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A conquest dynasty (Chinese: 征服王朝; pinyin: Zhēngfú Wángcháo) in the history of China refers to a Chinese dynasty established by non-Han ethnicities which ruled parts or all of China proper, the traditional heartland of the Han people, and whose rulers may or may not have fully assimilated into the dominant Han culture.
The term "conquest dynasty" was coined by the German-American sinologist Karl August Wittfogel in his 1949 revisionist history of the Liao dynasty (916–1125). He argued that the Liao, as well as the Jin (1115–1234), Yuan (1271–1368), and Qing (1636–1912) dynasties of China were not really "Chinese", and that the ruling families did not fully assimilate into the dominant Han culture.[1] The "conquest dynasty" concept was warmly received by mostly Japanese scholars such as Otagi Matsuo, who preferred to view these dynasties in the context of a "history of Asia" rather than a "history of China". Alternative views to the concept of "conquest dynasty" from American sinologists include Owen Lattimore's idea of the steppe as a "reservoir", Wolfram Eberhard's concept of a "superstratification" of Chinese society with nomadic peoples, and Mary C. Wright's thesis of sinicization. Among historians, the labelling of "conquest dynasties" has proven to be controversial, especially when using such characterization on dynasties such as the Jin.[2]
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See also: Names of China and Names of the Qing dynasty |
In the English language, "Zhongguo ren" (中國人; "People of China") is frequently confused and conflated with "Han ren" (漢人; "Han people").[3]
Dynasties of ethnic Han origin only used "Zhongguo" (中國; "Middle Kingdom") to explicitly refer to Han areas of their empire.[4] The Ming dynasty used Zhongguo to refer to only Han areas of the empire, excluding areas populated by ethnic minorities under Ming rule from the definition.[5]
The Xianbei-led Northern Wei referred to itself as "Zhongguo" and claimed yogurt as a food of Zhongguo.[6] Similarly, the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty referred to itself as "Zhongguo".[7]
In 1271, Kublai Khan proclaimed the Yuan dynasty with the official name "Great Yuan" (大元) and claimed succession from former Chinese dynasties from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors up to the Tang dynasty.
Qing emperors referred to all subjects of the Qing dynasty regardless of their ethnicity as "Chinese" (中國之人), and used the term "Zhongguo" as a synonym for the entire Qing Empire while using "neidi" (内地; "inner regions") to refer only to the core area (or China proper) of the empire. The Qing Empire was viewed as a single multi-ethnic entity.[8][9]
The Qing emperors governed frontier non-Han areas in a separate administrative system under the Lifan Yuan. Nonetheless, it was the Qing emperors who expanded the definition of Zhongguo and made it "flexible" by using that term to refer to the entire empire. Zhongguo was also used by the Qing Empire as an endonym in diplomatic correspondence. However, some Han subjects criticized their usage of the term and used Zhongguo only to refer to the seventeen provinces of China and three provinces of the east (Manchuria), excluding other frontier areas.[10] Han literati who remained loyal to the Ming dynasty held to defining the old Ming borders as "China" and used the term "foreigner" to describe ethnic minorities under Qing rule, such as the Mongols, as part of their anti-Qing ideology.[11] As the territorial borders of the Qing Empire were fixed through a series of treaties with neighboring foreign powers, it was able to inculcate in the Qing subjects a sense that China included areas such as Mongolia and Tibet due to educational reforms. Specifically, the educational reform made it clear where the borders of the Qing Empire were, even if Han subjects did not understand how the Chinese identity included Mongols and Tibetans or understand what the connotations of being "Chinese" were.[12]
