The Formation Of Khitan State And Ethnic Group

The formation of the Khitan nation and ethnic group are two independent but interrelated issues.This dissertation conducts research on the formation of the Khitan nation and ethnic group from three aspects: the formation of the Khitan imperial power,the formation of the ruling group of the Liao Dynasty,and the formation of the Khitan ethnic group.The Liao Dynasty was an imperial power state(????)established by Khitan.The imperial power is characterized by autocracy and centralization,behind which is a single-core power structure(????).The imperial power has distinctive characteristics of the Central Plains(??).This kind of power structure did not exist in the early political body of Khitan,and the formation of its imperial power went through three long stages.During the Songmo Dudufu Era(???????),the Tang Dynasty's Jimi rule(????)of the Khitan tribe led the leader of the Khitan tribal alliance to a tendency to centralize power,but this trend soon ended due to the internal rebellion.In the Yaonian Era(????),two power cores,Khan and the Diela Tribe Yilijin(??????),appeared in the Khitan political body,presenting a dual-core power structure.Yel?Abaoji(?????)began to adopt the name"Emperor"at the end of the Yaonian Era,and established a single-core power structure in the early Liao Dynasty.On this basis,the Khitan imperial power was finally formed.In the Liao Dynasty,there was a Queen`s Family(??)which always accompanied the Royal Family(??),from the establishment to the demise of the dynasty.The long-term stability of the status of Queen's Family made the Liao Dynasty ruling group present the characteristics of"two Families Co-Ruling"(????).Under the imperial power,the Liao Dynasty ruling group formed a relatively stable dual power structure.The power network inherited by Yel?Abaoji in his early years has the characteristics of duality.The interest group built on this basis is mainly composed of relatives of the Abaoji`s family and members of the wife`s family,which also shows duality characteristics.The duality of Abaoji's interest group profoundly affected the political trend of the early Liao Dynasty,making“two Families Co-Ruling”a distinctive feature throughout the Liao Dynasty.The Liao Dynasty takes"Great Khitan"as its national title,showing the characteristics of the integration of"nation"and"ethnic group".The changes of the Khitan ethnic group are largely influenced by the Khitan political system.In the early days of the Yaonian Era,a large number of foreign populations existed in the Khitan political body,and the Khan family also had foreign attributes.Through the integration of the Khitan tribe,Zuwu Khan(????)eliminated the identity boundary between the new and the old Khitan,and reconstructed the Khitan ethnic group.The Royal Family and Queen`s Family of the Liao Dynasty both had foreign attributes,so after becoming the core of the state,they focused on shaping themselves as the core of the Khitan ethnic group,thus firmly establishing their core position in the power structure.The three aspects of this study are based on the clues of power structure.With this clue,the political characteristics of the Liao Dynasty can be highlighted.