Relaxation in the capital city

Five capitals scattered across the Liao Dynasty territory

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the distribution of capitals of Liao and surrounding regimes, map by @郑艺/Planet Research Institute)

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On the basis of retaining its own nomadic genes

Khitan flexibly absorbed Han culture

Since the founding of Liao

The Khitan court had never been without Han officials.

They need a system where the Han Chinese govern the country

Wisdom in building cities and experience in developing agriculture

(The ruins of Shangjing, Liao Dynasty, is located in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. It imitates the capital of the Central Plains and adopts the "triple city" structure of outer city, palace city and inner city. Map by @Zheng Yi/Planet Research Institute)

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Since the Khitans worshipped the sun

So the tent faced the sun, and the emperor sat in the east

Officials lined up on both sides

One side is in the south, one side is in the north

The Northern Officials managed the affairs of the Khitan nobles, tribes, and vassal states.

The officials in the south managed the prefectures and counties of the Han people.

It is the unique " North-South official system "

Or the earliest "one country, two systems"

(There are a lot of Han Chinese images in Liao tomb murals. The picture shows a partial restoration of the "Travel Map" in Zhang Shiqing's Tomb in Xuanhua, Hebei. Photographer: Liu Ruijie)

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Khitan respects the cultural traditions of the Han people under their rule

Don't ask them to change their customs

Providing opportunities for the imperial examinations for Han and Bohai people in the territory

Most states in the country have schools

(Beijing Imperial College, Beijing was Nanjing during the Liao Dynasty, and the Imperial College had the largest number of students. The picture below is a Qing Dynasty glazed archway, for illustration only, photographer @白昊)

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Nomadic peoples have no tradition of building houses

Most of the buildings in the Liao Dynasty were built by Han craftsmen.

The building is simple and majestic, with a flat and low roof

A relic of the Tang Dynasty

(Fengguo Temple in Jinzhou, Liaoning, built in 1020, the ninth year of Kaitai in Liao Dynasty, is a wooden structure of Liao Dynasty. Photographer: @姚鹏)

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The huge brackets are combined with beams and columns

Provide strong support for buildings

(The evolution of dougong and column height since the Tang Dynasty. Liao Dynasty architecture inherited the Tang style, with large materials and a large ratio of dougong to column height. After the Tang Dynasty, the load-bearing function of dougong gradually lost, and dougong became more and more delicate and compact. Map by @大廖萧田田/星球研究院)

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Tang Dynasty dense eaves tower

It continued in another form within the Liao Dynasty

The Liao Tower is tall and majestic.

Layers of dense eaves and delicate carvings

(Yunjie Temple Pagoda in Chaoyang, Liaoning, with brick carvings on the tower, photographer @任琳)

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The skyline of the capital city in the Liao Dynasty

Supported by pagodas

The charm of a Chinese capital

(Guangji Temple Pagoda in Jinzhou, Liaoning, photographer @李文博)

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That was an era of conflict between the North and the South.

It is also an era of integration between the north and the south.

Han people heading north and Khitan people heading south

Meet and trade at the border market

Song brought tea, porcelain, grain and books

Liao exported sheep, horses, camels, silver, money, and cloth

The annual tribute melted away in the trade between Song and Liao.

(Mural "Preparing Tea" in Liao Tomb in Xuanhua, Hebei, image source @Visual China, map @Da Liao Xiao Tiantian/Planet Research Institute)

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Civilizations encounter each other and a new look is born

Buddhist statues from the Central Plains were introduced to Khitan

But more luxurious and beautiful

The Buddha statues are either golden and majestic.

The style is tall and the appearance is solemn

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the statues of the seven Buddhas in the Great Hall of Fengguo Temple in Liaoning, the Vipaśyin Buddha in the middle is 9.5 meters tall. Photographer @姚鹏, map @大廖萧田田/星球研究院)

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Or smiling with teeth showing, with graceful posture

Revealing the chic temperament of the children of the grassland

(The Bodhisattva with clasped hands and showing teeth in Datong Huayan Temple is a rare Bodhisattva with showing teeth. Photographer: @柳叶氘)

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During the Song Dynasty, Buddhist statues had become more secular and realistic.

