chin 617Chin
The Jurchen were a Tungusic-speaking people, ancestors of the Man-
chus, who originally lived as hunters and fishermen in the forests of
eastern Manchuria. They spread from there to the lowlands around
the Sungari River and took up agriculture and animal husbandry. The
sedentary Jurchen became subjects of Po-hai, and after the destruc-
tion of that kingdom in 926 of the Khitan/Liao. The forest-dwelling
Jurchen on the periphery of these states remained semi-independent.
They managed to send missions to the Five Dynasties and Sung,
mostly by sea.
The Chin dynasty of the Jurchen was founded by A-ku-ta of the
Wan-yen clan in 1115. The Liao shih 27:6b records that in 1112 the
last emperor of Liao, T’ien-tso, attended the spring hunting and fishing
at the Sungari River. At a banquet for Jurchen chiefs, he requested
them to dance. A-ku-ta refused and soon thereafter rebelled. Later
historians have blamed T’ien-tso for his tactlesness. But it has been
seen that ceremonial or native dancing was part of festive occasions. In
the early 590’s, Mo-ho envoys danced at a banquet given by Emperor
Wen of Sui. When T’ai-tsung of T’ang gave a banquet in Ch’ang-an
in 634, the captured Hsieh-li Qaghan of the Eastern Turks danced
at his request. In 762, the Teng-li Qaghan of the Uighurs invited
the Chinese heir-apparent and future Empeor Te-tsung to perform
a ceremonial dance, which the prince refused to do. At a banquet
of Uighur chiefs and Kuo Tzu-yi in 765, the chiefs danced. In 940,
two envoys from the Uighurs and from Tun-huang (Sha chou) were
asked by Emperor T’ai-tsung of the Khitan to perform their native
dances. T’ien-tso therefore probably only requested what was normal,
bonhomie under the influence of alcohol, and perhaps even a courtesy,
and the episode could not have been a casus belli. It must also be
remembered that the unification of the Jurchen was an effort begun
by A-ku-ta’s grandfather, continued by his elder brother, and only
completed by him. The dance had nothing to do with his uprising.
On June 11, 925, Jurchen envoys to the Later T’ang court offered
gifts (Chiu Wu-tai shih 32:14b).
On Jan.21, 926, Jurchen envoys to the Khitan court offered gifts
(Liao shih 3:2a).