The Han Clan Of Yutian In Liao Dynasty

The Han clan of Yutian is the third largest clan of the Liao Dynasty after the emperor family and the empress family . Their distinctive social status lasted till the end of the Liao dynasty.The Han's Clan originated in Yutian, Hebei Province. After migration to Khitan Empire, they relocated themselves to the city of Liu. The Han's consists of a big family, which, according to available information to date, include more than a hundred people from twelve generations.The Han's of Yutian possessed a huge political influence in Liao Dynasty, with particular achievement of and political advising and military action. On political advising, Han Zhi-gu took charge of the affairs of the Han people (the ethnic group from which the majority of Chinese was from) during the rule of Liao Tai-zu. Han De-rang was appointed the chief advisor to Liao Sheng-zong while the throne was still minor. On the military side, Han Zhi-gu and Han Kuang-si played significant roles in the conquest of other tribes under the rule of Liao Tai-zu. The likes of Han De-rang, Han De-wei and Han Yu kept a glorious record in the war against Song Dynasty.The Han's Clan had countless ties with the family of the Queen. The two families connected each other by marriage, which formed political protection for the Han's.The Khitanization of Han clan can be characterized by two features: Primarily, their Khitanization started relatively early. The tendency of being naturally assimilated had been shown since the later years of Han Zhi-gu. Secondly, their assimilation was rather complete. The process included kinship, custom, lifestyle, and ethnic identity. During the process of Khitanization, Han clan eventually merged into the upper class even royalty of Khitan by performing exogamy with Khitan, giving Khitan names, accepting Khitans' marital customs, worshiping military force.