 By the time the Book of Wei was written in 554 , the Khitans had formed a state in what is now China 's Jilin and Liaoning Provinces . The Khitans suffered a series of military defeats to other nomadic groups in the region , as well as to the Chinese Northern Qi ( 550 @-@ 577 ) and Sui ( 589 @-@ 618 ) Dynasties . Khitan tribes at various times fell under the influence of Turkic tribes such as the Uighurs and Chinese dynasties such as the Sui and Tang . This influence would significantly shape Khitan language and culture . In the Suishu ( Book of Sui , Volume 84 ) the Khitan are described as " bellicose in plundering and raiding borders " and " the most uncourteous and arrogant among all barbarians " . The Liaoshi ( LS , vol . 32 and 59 ) gives the following account of the early Khitan : 
