LI YAN-HAO

flourished 11th century, China Pinyin Li Yuanhao, also called Li Nang-hsiao, posthumous name, or shih, Wu-lieh Ti, temple name (Hsi Hsia) Ching Tsung leader of the Tangut tribes, a Tibetan people who inhabited the northwestern region of China in the area of modern Kansu Province. Li founded the Hsia dynasty (10381227), usually referred to as the Hsi Hsia, or Western Hsia. The Tanguts were originally a vassal state of China, but in 1038 Li ended his people's tribute shipments to the Sung (9601279) rulers and proclaimed himself emperor of the Hsia. He tried to create a Chinese-style system of government and even adopted a system of writing the Tangut language using Chinese-style ideographs. A warlike state, the Hsia preserved its independence until the coming of the Mongols (1209), who so decimated the country that little is now known of the Tangut people or culture.