In the 1580s, when China was ruled by the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), a number of Jurchen tribes lived northeast of Ming territory in the region that is now known as China's Northeast, or "Manchuria."[REF]
Nurhaci's son and successor Hong Taiji (1592-1643) continued his father's state-building efforts: he concentrated power into his own hands, modeled the Later Jin's government institutions on Chinese ones, and integrated Mongol allies and surrendered Chinese troops into the Eight Banners [REF].