Khitan still insists on giving gold foil to the Bodhisattva

(The Mahavira Hall of Shanhua Temple was built in the late Liao Dynasty and rebuilt in the Jin Dynasty. The statues in the hall reflect the Liao and Jin styles, and the Buddha statues are solemn and magnificent. Photographer @zepp)

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Funeral customs from the Central Plains were introduced to the Khitan

More magnificent

Princess Chen who died in 1080

Died at the age of 18

Buried with her husband who died before her

Their life is so short

The burial after death was very complicated

The two wore golden masks made according to their faces.

The whole body is wrapped in a silver network

(The tomb of the Princess of the Liao Dynasty and her husband's tomb. Corpse burial is a relic of the traditional Khitan burial custom. Image source: Wei Jian, Director of the Frontier Archaeology Research Institute of Minzu University of China. Map by Xiao Tiantian of the Liao Dynasty/Planet Research Institute)

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At the same time, the tombs of the Song Dynasty had become simpler.

The Khitan people, who had no burial custom before,

However, they have preserved the unique tradition of "sky burial"

Inherited the tradition of lavish burials since the late Tang Dynasty

From this noble tomb that escaped war and tomb robbery

A total of more than 3,000 cultural relics were unearthed

Necklace, strolling, headrest

Crystal, agate, gold and silver

The patterns are exquisite and magnificent

(Collection of cultural relics unearthed from the tomb of Princess Chen, photographers @袁欢欢&肖怡宁&柳叶氘&于奕奇&花生蛋&钱永强&Visual China, map @大廖萧田田/星球研究院)

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Gold , easy to carry and shiny

This is a preference engraved in the genes of nomads

During the Liao Dynasty's economic prosperity

This preference is becoming more and more obvious

The luster of gold reflects a flowing feast

(Collection of Liao Dynasty Gold and Silver Ware, Photographer @柳叶氘&笑谈间气吐霓虹&苏李欢, Map by @大廖萧田田/Planet Research Institute)

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The Liao Dynasty stretched its influence loosely

Envoys and merchants from Persia, the Arab world and other countries flocked to the city.

A grassland Silk Road extends into Liao territory

The government set up post stations along the route

Uighur merchants rest and discuss matters in a special "Uighur camp"

Amber from the Western Regions became an ornament for Khitan nobles

Dazzling and luxurious

(Various jade and glass objects from Liao Dynasty, photographers @笑谈间气吐霓虹&柳叶氘&苏李欢, map @大廖萧田田/星球研究院)

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The Song and Liao countries were on good terms and called each other brothers.

The monarch and the envoy drank and talked happily, and their words were intimate.

(Song Dynasty) Shen Kuo: Mengxi Bitan, Volume 26, records that when Emperor Xingzong of Liao received the Song Dynasty envoys, he hoped that the envoys would bring their full bottles of wine to the Song Dynasty emperor)

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"North and South have been at peace for a long time. I wish I could see the emperor of the Southern Dynasty in person. I ask you to pass a cup of wine to the Southern Dynasty."

Feasting became popular among the people, and

The luxurious atmosphere of "calling the children to go out and exchange for good wine" is fully displayed

(Mural of the Liao Tomb "Preparing for a Banquet", image source @Visual China, map @Da Liao Xiao Tiantian/Planet Research Institute)

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The wine is half drunk, but the passion is still there

Dancing and playing music, isn't it joyful?

(Mural of Liao Tomb "Sanyue Tu", Sanyue was introduced from the Central Plains and integrated with Khitan folk art, photographer @刘瑞杰, map @大廖萧田田/Planet Research Institute)

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Business travel continues, and the Han and the Hu people mingle

There are camel bells ringing in the desert

There are the sounds of Confucian scholars reading

There is also the simple and rough Khitan dance and music

Magnificent and magnificent, open and inclusive

When we look back at the heyday of Liao:

Perhaps in an instant you will be transported to the prosperous Tang Dynasty:

Inclusive and relaxed

Liao Dynasty

Desert as background

With a generous and tolerant nomadic mentality

A " movable feast " continued

04

Moonlight in the water

-end-

So this feast needs background music

Then it must be the sound of chanting.

