liao 537On Feb.16, 846, Khitan envoys were received at the T’ang court
(Chiu T’ang shu 18A:16b; Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5033).
In about 874, the Khitan king Jih-hsi-erh-chih-lei^13 offered regional
objects (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5033).
In 906, the two most powerful men in T’ang were the Chinese Chu
Wen and the Sha-to Turk Li K’o-yung. Both were overshadowed by the
Khitan A-pao-chi.^14 He belonged to the Yi-la tribe which adopted Yeh-
lü as its surname. This became the lineage of the Khitan emperors.^15
It was due to A-pao-chi that the loose Khitan tribal federation was
gradually transformed into a united expansionist empire which by the
time of his death in 926 comprised all of Manchuria and Mongolia.
On Feb.27, 907, A-pao-chi, or to refer to him by his temple name
T’ai-tsu,^16 proclaimed himself emperor of the Khitan (Liao shih 1:
2b).^17
After Chu Wen had founded the Later Liang dynasty in 907,^18 he
sent envoys to the Khitan to inform T’ai-tsu (Liao shih 1:2b-3a).
In the 4th (May/June) and 5th month (June/July) of 907, a Khitan
chief was received at the Later Liang court and presented fine horses
and regional objects. The Later Liang sent the Grand Treasurer and
others as envoys in response (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5033; Tzu-chih t’ung-
chien p.8676).
On Apr.3, 908, envoys from T’ai-tsu to the Later Liang court offered
fine horses and regional objects. In the 5th month (June) of the same
year, his envoys presented 10 fine horses, horse trappings with golden
flowers, caps and garments of sable fur, brocade, one male, and one
young girl. His wife presented one fine horse, caps embroidered with
golden flowers, and aromatics. The Later Liang sent the Minister of
Agriculture and a lesser official as envoys in response (Chiu Wu-tai
(^13) Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 345:16b gives his name as Hsi-erh-chih.
(^14) For various renderings of his name see Cambride History of China, vol.6, p.60
note 14.
(^15) For the history of Liao see, Karl A. Wittfogel and Fêng Chia-shêng, History of
Chinese Society, Liao (907-1125), and Denis Twichett and Klaus-Peter Titze, Cambridge
History of China, vol.6, pp.43-153.
(^16) Not to be confused with Chu Wen, founder of Later Liang, whose temple
name also was T’ai-tsu.
(^17) For questions about A-pao-chi’s chronology see Cambridge History of China,
vol.6, p.60. 18
According to Chiu Wu-tai shih 3:3a, he proclaimed himself emperor on June
5, 907. According to Hsin Wu-tai shih 1:2a, he ascended the throne in June and
proclaimed an amnesty on June 5.