and Jurchen (女真), who built several dynasties in northern China. Manchuria  is also historically referred as Guandong (關東/关东), which literally means "East of the ( Shanhaiguan ) Pass/Mountain." More... Manichaeism One of the major Iranian Gnostic religions, originating in Sassanid Persia. Manichaeism thrived between the third and seventh centuries. Manichaean churches