Manchuria | Historical Region, Chinese Empire & Soviet Union

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class="col-auto"> <div class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Manchuria">Manchuria</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/place/Manchuria">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref4542"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Manchuria#ref4542">Manchuria to about 1900</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref4543"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Manchuria/Manchuria-since-c-1900">Manchuria since <em>c.</em> 1900</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Manchuria/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Manchuria">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> 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href="https://cdn.britannica.com/93/185693-050-645BB6E8/region-portion-Manchuria-boundaries-provinces-place-Chinese.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/361449/209502"> <picture> <source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/93/185693-050-645BB6E8/region-portion-Manchuria-boundaries-provinces-place-Chinese.jpg?w=300"> <img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/93/185693-050-645BB6E8/region-portion-Manchuria-boundaries-provinces-place-Chinese.jpg?w=400&h=300&c=crop" alt="Manchuria" loading="eager" /> </picture> <button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"> <em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em> </button> </a> </div> <figcaption class="card-body"> <div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"> <span> <a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/93/185693-050-645BB6E8/region-portion-Manchuria-boundaries-provinces-place-Chinese.jpg" data-href="/media/1/361449/209502">Manchuria</a> <span><span>The historical region of Manchuria shown with the boundaries of the modern-day Chinese provinces in its place as well as the portion of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region that is often considered part of Manchuria.</span></span> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <span class="link-blue">(more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div><div class="topic-header"> <div class="d-flex align-items-top justify-content-between"> <div class="d-flex flex-column"> <div> <div> <h1>Manchuria</h1></div> </div> <div class="topic-identifier font-16 font-md-20">historical region, China</div> </div> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-flex 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://ijkh.khistory.org/upload/pdf/ijkh-21-1-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">International Journal of Korean History - Geopolitical Connections between Korea and Manchuria</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/67173/10.1177_000271623015200132.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">University of Michigan Library - Deep Blue Repositories - The Geography of Manchuria</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/manchukuo/manchuria.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">GlobalSecurity.org - Manchuria, historical region, China</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.academia.edu/35704583/Manchuria_Territory_Artifacts_Sovereignty_in_Northeast_Asia_" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Academia - Manchuria: Territory, Artifacts, Sovereignty in Northeast Asia</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/invasion-manchuria" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Harry S. Truman Library and Museum - Invasion of Manchuria</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1933/may/development-manchuria" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">U.S.Naval Institute - The Development Of Manchuria</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Manchuria/346169" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Manchuria - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Manchuria/275658" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Manchuria - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Dongbei, Guandong, Guanwei, Northeast, Northeast Provinces, Tung-pei</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written and fact-checked by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-01-31T00:00:00CST" >Jan 31, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Manchuria/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Also called: </dt> <dd>the Northeast</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Chinese (Pinyin): </dt> <dd>Dongbei or</dd> </dl> <dl> <dt>(Wade-Giles romanization): </dt> <dd>Tung-pei</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Formerly: </dt> <dd>Guandong or Guanwei</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Major Events: </dt> <dd><a href="/event/Russo-Japanese-War" topicid="514017">Russo-Japanese War</a></dd> <dd><a href="/event/Chinese-Civil-War" topicid="112441">Chinese Civil War</a></dd> <dd><a href="/event/Second-Sino-Japanese-War" topicid="546188">Second Sino-Japanese War</a></dd> <dd><a href="/event/First-Sino-Japanese-War-1894-1895" topicid="546176">First Sino-Japanese War</a></dd> <dd><a href="/event/Mukden-Incident" topicid="396670">Mukden Incident</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Nurhachi" topicid="422620">Nurhachi</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Zhang-Xueliang" topicid="105576">Zhang Xueliang</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Liao-dynasty" topicid="338833">Liao dynasty</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Zhang-Zuolin" topicid="105650">Zhang Zuolin</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Abahai" topicid="355">Abahai</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Manchu" topicid="361411">Manchu</a></dd> <dd><a href="/event/Lytton-Commission" topicid="353244">Lytton Commission</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Places: </dt> <dd><a href="/place/China" topicid="111803">China</a></dd> <dd><a href="/place/Manchukuo" topicid="1381991">Manchukuo</a></dd> <dd><a href="/place/Liaoning" topicid="338861">Liaoning</a></dd> <dd><a href="/place/Heilongjiang" topicid="259646">Heilongjiang</a></dd> <dd><a href="/place/Jilin-province-China" topicid="319153">Jilin</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Manchuria"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> <button class="facts-list-show-more-btn mt-15 p-0 mx-auto btn font-14 d-block font-weight-normal"> <span class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></span> <span class="show-more-label">Show More</span> </button> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref77169"></span>Manchuria</strong>, historical region of northeastern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/China" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">China</a>. Strictly speaking, it consists of the modern provinces (<em>sheng</em>) of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Liaoning" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Liaoning</a> (south), <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Jilin-province-China" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jilin</a> (central), and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Heilongjiang" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Heilongjiang</a> (north). Often, however, the northeastern portion of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Inner-Mongolia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Inner