The Great Liao in northern China, also known as the Liao Dynasty, was a dynasty in northern China from 907 to 1125. When the Liao Dynasty was at its peak, its territory reached as far as the Sea of Japan, the Altai Mountains in the west, the Ergun River and the Great Khing'an Mountains in the north, and the Baigou River in the south, which was the most powerful time of the Liao Dynasty.
The territory of the Liao Dynasty mainly included: Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Beijing, Tianjin, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Mongolia, and Korea in China.
However, it should be noted that the territory of the Liao Dynasty was not fixed and changed over time. For example, in the early days of the Liao Dynasty, the territory was centered on Liaoning, and with the war and expansion, the territory gradually expanded outward. In the late Liao period, due to the weakening of power, its territory also shrank.
The Liao Dynasty began in 907, when Taizu Yelu Abaoji unified the Khitan, founded the Khitan, and named the country "Liao", and this historical period began with the Liao Dynasty. During its reign, the Liao Dynasty had a profound impact on the economy, culture, and politics of northern China. The Liao Dynasty established the capital of the Liao Dynasty in Linhuang (Inner Mongolia Bahrain Left Banner), Shangjing (near Inner Mongolia Left Banner), Nanjing (Beijing City) and other places.
The Liao Dynasty was a multi-ethnic state with the Khitan as the main body, and many ethnic groups such as Han, Bohai, Murwei, and Turkic formed a multi-ethnic society. The Liao Dynasty implemented a series of sinicization measures in the Liao Dynasty, such as the Chinese language and Han law, and the establishment of the imperial examination system, which played a certain role in promoting the stability of the Liao regime and economic development.
During the Liao Dynasty, it not only expanded the present-day northeast, but also expanded the land east of Inner Mongolia, so that its industrial and agricultural production, commerce and other aspects have been greatly developed. After several wars, the Liao and Song dynasties signed a peace treaty and perished in 1125.
Although the Liao Dynasty has fallen, it has played an extremely important role in the economic development of northeastern China and eastern Inner Mongolia and the exchanges between ethnic groups. The Liao Pagoda and the murals of the Liao Dynasty during the Liao Dynasty and other architectural art and cultural relics provide valuable materials for the study of the history and culture of the Liao Dynasty. Human Geography