契丹建立的遼朝國內主要的族群，除去契丹等北方民族外，還有農業民族的渤海及漢人，而漢人是佔最多人數的族群，在民族政策上成為主要考慮的對象。在遼朝的政權結構中是以宗室、外戚為政權核心，漢人不能參與軍國大事，在任官上以家世身份為主，又用科舉制度來選取漢人，用移民政策來使漢人往內地建設開發，用南面官來治理漢人，有以漢人治理漢人的意圖。在法律上以各從本俗為原則，以唐律為基礎來對待漢人，契丹與漢人相關涉的事件常有輕重不均的情形，遼朝曾經有意改變這種不平等的現象，但似乎未能找出解決之道，在徵斂調發上的急刻，往往造成漢人難以適應這種北族的習慣。每當國際局勢緊張時，漢人就被禁止擁有武器之類的器物，以為防患。遼朝初期採取契丹與漢人有限的通婚，到中期後有法令鼓勵通婚的意思，是種族群融合的策略。

Qi Dan people are the major elements in the composition of the state in Liao Dynasty among other tribes such as agricultural peoples of Bo Ocean and Han. Han ribe is the most populous among them all, to compose the object of policy consideration. The core Liao politics consists in the royal families and their relatives. The Han people are not allowed to partake of national military affairs. Local political management is performed by well-known family members and Han people selected out of the Imperial Examination system. Han people are also dispatched to open up the inner lands, and have Han people in the south region to govern the Han people. Based on the early Tang legal system, law and order was maintained according to the local customs. Qi Dan people and Han people tend to be unequally treated. Liao government tried to redress this problem, but could not find any conclusive solution.When international crisis occurs, Han people were forbidden to carry weapons. In earlier period, Liao government had limited policies on intermarriage between QiDan and Han, but afterwards, the Liao government encouraged their marriages, intending to promote interracial unification.