Nelson Atkinson Museum

There is a Liao Dynasty wooden sculpture of Guanyin of Water and Moon.

In the Chinese Temple Exhibition Hall

The murals of the Yuan Dynasty and the caissons of the Qing Dynasty serve as its backdrop.

Praised by the media

"The most spectacular statue in existence in China" and "a triumph of religion and aesthetics"

(Liaoshuiyue Guanyin statue, image source @Wikimedia Commons)

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This is a victory of religion and aesthetics

But it is the shadow of the collapse of a political dynasty

Buddhism was introduced to Khitan from Han and Bohai

With its inclusiveness and flexibility, it integrates into the vast region of East Asia

It also became a tool for the Khitan to connect people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.

But in the late Liaozhong period

Buddhism is developing in an uncontrolled direction

Emperor Xingzong of Liao received the precepts himself and converted to Buddhism

He tried his best to improve the treatment of monks, and even issued an order not to allow monks to return to secular life.

(The Bhagawan Hall of Huayan Temple. Bhagawan is the abbreviation of the Sanskrit word Bhagavan, which is translated as "World Honored One", one of the ten names of Buddha. The Buddhist scriptures refer to the Buddhist scriptures, and the Bhagawan Hall is the place where the scriptures are stored. During the reign of Emperor Xingzong of Liao, the Tripitaka was carved and stored in the Bhagawan Hall of Huayan Temple. Photographer: @Tong Lin)

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From the upper class to the people

From the city to the countryside

The Buddhist temple is full of incense and the sound of chanting is endless

Pagodas and temples were built everywhere, and Buddha statues were built

The Buddhist temple is tall and magnificent, and the Buddha statue is golden and shining

Khitan crisis

The temple economy is growing

When the Liao Dynasty's treasury was empty

The state actually accepted alms from the temple

(Comparison of the proportion of monks in the population in Liao and Song dynasties, map by @大廖萧田田/星球研究院)

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Signs of the dynasty's decline began to emerge

In the endless palace infighting of the Khitan Dynasty

A tyrannical and incompetent emperor ascended the throne

Like all previous Khitan emperors

Spring of 1112

Emperor Tianzuo led his ministers to Ningjiang Prefecture to cut ice and fish.

As per usual

The chieftains of the local Jurchen tribes all came to pay tribute

Perform singing and dancing to liven up the party

(Winter fishing in Lianhuan Lake, Daqing, Heilongjiang, is a continuation of the traditional fishing and hunting production method today, photographer @肖向昕)

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One of the Jurchen chieftains, Wanyan Aguda,

Refused to flatter

According to Emperor Tianzuo's violent temper

Wanyan Aguda would not survive the first fish feast that night.

However, due to the dissuasion of the powerful official Xiao Fengxian

Emperor Tianzuo rarely spared this unruly Jurchen

(The Khitan nobles kept asking for Saker Falcons, Northern Pearls, etc., which aroused the anger of the Jurchen tribes. The picture below is "Eagle Attacking Swan" by Ming Dynasty painter Yin Xie, photographer @柳叶氘)

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Two years later

Wanyan Aguda becomes the leader of the Jurchen tribal alliance

Immediately rise up against Liao

Emperor Tianzuo wakes up from his dream

But Liao was already losing ground

In 1125, Emperor Tianzuo was captured

Afterwards, the Song Dynasty reached an agreement with the Jin Dynasty to jointly attack the Liao Dynasty.

The capital of Bianjing was also conquered by the Jin army.

