Claiming descent from the Turkic rulers of the Northern Wei dynasty (386–536), the Kitan ruling house supported Buddhism. Whenever non-Chinese peoples defeated the Chinese in battle and took over part of the empire, they had to select which Chinese religion to support from among Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Otherwise their Chinese subjects would not accept their rule. Few conquering dynasties chose Confucianism or Daoism with their daunting textual traditions.
