Worrying About Border Threats: The Invasions, Rise, and Fall of the Liao, Xia, and Jin

Worries on the Frontier shows why the Liao, Western Xia, and Jin regimes, which bordered the Song, became embroiled in border disputes and wars with it, and how nomadic regimes rose and fell. The Western Xia, founded by the Tanguts, fought five wars with the Song. The Liao, founded by the Khitans, invaded the Song several times and posed a serious threat. The Jin, founded by the Jurchens, destroyed the Liao and then launched repeated campaigns against the Song, capturing Emperors Huizong and Qinzong and bringing the Northern Song to an end. The cultural exchange, ethnic integration, and military expansion among the Song, Liao, Jin, and Western Xia left a distinctive mark on Chinese history, creating a turbulent age and inspiring a grand, tragic historical epic.