Jin dynasty (or Chin dynasty)

Hereditary rulers of northern China, including Manchuria and part of Mongolia, from 1122 to 1234, during the closing part of the Song era (960–1279). The dynasty was founded by Juchen (Jurchen) nomad hunters, who sacked the northern Song capital Kaifeng in 1126, forcing the Song to retreat south to Hangzhou. The Jin eventually ruled northern China as far south as the Huai River. Over time, the Juchen became Sinicized, but from 1214 they lost much of their territory to the Mongols led by Genghis Khan. See also China: early imperial history 221 BC–AD 1279.