With the fall of China’s Tang dynasty (618–907), the Khitans – a nomadic peoples who inhabited an area of what is now Mongolia and north-east China – thrived in the ensuing period of turbulence. They occupied territories in China, reaching as far as modern Beijing, and ruled as the Liao dynasty (907–1125) over a vast empire that extended to China’s northern frontiers. The Khitans were careful to preserve the unique heritage of their traditional lifestyle, while also incorporating aspects of…
