Shi Tianze

Shi Tianze (Chinese: 史天澤; Wade–Giles: Shih T'ien-tse; 1202 – 5 March 1275) was a general in the early period of the Yuan dynasty of China. Later, he was promoted to the post of deputy prime minister and became the first Han minister of the Yuan dynasty which was ruled by the Mongols. He played a key role in early Yuan politics.

Shi Tianze was a Han Chinese who lived in the Jurchen Jin dynasty. Interethnic marriage between Han and Jurchen became common at this time. His father was Shi Bingzhi (Shih Ping-chih) 史秉直. Shi Bingzhi was married to a Jurchen woman (surname Na-ho) and a Han Chinese woman (surname Chang), it is unknown which of them was Shi Tianze's mother. Shi Tianze was married to two Jurchen women, a Han Chinese woman, and a Korean woman, and his son Shi Gang was born to one of his Jurchen wives. His Jurchen wive's surnames were Mo-nien and Na-ho, his Korean wife's surname was Li, and his Han Chinese wife's surname was Shi. Shi Tianze defected to the Mongol Empire's forces upon their invasion of the Jin dynasty. Shi, Zhang Rou (Chang Jou) 張柔, and Yan Shi (Yen Shih) 嚴實 and other high ranking Chinese who served in the Jin dynasty and defected to the Mongols helped build the structure for the administration of the new state.