契丹建国前史发覆——政治体视野下北族王朝的历史记忆

Unveiling the Pre-Dynastic History of Khitan:Memories of Steppe Origin Dynasties from a Polity Perspective

契丹王朝官方叙述中的建国前史与历代中原文献的相关记载在空间、时间两方面均存在巨大矛盾,其背后隐藏着罕为人知的历史本相:阿保机家族是在唐开元年间才加入契丹的后来者,该家族取代契丹旧部建立王朝后,以自身家族史作为民族集团的历史,自然与此前500余年间契丹的实际衍变过程大相径庭。在政治体研究的视野下,从来没有哪个家族天生就是民族集团的统治者,但他们获得最高权力后总热衷于将本家族的历史打扮成整个民族史的模样。发掘统治家族史与民族集团史间的区别与断裂,对于重新审视北族王朝的历史记忆具有普遍性意义。

There is a significant temporal and spatial discrepancy in the histories leading up to the founding of the Khitan Empire,when comparing the Empire’s official narrative with the documents of the Zhongyuan dynasties.Historical truths hide within.The Abaoji family was latecomers to Khitan tribe,joining it during the Kaiyuan Era of the Tang Dynasty,but replaced the Khitan ethnic history with its own family history after building the Empire.Hence,it is not surprising that the official record differs quite significantly from actual Khitan history over the past 500 years or more.A polity-focused perspective reveals that no families are born to be the ruler of an ethnic group,but they are usually dedicated to building their family history into an ethnic history after ascending to the throne.Distinguishing a ruling family’s history from an ethnic history is helpful for reevaluating the historical memories of steppe origin dynasties.