Tales of the Western Liao

During the Second Crusade in the twelfth century, legend spoke of a Christian emperor named John who came from the East and ruled a mysterious land called Great Liao.

He possessed treasures such as the Gates of Alexander and the Fountain of Eternal Youth, which helped him defeat powerful enemies. A defender of Christianity in Central Asia, he once defeated an army of 100,000 Seljuks at the Battle of Qatwan. Jesus promised John that he would live to witness His Second Coming and granted him immortality. John was also known as Yelu Dashi.

As the Great Liao dynasty declined, it suffered repeated defeats against the Jin cavalry. Emperor Yelu Yanxi fled beyond the Yin Mountains and vanished without a trace. Yelu Dashi, an eighth-generation descendant of Emperor Taizu of Liao, helped his uncle Yelu Chun ascend the throne to stabilize the court. After Yelu Chun died of illness, he devoted himself to assisting the empress dowager, Xiao Puxian, who governed the state, and repeatedly repelled attacks by the Song army.

Later, Xiao Puxian was executed by Yelu Yanxi. Disillusioned, Yelu Dashi left with two hundred men. After enduring years of hardship and wandering, he established the powerful Western Liao Empire thousands of miles away. Honored as the Gurkhan, meaning Khan of Khans, he became the legendary Eastern King John, known to Europeans as Prester John.

In the Islamic world of the mid-twelfth century, five great rulers were widely recognized: the rulers of the Turks, Arabs, India, the Eastern Roman Empire, and China. The Chinese ruler they spoke of was the emperor of Western Liao.

Today, Russia, Arabic, and Latin use “Khitan” to refer to China, a legacy of Yelu Dashi's achievements.