Where have all the descendants of the Khitan gone now? The Khitan were once one of the important nomadic peoples in Chinese history, establishing the powerful Liao state, unifying the northeast and northern Mobei, and dominating northern China. However, since the fall of the Liao state, the Khitan have appeared obscure and eventually disappeared into history. So, is there any ethnic group in China that is descended from the Khitans? The population of the Khitan has historically been very large.
According to historical records, during the Tang Dynasty, the Khitan sent 400,000 troops to attack Daibei, and it can be speculated that the number of Khitan people at that time was more than one million. After the establishment of the Liao state, the number of Khitans reached a historical peak, about 2.3 million people. However, it is shocking that more than 2 million Khitan people have disappeared from history. The demise of the Khitan began with the demise of the Liao state.
In 1125, the Jin State destroyed Liao, and the Khitan tribe was divided into two parts, one part moved to the northwest, and finally established the Western Liao Empire; The other part accepted the rule of the Kingdom of Jin. The Khitan population that moved to the northwest was very small, about 20,000 cavalry. After the fall of Western Liao, the Khitan people who migrated to the northwest integrated into the local ethnic groups. The Khitans, who accepted the rule of the Jin State, became subjects of the Jin State, were brutally exploited and suppressed, and their economic strength seriously declined.
The number of Khitan people in the Jin State period was about 2 million, making them the third largest ethnic group in the country. However, with the rise of Mongolia, a large number of Khitan people turned to Mongolia and tried to destroy the Jin Kingdom with the help of Mongolia. Yelü Chucai was the most famous Khitan man, who assisted Genghis Khan's father and son for more than 30 years and was the first Confucian courtier in Mongolia. Although he has the surname of Khitan, he has long been integrated into the Han people. The root cause of the Khitan people was sinicization, and they constantly absorbed the canon system of the Tang and Song dynasties and learned the cultural customs of the Central Plains.
By the time of the Jin Kingdom, the Khitan people also accepted more Han culture. The Mongols referred to the Khitans, Jurchens, etc. collectively as "Han Chinese". Part of the Khitan followed the Mongols in the southern and northern wars and scattered to various places. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, many Khitans changed their surnames in order to survive. The DNA comparison between Yunnan's "me" and the Khitan ancient corpse shows that "I am likely to be a descendant of the original Khitan Expeditionary Army." The "I" in Yunnan are mainly surnamed A, Mang and Jiang, and have a population of about 150,000.
These people probably followed the Mongols to the south of Dali. The Daur are one of the Khitan descendants who used the Khitan script before the Qing Dynasty, and now they retain Khitan customs and have a recent genetic relationship with the Khitan people. They were migrated to the northeast by the Jin Kingdom and became the Daur people. The Khitan people have left many great achievements in Chinese history. They established China's earliest "one country, two systems" and laid the foundation for the formation of a pluralistic and unified unified country.
The prestige of the Khitan people spread far and wide in Europe and Asia, and Eastern European countries still call China "Khitan". Yelü Chu saved the lives slaughtered by the Mongols and contributed to the Mongols' abandonment of the slaughter. The descendants of the Khitan also followed the Mongols, Jurchens and other southern and northern wars, making great contributions to the unification of China and the laying of its territory. Although the Khitan people have disappeared, their historical achievements will never be erased.
To sum up, some of the descendants of the Khitan people now retain Khitan customs among the Daur people in the northeast region; There are also some of the "me" in Yunnan, who may have followed the Mongols to the south of Dali. The demise of the Khitan began with the demise of the Liao state, mainly due to the sinicization of the Khitan people and their integration into the Han people. However, the Khitan people have left many great achievements in Chinese history, and their historical achievements are always worth remembering.
Finally, I would like to ask the reader a question: what factors do you think caused the demise of a nation? Please leave your comments.