Mongolia</a> <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Autonomous" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Autonomous" data-type="MW">Autonomous</a> Region also is included. Manchuria is bounded by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Russia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Russia</a> (northwest, north, and east), <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Korea" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">North Korea</a> (south), and the province of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Hebei" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Hebei</a> (southwest). The Chinese call Manchuria the Northeast or the Northeast Provinces. Before the 1860s the Manchuria area also included those territories north of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Amur-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Amur River</a> (Heilong Jiang) that China’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Qing-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Qing</a> government ceded to Russia by the Sino-Russian Treaty of Aigun (Aihui) in 1858 and the Sino-Russian Treaty of Beijing in 1860.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref4542"><h2 class="h1">Manchuria to about 1900</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Prior to the 17th century, the history of Manchuria was shaped by three converging ethnic groups: the Chinese, the people collectively known as the <span id="ref77170"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Evenk-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tungus</a>, and the <span id="ref77171"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mongol" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mongols</a> and <span id="ref77172"></span>Proto-Mongols. The Tungus (from which several groups emerged) were forest and plain dwellers who had a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/mixed-economy" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">mixed economy</a> of agriculture, fishing, hunting, and livestock breeding. Those in Manchuria were known in various historical periods by such names as Sushen, Yilou, Fuyu, Mohe, Juchen (Nüzhen), and, finally, Manchu (Manzhou, or Manzu). The Mongols and Proto-Mongols were nomadic pastoralists who occupied the grasslands of the eastern rim of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mongolian-Plateau" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Mongolian Plateau</a> and the eastern slope of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Da-Hinggan-Range" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Da Hinggan (Greater Khingan) Range</a>. They were known by such names as Xianbei, Wuhuan, Shiwei, Khitan (Qidan), and Mongol. The agricultural Chinese migrated from the north of China to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="cultivate" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cultivate" data-type="MW">cultivate</a> the soil of the rich Liao Plain in southern Manchuria. The successive <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="hegemonies" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hegemonies" data-type="MW">hegemonies</a> and kingdoms in Manchuria resulted from violent clashes among these ethnic groups.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Prehistoric Manchuria was the eastern terminus of a natural highway for nomadic peoples who moved across the great Eurasian plain from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Volga-River" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Volga River</a> to the Korean peninsula. As early as 1000 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>, certain Manchurian tribes are mentioned in Chinese sources. The earliest settlement of Chinese colonies in southern Manchuria began about the 3rd century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>. Chinese immigration into southern Manchuria accelerated during the following centuries: in the <span id="ref77173"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Han-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Han dynasty</a> (206 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>–220 <span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span>) some Manchurian lands were overrun by the Han, who organized those conquered territories into military commanderies. During the chaotic period following the collapse of the Han empire, China was able to maintain only a loose <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="hegemony" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hegemony" data-type="MW">hegemony</a> over Manchuria.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Under the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sui-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sui</a> (581–618) and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tang-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tang</a> (618–907) <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dynasties" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynasties" data-type="MW">dynasties</a>, China was able to reassert some control over south Manchuria. In the late 7th century Manchuria’s pastoral Tungus peoples asserted their independence, founding in 698 the Zhen kingdom, which became the <span id="ref77174"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Parhae" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bohai</a> kingdom in 713. Centred in the modern province of Jilin, Bohai at its height covered nearly the whole of Manchuria and northern Korea. With the collapse of the Tang <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dynasty" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynasty" data-type="MW">dynasty</a> in 907, the Mongol subgroup known as the <span id="ref77175"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Khitan-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Khitan</a> gradually gained ascendancy in Manchuria and began expanding south against China and west against the Turkic nations. In 926 the Khitan forces overthrew Bohai. At the height of its power, the Khitan empire under its reigning <span id="ref77176"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Liao-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Liao dynasty</a> occupied practically the whole of Manchuria, part of northern Korea, part of North China, and the greater part of the Mongolian Plateau.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In the late 11th century there ensued a marked decline in the administrative <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="efficiency" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/efficiency" data-type="MW">efficiency</a> and military prowess of the Khitan empire. The non-Khitan subjects staged frequent rebellions against their overlord. Of particular importance among these rebels were the <span id="ref77177"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Juchen" class="md-crosslink ">Juchen</a> tribes, a group of Tungus peoples who lived beyond the Liao frontier but were in a tributary relationship to the Liao court.