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CHAP. PAGE
LIST OF WORKS CONSULTED 141
INDEX 142
It is impossible to give here a complete key to the pronunciation of Chinese words. For those who wish to pronounce with approximate correctness the proper names in this volume, the following may be a rough guide:--
a as in alms. ? as u in fun. i as ie in thief. o as aw in saw. u as oo in soon. ? as u in French, or ? in German. as e in her. ai as aye . ao as ow in cow. ei as ey in prey. ow as o . ch as ch in church. chih as chu in church. hs as sh . j as in French. ua and uo as wa and wo.
The insertion of a rough breathing ' calls for a strong aspirate.
THE N?-CH?NS AND KITANS
The Manchus are descended from a branch of certain wild Tungusic nomads, who were known in the ninth century as the N?-ch?ns, a name which has been said to mean "west of the sea." The cradle of their race lay at the base of the Ever-White Mountains, due north of Korea, and was fertilised by the head waters of the Yalu River.
Turning now to China, the famous House of Sung, the early years of which were so full of promise of national prosperity, and which is deservedly associated with one of the two most brilliant periods in Chinese literature, was founded in 960. Korea was then forced, in order to protect herself from the encroachments of China, to accept the hated supremacy of the Kitans; but being promptly called upon to surrender large tracts of territory, she suddenly entered into an alliance with the N?-ch?ns, who were also ready to revolt, and who sent an army to the assistance of their new friends. The N?-ch?n and Korean armies, acting in concert, inflicted a severe defeat on the Kitans, and from this victory may be dated the beginning of the N?-ch?n power. China had indeed already sent an embassy to the N?-ch?ns, suggesting an alliance and also a combination with Korea, by which means the aggression of the Kitans might easily be checked; but during the eleventh century Korea became alienated from the N?-ch?ns, and even went so far as to advise China to join with the Kitans in crushing the N?-ch?ns. China, no doubt, would have been glad to get rid of both of these troublesome neighbours, especially the Kitans, who were gradually filching territory from the empire, and driving the Chinese out of the southern portion of the province of Chihli.
For a long period China weakly allowed herself to be blackmailed by the Kitans, who, in return for a large money subsidy and valuable supplies of silk, forwarded a quite insignificant amount of local produce, which was called "tribute" by the Chinese court.
The victories of Akut?ng over the Kitans were most welcome to the Chinese Emperor, who saw his late oppressors humbled to the dust by the victorious N?-ch?ns; and in 1120 a treaty of alliance was signed by the two powers against the common enemy. The upshot of this move was that the Kitans were severely defeated in all directions, and their chief cities fell into the hands of the N?-ch?ns, who finally succeeded, in 1122, in taking Peking by assault, the Kitan Emperor having already sought safety in flight. When, however, the time came for an equitable settlement of territory between China and the victorious N?-ch?ns, the Chinese Emperor discovered that the N?-ch?ns, inasmuch as they had done most of the fighting, were determined to have the lion's share of the reward; in fact, the yoke imposed by the latter proved if anything more burdensome than that of the dreaded Kitans. More territory was taken by the N?-ch?ns, and even larger levies of money were exacted, while the same old farce of worthless tribute was carried on as before.
In 1123, Akut?ng died, and was canonised as the first Emperor of the Chin, or Golden Dynasty. He was succeeded by a brother; and two years later, the last Emperor of the Kitans was captured and relegated to private life, thus bringing the dynasty to an end.
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