Western Xia

The **Western Xia** or the **Xi Xia** (), was a imperial dynasty of China. It was also called the **Great Xia** () and **Tangut Empire**. The Tanguts and Tibets called the Western Xia _._ The Western Xia was led by the Tangut people from 1038 to 1227. The dynasty was as big as northwestern modern China. The dynasty had parts of Ningxia, Gansu, eastern Qinghai, northern Shaanxi, northeastern Xinjiang, and southwest Inner Mongolia, and southernmost Outer Mongolia. It was  big.

The capital of Western Xia was Xingqing (modern Yinchuan). A major Xia city was Khara-Khoto. The Mongols took Western Xia in 1227. Most of its records and architecture were destroyed. Historians did not know much about the dynasty until the 20th-century. Today the Tangut language and its script are extinct. There is not much Tangut literature left.

The Western Xia was in the area of the Hexi Corridor. The Hexi Corridor was a part of the Silk Road, which was an important trade route from northern China and Central Asia.

## Rulers

|Temple Name|Posthumous Name|Personal Name|Reign Dates|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Jǐngzōng|Emperor Wǔliè|Lǐ Yuánhào|1038–1048|
|Yìzōng|Emperor Zhāoyīng|Lǐ Liàngzuò|1048–1067|
|Huìzōng|Emperor Kāngjìng|Lǐ Bǐngcháng|1067–1086|
|Chóngzōng|Emperor Shèngwén|Lǐ Qiánshùn|1086–1139|
|Rénzōng|Emperor Shèngdé|Lǐ Rénxiào|1139–1193|
|Huánzōng|Emperor Zhāojiǎn|Lǐ Chúnyòu|1193–1206|
|Xiāngzōng|Emperor Jìngmù|Lǐ Ānquán|1206–1211|
|Shénzōng|Emperor Yīngwén|Lǐ Zūnxū|1211–1223|
|Xiànzōng|_None_|Lǐ Déwàng|1223–1226|
|_None_|_None_|Lǐ Xiàn|1226–1227|

|Emperor|Era Name|Dates||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Jǐngzōng|Tiānshòu Lǐfǎ Yánzuò 天授禮法延祚|1038–1048||
|rowspan=4|Yìzōng|Yánsì Níngguó 延嗣寧國|1049|
|Tiānyòu Chuíshèng 天祐垂聖|1050–1052|||
|Fúshèng Chéngdào 福聖承道 (Tangut  or )|1053–1056|||
|Duǒdū 奲都|1057–1062|||
|Gǒnghuà 拱化|1063–1067|||
|rowspan=4|Huìzōng|Qiándào 乾道|1068–1069|
|Tiāncì Lǐshèng Guóqìng 天賜禮盛國慶 (Tangut )|1070–1074|||
|Dà'ān 大安 (Tangut )|1075–1085|||
|Tiān'ān Lǐdìng 天安禮定 (Tangut )|1086|||
|rowspan=8|Chóngzōng|Tiānyí Zhìpíng 天儀治平 (Tangut )|1086–1089|
|Tiānyòu Mín'ān 天祐民安 (Tangut )|1090–1097|||
|Yǒng'ān 永安 (Tangut )|1098–1100|||
|Zhēnguān 貞觀 (Tangut )|1101–1113|||
|Yōngníng 雍寧 (Tangut )|1114–1118|||
|Yuándé 元德 (Tangut )|1119–1127|||
|Zhèngdé 正德 (Tangut )|1127–1134|||
|Dàdé 大德 (Tangut )|1135–1139|||
|rowspan=4|Rénzōng|Daqing 大慶 (Tangut )|1140–1143|
|Rénqìng 人慶 (Tangut )|1144–1148|||
|Tiānshèng 天盛 (Tangut )|1149–1169|||
|Qiányòu 乾祐 (Tangut )|1170–1193|||
|Huánzōng|Tiānqìng 天慶 (Tangut )|1194–1206||
|rowspan=2|Xiāngzōng|Yìngtiān 應天|1206–1209|
|Huángjiàn 皇建 (Tangut )|1210–1211|||
|Shénzōng|Guāngdìng 光定 (Tangut )|1211–1223||
|Xiànzōng|Qiándìng 乾定|1223–1226||
|Lǐ Xiàn|Bǎoqìng 寶慶|1226–1227||

## Administrative divisions

|Region|Prefecture|Modern location||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan = 9|Hexi|Xingzhou (Xingqing, Ducheng)|Yinchuan|
|Dingzhou|Pingluo County|||
|Huaizhou|East of Yinchuan|||
|Yongzhou|Yongning County|||
|Liangzhou (Xiliangfu)|Wuwei|||
|Ganzhou (Xuanhuafu)|Zhangye|||
|Suzhou|Jiuquan|||
|Guazhou|Guazhou County|||
|Shazhou|Dunhuang|||
|rowspan=9|Henan|Lingzhou|Northwest of Wuzhong|
|Hongzhou|Southwest of Jingbian|||
|Youzhou|Otog Front Banner|||
|Yinzhou|East of Hengshan|||
|Xiazhou|North of Jingbian|||
|Shizhou|Hengshan|||
|Yanzhou|Dingbian County|||
|Nanweizhou|Tongxin County|||
|Huizhou|Jingyuan|||
|rowspan=4|Other|Xiningzhou|Xining|
|Lezhou|South of Ledu|||
|Kuozhou|Southwest of Hualong|||
|Jishizhou|Xunhua Salar Autonomous County|||

## Related pages

- History of China

### Sources

- .
- (alk. paper)
- (paperback).
- .

## Other websites

- 宁夏新闻网 (Ningxia News Web): 西夏研究 (Xixia Research).
- 宁夏新闻网 (Ningxia News Web): 文化频道 (Cultural Channel).

## Infobox (former country)

- **native name**:
 ()
 ()
- **conventional long name**: Great Xia
- **common name**: Western Xia
- **era**: Post-classical history
- **status**: Empire
- **government type**: Monarchy
- **year start**: 1038
- **year end**: 1227
- **event start**: Dynasty established by Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia, Emperor Jingzong
- **event end**: Destruction by the Mongol Empire
- **event1**: Subjugation by the Mongol Empire
- **date event1**: 1210
- **event pre**: Rebellion by Li Jiqian against the Song dynasty
- **date pre**: 984
- **p1**: Dingnan Jiedushi
- **p2**: Xiliangfu
- **p3**: Guiyi Circuit
- **p4**: Gansu Uyghur Kingdom
- **p5**: Liao dynasty
- **p6**: Song dynasty
- **s1**: Mongol Empire
- **image map**: Song-Liao-Xixia-1111.png
- **image map caption**: Location of Western Xia in 1111 (green in north west)
- **image map2**: Western Xia.png
- **image map2 caption**: Western Xia in 1150
- **capital**: Xingqing (modern Yinchuan)
- **leader1**: Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia, Emperor Jingzong
- **leader2**: Emperor Renzong of Western Xia, Emperor Renzong
- **leader3**: Emperor Mo of Western Xia, Li Xian (final)
- **year leader1**: 1038–1048
- **year leader2**: 1139–1193
- **year leader3**: 1226–1227
- **title leader**: Western Xia#Rulers, Emperor
- **stat year1**: 1100
- **stat area1**: 1000000
- **stat year2**: peak
- **stat pop2**: 3,000,000
- **currency**: Barter, Cash (Chinese coin), copper coins
_See Western Xia coinage_