Twenty-Four Histories
Owing to its long sway over China, the ruling dynasty, which the "Twenty-Four Histories" call the Liao dynasty (916–1125), was strongly influenced by Chinese culture. In 1125, a Tungusic people, the Jurchen, allied with the Southern Song, ending the domination of the Khitan. The Khitan exiles, headed by Yelü Dashi, a member of the Khitan royal family, migrated to the West. The Khitan settled in the Tarbagatai Mountains east of Zhetysu, and their number grew to 40,000 tents.