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/know-your-asian-geography-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/30/157630-131-43C0514C/rice-paddies-Vietnam.jpg" alt="Rice terraces in Vietnam. (food; farm; farming; agriculture; rice terrace; crop; grain; paddy; paddies;garden)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Know Your Asian Geography Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1115 Aguda, the paramount chief of the Juchen, signalized the drastic decline of Khitan power by proclaiming the establishment of the <span id="ref77178"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jin-dynasty-China-Mongolia-1115-1234" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jin</a> kingdom. An alliance between the Juchen Jin kingdom and the Chinese <span id="ref77179"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Song-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Song dynasty</a> succeeded in destroying the Liao empire in 1125. After the destruction of their common enemy, the Jin turned against the Song. In 1127 the Juchen sacked the Song capital, and the Song court retreated to the south, where it existed as the Nan (Southern) Song dynasty. The Juchen decided to incorporate the occupied Song territory into their own domain, and in 1152 their capital was moved from Manchuria to Yanjing (modern Beijing). By then, however, the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="formidable" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/formidable" data-type="MW">formidable</a> Jin military machine had become <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="moribund" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moribund" data-type="MW">moribund</a> and was an easy prey to the Mongols, who rose to power in the Mongolian Plateau in the 12th century.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1211 the Mongols invaded Jin under the leadership of the great <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Genghis-Khan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Genghis Khan</a>, and by 1234 Jin had <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="succumbed" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/succumbed" data-type="MW">succumbed</a> to the combined pressure of the Mongols and the Song Chinese. Occupying the whole of Manchuria, the Mongols made it one province, the <span id="ref77181"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Liaoyang" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Liaoyang</a>. In 1280 the Mongols completed the conquest of China, having already established the <span id="ref77180"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yuan-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Yuan dynasty</a>. Eventually, however, the Mongols’ harsh rule precipitated a series of rebellions among the Chinese, who overthrew the dynasty in 1368. The victorious Chinese established a native dynasty (the <span id="ref77182"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ming-dynasty-Chinese-history" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ming</a>), pursued the Mongols into the steppes, and reinstituted Chinese rule over the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Liaodong-Peninsula" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Liaodong Peninsula</a>.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=august-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">During the 15th and 16th centuries the Mongols regained their strength and began pressing upon the Chinese frontier. As a result, the Ming position in Manchuria gradually <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="deteriorated" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/deteriorated" data-type="EB">deteriorated</a>, and by the 17th century the Juchen were strong enough to challenge the Ming rule. It was the Jianzhou tribes under the leadership of <span id="ref77183"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nurhachi" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nurhachi</a> (1559–1626) who succeeded in forging a new and greater Juchen empire. Beginning in 1583, Nurhachi led a series of campaigns that ultimately brought all the Juchen tribes under his control. In 1616 he was proclaimed <em>han</em> (“emperor”) by his subjects and allies. Nurhachi named his dynasty Jin, sometimes called the Hou (Later) Jin, in an attempt to rekindle the desire for imperial greatness among the Juchen people. After Nurhachi’s death, his son and successor, <span id="ref77184"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abahai" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Abahai</a>, continued the task of territorial expansion. When Abahai died in 1643, <span id="ref77185"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Manchu" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Manchu</a> arms had been carried east into Korea, north into the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Amur" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Amur</a> and Ussuri (Wusuli) river valleys, west to Inner Mongolia, and south to the Great Wall. Abahai adopted the name Manchu for his people and changed the dynastic <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="designation" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/designation" data-type="MW">designation</a> from Jin to <span id="ref77186"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Qing-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Qing</a>. In 1644 the Manchu, with the help of dissident Chinese, established themselves as the new rulers of China. Qing dynastic rule of China lasted until 1911/12.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Although the Chinese had colonized the Liao Plain more than a thousand years before and had made it a centre of Chinese cultural influence, they had never been able to secure a foothold in central and north Manchuria, which remained predominantly a preserve of tribal groups. Paradoxically, it was during the period of Manchu ascendancy that the Chinese succeeded in penetrating the Sungari and Amur valleys. Until 1688 the Qing government encouraged Chinese immigration to Liaodong in order to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="revive" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/revive" data-type="EB">revive</a> its economy. After 1688 Chinese immigration was restricted. But the Manchu soon had to modify their exclusion policy when they were forced to strengthen the thinly spread Manchu garrisons in the Amur River valley with Chinese recruits to counter the eastward march of Russian power in the area. Manchuria’s natural resources attracted an unending stream of land-hungry peasants and other voluntary Chinese immigrants to Manchuria, despite the official ban. The flow of immigration became a flood tide in the 19th and 20th centuries as the Qing government actively sponsored planned colonization of virgin lands in Jilin and Heilongjiang. The growing Chinese presence helped the Manchurian economy develop from primitive self-sufficiency to an important centre of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/international-trade" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">international trade</a>. The great Manchuria frontier was thus inexorably Sinicized by Chinese colonists: the non-Manchu Tungus tribesmen of the Ussuri and Amur valleys declined in number year after year, and the Manchu soon merged imperceptibly into the Chinese population.</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":2,"pageId":361449,"pageLength":1317,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.9"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.9' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Manchuria | Historical Region, Chinese Empire & Soviet Union | Britannica