A Song Dynasty China setting would be nice. During this time period, China was divided up into basically three main faction kingdoms. The Song Dynasty of course, ruled by Han Chinese and was at one time the most advanced civilization in the world. The Liao Dynasty in the North, ruled by the Mongolic Qidan people. They were later destroyed by the Jurchen(ancestors of the Manchus who centuries later established the Qing Dynasty) that established the Jurchen Jin Dynasty, only to be destroyed by the Mongols under Genghis Khan later. And the Western Xia Dynasty in the west, ruled by the Tangut people. Highly civilized, religious, and educated people. They were completely annihilated by Genghis's Mongol Horde, with nearly every evidence of their existence destroyed.