The Khitans were a once-glorious people who established the powerful Liao state and competed with the Song dynasty for supremacy in the Central Plains. They were good at riding and archery, lived on horseback, unified the northeast, expanded their territory, and became one of the most powerful empires in Asia at the time.
However, the Khitan also had a day of decay, they perished under the attack of the Jin State, and their descendants gradually integrated into other peoples and disappeared from history. It was not until the 21st century that scientists unravel the mystery of the disappearance of the Khitan people and find their descendants.
So, which ethnic group are the descendants of the Khitan people now?You may not believe it, but they are the Daur people living in Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang.
The Daur are an ethnic minority, and their ancestors are a branch of the Khitan ethnic group called "Datar". After the fall of the Liao State, they fled to the Heilongjiang River valley and mixed with the local Jurchens, Mongols and other ethnic groups, forming their own culture and language.
Some of the customs and Xi of the Daur people, such as felt houses and thrushes, are similar to those of the Khitans. Some of them also have the surname "Yelu", which is the surname of the Khitan royal family. Scientists used DNA technology to extract samples from Khitan tombs and conduct comparative analysis with the Daur people, and found that their DNA was highly consistent with that of the Khitan, confirming their blood relationship.
Today, the people of the Daur ethnic group live on the land of the motherland and are integrated into the family of 56 ethnic groups. They have inherited the bravery and strength of the Khitan people, and also have their own characteristics and style. They are members of the Chinese nation and descendants of the Khitan people.