In an attempt to portray different ethnicities as part of one family ruled by the Qing dynasty, the phrase "Zhongwai yijia" (中外一家; "interior and exterior as one family") was used to convey the idea of the "unification" of different ethnic groups.[13] After conquering China proper, the Manchus identified their state as "China" (中國; Zhōngguó; "Middle Kingdom"), and referred to it as "Dulimbai Gurun" in the Manchu language (Dulimbai means "central" or "middle", while gurun means "nation" or "state"). The emperors labelled the lands of the Qing Empire (including present-day Northeast China, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Tibet, and other areas) as "China" in both the Chinese and Manchu languages. This effectively defined China as a multi-ethnic state, thereby rejecting the idea that "China" only meant Han-populated areas. The Qing emperors proclaimed that both Han and non-Han ethnic groups were part of "China". They also used both "China" and "Qing" to refer to their state in official documents, international treaties (the Qing Empire was known internationally as "China"[14] or the "Chinese Empire"[15]), and foreign affairs. The "Chinese language" (Dulimbai gurun i bithe) included Chinese, Manchu, Mongol, and Tibetan languages, while the "Chinese people" (中國之人; Zhōngguó zhī rén; Manchu: Dulimbai gurun i niyalma) referred to all subjects of the Qing Empire.[16]
In the 1689 Treaty of Nerchinsk, the term "China" (Dulimbai Gurun; Zhongguo) was used to refer to the Qing territories in Manchuria in both the Manchu and Chinese language versions of the treaty. Additionally, the term "the wise Emperor of China" was also used in the Manchu version of the treaty.[17]
The Qianlong Emperor rejected the earlier idea that only the Han people could be subjects of China and only Han lands could be considered as part of China. Instead, he redefined China as being multi-ethnic, saying in 1755 that "there exists a view of China (Zhongxia; 中夏), according to which non-Han peoples cannot become China's subjects and their lands cannot be integrated into the territory of China. This does not represent our dynasty's understanding of China, but is instead a view of the earlier Han, Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties."[4] The Qianlong Emperor rejected the views of ethnic Han officials who claimed that Xinjiang was not part of China and that he should not annex it, putting forth the argument that China was multi-ethnic and did not just refer to Han areas.[18]
When the Qing conquered Dzungaria, they proclaimed that the new land which formerly belonged to the Oirat-led Dzungar Khanate was now absorbed into China (Dulimbai Gurun) in a Manchu language memorial.[19][20][21]
The Yongzheng Emperor spoke out against the claim by anti-Qing rebels that the Qing dynasty were only the rulers of the Manchus and not of China, saying "The seditious rebels claim that we are the rulers of Manchus and only later penetrated central China to become its rulers. Their prejudices concerning the division of their and our country have caused many vitriolic falsehoods. What these rebels have not understood is the fact that it is for the Manchus the same as the birthplace is for the people of the Central Plain. Shun belonged to the Eastern Yi, and King Wen to the Western Yi. Does this fact diminish their virtues?" (在逆賊等之意，徒謂本朝以滿洲之君入為中國之主，妄生此疆彼界之私，遂故為訕謗詆譏之說耳，不知本朝之為滿洲，猶中國之有籍貫，舜為東夷之人，文王為西夷之人，曾何損於聖德乎？)[22]
According to scholar Sergius L. Kuzmin of the Russian Academy of Sciences, despite the Qing dynasty's usage of the term "China", these empires were known officially by their respective dynastic name. Non-Han peoples considered themselves as subjects of the Yuan and Qing empires and did not necessarily equate them to "China". This resulted from different ways of the Yuan and Qing legitimization for different peoples in these empires.[23][24] Qing emperors were referred to as "Khagan of China" (or "Chinese khagan") by their Turkic Muslim subjects (now known as the Uyghurs),[25] as "Bogda Khan" or "(Manchu) Emperor" by their Mongol subjects, and as "Emperor of China" (or "Chinese Emperor") and "the Great Emperor" (or "Great Emperor Manjushri") by their Tibetan subjects, such as in the 1856 Treaty of Thapathali.[26][27][28] It is pointed out that Tibetan subjects regarded the Qing as Chinese, unlike the Yuan which was founded by Mongols.[29] According to Kuzmin, the Liao, Jin, Yuan and Qing were multi-national empires led by non-Chinese peoples to whom the conquered China or its part was joined.[30] Nevertheless, American historian Richard J. Smith points out "China proper" (often designated 内地 meaning "inner territory" in Chinese) refers to the core eighteenth provinces of the Qing dynasty, but from a Manchu perspective, however, the concept of “China” (Chinese: Zhongguo; Manchu: Dulimbai Gurun) embraced the entire empire, including Manchuria, Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet.[31]
The modern territorial claims of both the People's Republic of China, based in Beijing, and the Republic of China, based in Taipei, are derived from the territories that were held by the Qing dynasty at the time of its demise.[32][33][34] The nationalistic concept of the Zhonghua minzu (Chinese nation) also traces its roots to the multiethnic and multicultural nature of the Qing Empire.
