Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 6, 2022

The Evolution of the Jurchen Nobles and the Political Civilization of the Jin Dynasty

(Abstract)

Wang Shanjun

Before the founding of the Jin dynasty, Jurchen society’s combination of kinship and geographic relationship shaped a circle whose members married within the group for generations. At the center of this circle was the Wanyan clan of Anchu Hushui. The families of the clan leaders in this circle formed a privileged class in Jurchen society and constituted the main body of the Jurchen nobility. As the clan’s geo-influence grew, divisions grew up within it, and internal hierarchical differences also emerged in other clans who had intermarried with the Wanyan but had disagreements with them. This internal division and differentiation became the basis of the political hierarchy of the Jurchens in the Jin dynasty. After the establishment of the dynasty, in order to consolidate the power of the lineal Wanyan clan and maintain the dominant position of the Jurchen nobles and the Jurchens in general, Emperor Xizong institutionalized an internal hierarchy within the circle of nobles, differentiating their levels and corresponding power. He clearly defined the three levels of the Wanyan clan, and eventually the Jurchen nobles were divided into two groups and three levels. In mid-and late Jin dynasty, noble families spread out and ethnic integration deepened, so their distinctive political hierarchy gradually loosened. However, until the end of the Jin dynasty, the hierarchy continued to play an important role in maintaining the dominant position of the Jurchens.