Aguda Founds the Jin Dynasty

The Jurchen were an ancient people of Northeast China living in the Heilong River basin and around the Changbai Mountains, living by fishing, hunting, herding and farming. Under Liao rule they were controlled and oppressed: each year Liao demanded large amounts of ginseng, sable pelts, northern pearls and the hunting falcon “haidongqing”, and the Jurchen deeply resented its rule. They were then divided into many tribes, among which the Wanyan tribe of the Anchuhu River (the Ashi River in Heilongjiang today) grew strong and absorbed many others. In the late 11th century Aguda, leader of the Wanyan, completed the unification of the Jurchen tribes. In 1112 Emperor Tianzuo of Liao toured Chunzhou and at a banquet ordered the Jurchen chiefs to dance in turn; Aguda refused, and Tianzuo wanted to kill him but was dissuaded by ministers. In 1114 Aguda rose against Liao and defeated Liao armies in succession at Ningjiangzhou and Chuhedian, winning against greater numbers; Jurchen morale soared, and it was said that “if the Jurchen reach ten thousand men they cannot be beaten”. In 1115 Aguda took the imperial title and founded a regime named Great Jin, with its capital at Huiningfu (in present-day Acheng District, Harbin, Heilongjiang), as Emperor Taizu of Jin. Taizu copied Central Plains institutions, turned the Jurchen military organization of meng'an and mouke into a combined military-civil local system, developed production, and had Wanyan Xiyin create the Jurchen script on the model of Chinese and Khitan characters, and the state quickly grew stronger. Jin forces kept attacking Liao and took its Eastern and Supreme Capitals and other places. In 1125 Jin destroyed Liao and in 1127 destroyed Northern Song, becoming a powerful northern regime facing Southern Song.