The Jingkang Incident, the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty

(Sketch of the process of Jin conquering Liao and Northern Song, drawn by @郑艺/Planetary Research Institute)

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The Northern Dynasty welcomed a new ruler

But the situation of the North and the South coexisting continued

Chinese people need to accept a less "pure" China

Xixia, Jin and Southern Song will write a new history of China

(After the Jin soldiers conquered Datong Prefecture in Liaoxijing, the Liao Dynasty fell. The picture shows the Zenfang Temple Pagoda in Datong, Shanxi Province. Photographer: Liu Ziming)

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What did Liao leave behind?

In the chaos of late Liao

A Khitan royal family member, Yelu Dashi

Leading a troop westward

Crossing the desert and Gobi, taking root in Central Asia and establishing the Western Liao Dynasty

Bringing Khitan temperament, tolerance and wisdom of Chinese background

(Tokmak, Kyrgyzstan, is the location of Husiwoerduo, the capital of Western Liao Dynasty. Image source: Visual China, drawn by Zheng Yi @/Planet Research Institute)

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For the successors

The territory opened up by Liao

Laying the foundation for the subsequent increasingly powerful northern ethnic regime

It is Liao

Transform Beijing from a frontier fortress

Promoted to a nationally important city

Later Jin Zhongdu and Yuan Dadu

Relay the glorious mission of creating Beijing, the capital

(The scope and location of Beijing's capitals throughout the ages, drawn by @郑艺/Planet Research Institute)

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Capital Beijing

A period of confrontation and confrontation

But later with strong political power

Create and connect a broader China

(After the Liao Dynasty, during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, Beijing, which “controls the Yangtze and Huai Rivers in the south and connects to the desert in the north”, became increasingly clear in its nature as a political center. The picture shows the landscape of Beijing’s central axis. Photographer: @马文晓)

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For ordinary people

We are used to China having a vast territory

If we admit that Misty Jiangnan is China

The desert smoke is also China

(Autumn scenery of Ulanqab, photographer @郑志强)

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Maybe you have to admit

The Song Dynasty, which ruled the world together with the literati, was the Chinese

"One country, two systems" and the coexistence of Han and Tibetan peoples are also part of the Chinese nation.

(The Guangji Temple Pagoda, located in the old city of Jinzhou, Liaoning, was built in 1037 during the reign of Emperor Daozong of Liao and has been integrated into the lives of the local people. Photographer: @Tong Lin)

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A century of confrontation between Song and Liao

It is also a century of integration

There is no need for both sides to deliberately "Sinicize" or "Huize"

You have your elegance and delicacy

I have my own grandeur and magnificence

(Comparison of Song and Liao cultural relics, image source @Wikimedia Commons, photographers @Liu Wenyu & Ren Lin & Long Shijie & Dong Hongwei & Lao Zhu's mumbling (Han Xinhui) & Liu Zhaoming & Zhang Yan & Su Lihuan & Arterial shadow & Liu Ye Deuterium & Liu Ruijie, map @Da Liao Xiao Tiantian/Planetary Research Institute)

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We are evenly matched, North and South facing each other

We also interact

Create a flowing feast

The vast China with its own unique history

(From Volume 18 of Jiatai Pudeng Lu by Lei An Zhengshou of the Song Dynasty)

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Thousands of mountains share the same moon, and every household is filled with spring.

There are thousands of rivers with water and thousands of moons in them, there are thousands of miles of cloudless sky.

(Liao clay sculpture of Arhat, stored in the Chinese Archaeological Museum, unearthed from the ruins of a Buddhist temple on the west slope of the Liao Shangjing Imperial City, photographer @苏李欢)

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This article was created by

Written by : Xiao Yuefan

Image : Long Shijie

Design : Daliao Xiaotian

Map : Zhengyi

Reviewer : Lollipop & Candy & Chen Zhihao

Cover Photographer : Yuan Huanhuan & Yao Peng & Tao Hong

Review experts:

Zhang Fan, Professor of History Department, Peking University

Special thanks to:

Wei Jian, Director of the Institute of Frontier Archaeology, Minzu University of China

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