What steppeland invaders did the Song have to share China's traditional territory with in the tenth to twelfth century? What methods did they use to help secure their own power and territory?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A. Song's challengers
1. the state of Liao, of the Khitan people
a. Liao acquired a southern frontier across the Yellow River
valley
b. remained faithful to their pastoral traditions, but in the tenth
century, they split their empire into two spheres, creating a Chinese-style, Chinese-speaking administration for their southern provinces
c. began to build cities, following Chinese urban planning models,
apparently to attract migrants
d. Song reaction
2. Xia, the realm of the Tangut
a. had its own bureaucracy
b. iron coinage much used along the Silk Roads
c. a considerable scholarly establishment, largely devoted to
acquiring and commenting on Buddhist scriptures
d. Tangut victory forced another treaty out of the Song
e. Song reaction
1. acknowledged Xia as a kingdom inferior only to Liao
2. receive half Liao's level of tribute
3. Jurchen
a. began to build up conquests that eventually included the whole
Liao Empire and covered northern China as far as the Huai
River
b. relied on hunting rather than herding
c. Song reaction
1. war forced the Chinese to acknowledge Jurchen claims
to the mandate of heaven
2. treaty of 1127 imposed annual tribute on the Song
3. Song and Jurchen states learned to live with each other
4. Jurchen adopted Chinese habits and traditions
a. Despite legislation forbidding Jurchen to adopt
Chinese language or dress, distinctive Jurchen
culture largely vanished