Certain traits assigned by past scholars to "conquest dynasties" to distinguish them from "native" dynasties may not have been so distinguishing. An example is the "royal hunt",[further explanation needed] which, according to David M. Robinson, "originated in China in a complex legacy of venerable Central Plain polities of high antiquity."[35]
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under Xi Jinping rejected the concept because it could encourage separatist sentiments in Tibet and Xinjiang.[36] The CCP has forced historians to rewrite an official "Qing History" tome so that it aligns better with Xi Jinping Thought.[36] Pamela Kyle Crossley of Dartmouth College stated that "[a]ccording to Xi Jinping, there have been no conquests in Chinese history. Only happy unifications with people aspiring to be Chinese."[36]
This list includes only the major dynasties of China ruled by non-Han ethnicities, there were many other such dynastic regimes that ruled an area historically or currently associated with "China" not shown in this list. Also, not all non-Han regimes are seen as conquest dynasties, and many of them are actually considered as "infiltration dynasties".
| Ethnicity | Conquest dynasty | Period of rule | Territorial extent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xianbei 鮮卑 |
Tuyuhun 吐谷渾 |
284–670 CE | Parts of China proper |
| Former Yan 前燕 |
337–370 CE | ||
| Later Yan 後燕 |
384–409 CE | ||
| Western Qin 西秦 |
385–400 CE, 409–431 CE | ||
| Southern Liang 南涼 |
397–414 CE | ||
| Southern Yan 南燕 |
398–410 CE | ||
| Dai 代 |
310–376 CE | ||
| Duan Qi 段齊 |
350–356 CE | ||
| Western Yan 西燕 |
384–394 CE | ||
| Northern Wei 北魏 |
386–535 CE | ||
| Eastern Wei 東魏 |
534–550 CE | ||
| Western Wei 西魏 |
535–557 CE | ||
| Northern Zhou 北周 |
557–581 CE | ||
| Di 氐 |
Chouchi 仇池 |
296–371 CE, 385–443 CE | |
| Cheng-Han 成漢 |
304–347 CE | ||
| Former Qin 前秦 |
351–394 CE | ||
| Later Liang 後涼 |
386–403 CE | ||
| Xiongnu 匈奴 |
Han-Zhao 漢趙 |
304–329 CE | |
| Northern Liang 北涼 |
397–439 CE | ||
| Hu Xia 胡夏 |
407–431 CE | ||
| Xu 許 |
618–619 CE | ||
| Jie 羯 |
Later Zhao 後趙 |
319–351 CE | |
| Hou Han 侯漢 |
551–552 CE | ||
| Qiang 羌 |
Later Qin 後秦 |
384–417 CE | |
| Dingling 丁零 |
Zhai Wei 翟魏 |
388–392 CE | |
| Sogdian 粟特[37] |
Former Yan 前燕 |
756–759 CE | |
| Göktürk 突厥 |
Later Yan 後燕 |
759–763 CE | |
| Shatuo 沙陀 |
Former Jin 前晉 |
907–923 CE | |
| Later Tang 後唐 |
923–937 CE | ||
| Later Jin[38] 後晉 |
936–947 CE | ||
| Later Han[39] 後漢 |
947–951 CE | ||
| Northern Han 北漢 |
951–979 CE | ||
| Khitan 契丹 |
Liao dynasty 遼朝 |
916–1125 CE | |
| Dongdan 東丹 |
926–936 CE | ||
| Northern Liao 北遼 |
1122–1123 CE | ||
| Western Liao 西遼 |
1124–1218 CE | ||
| Eastern Liao 東遼 |
1213–1269 CE | ||
| Later Liao 後遼 |
1216–1219 CE | ||
| Baiman 白蠻 |
Dali 大理 |
937–1094 CE, 1096–1253 CE | |
| Dazhong 大中 |
1094–1096 CE | ||
| Tangut 党項 |
Western Xia 西夏 |
1038–1227 CE | |
| Shun dynasty 順朝 |
1644–1646 CE | ||
| Jurchen 女真 |
Jin dynasty 金朝 |
1115–1234 CE | |
| Eastern Xia 東夏 |
1215–1233 CE | ||
| Later Jin 後金 |
1616–1636 CE | ||
| Mongol 蒙古 |
Yuan dynasty 元朝 |
1271–1368 CE | All of China proper |
| Northern Yuan 北元 |
1368–1635 CE | Parts of China proper | |
| Manchu 滿洲 |
Qing dynasty 清朝 |
1636–1912 CE | All of China proper |
