The Study On "Hanren" In Liao Dynasty

From 10th to 12th century, Liao Dynasty was a political power, which contained many nations, existing at the area of the Great Wall in north China. The main people in this Grassland Empire were Ch'i-tan, but the social structure of its population was composed by the large quantity of Hanren. There are three sources for Hanren ruled by Liao Dynasty: people living in the region of Ch'i-tan, getting into during the turmoil and the earth, and people given as presents by Zhongyuan Dynasty. After the large quantity of Hanren became the people of Liao Dynasty, they have developed at different levels because of the different sources and distributions. There are some Hanren coming under the empire's ruling at the beginning of Liao'establishment and most of them became slaves who belong to Ch'i-tan royalty and nobilities. By relying on the special relationship of the Ch'i-tan royalty and nobilities, upper-layered Hanren were treated as a part of the political group in Ch'i-tan nation. And they got trusts in politics, getting the same even beyond the common Ch'i-tan nobilities'social position. Hanren in Yan-Yun province, who came under the empire's ruling later, became the main citizens in the empire. They were the main taxpayers in the country and most of them were living in the social bottoms. For Hanren in Yan-Yun province, imperial examinations were the main way for them to take part in Liao political group; they were the main sources of Han officials in the middle and later Liao Dynasty. The Hanren ruled by Liao, pushed the reform of politics and economy, and the social progress in Liao Dynasty; at the same time, under the effect of Liao's united domination, they gradually mixed into the northern nations'society. Those highly barbarous Hanren joined into all levels of political powers in Liao Dynasty by using different ways and they acted in all aspects in the Liao society such as politics, economy and so on. This had great influence to the Liao Dynasty and the most distinct influence was that Hanren became barbarization and that barbarians became Chinese localization. On the basis of this influence, the society of Liao Dynasty appeared the phenomena that Chinese culture was in the barbarians, barbarous culture in the Chinese and the two parts mixed together, which changed the traditional circumstances in the northern society to a considerable degree.