The main peak of the Changbai Mountains ("Changbai Mountain" in the narrow sense) is located in Changbai Korean Autonomous County, Baishan, Jilin Province, and is the birthplace of the Yalu, Songhua and Tumen rivers. The Classic of Mountains and Seas called it "Unsalty Mountain", the Northern Wei Dynasty called it "Tu Tai Shan", the Tang Dynasty called it "Taibai Mountain", and the Jin Dynasty was called "Changbai Mountain".
Overlooking Changbai Mountain
Interestingly, Changbai Mountain is not only the birthplace of the Manchus and the "town of the old state", but also the "cultural sacred mountain" that symbolizes the Korean nation. Especially after entering the modern era, with the advent of the national and national crisis in Korea, Changbai Mountain has been given a special cultural connotation by it - to this day, the supreme leader of North Korea is still praised by the local media as "the great man of Baekdusan (Changbai Mountain)"
It is interesting to note that in the middle and early period of the Joseon Dynasty, the "sense of existence" of Changbai Mountain was very limited. It was not until the late dynasty (especially the Yingzu period) that Changbai Mountain gradually became the object of national respect in Korea. Why is this happening? I checked some information, and then I will talk to you briefly.
Tianchi of the main peak of Changbai Mountain
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="01" > the early Joseon Dynasty: Changbai Mountain was an "extraterritorial mountain"</h1>
At the beginning of the founding of the Dprk Dynasty, in the large list of "Yue (Shan) Haidu (Dahe)" that implemented the "Zhongqi", there was no place for Changbai Mountain at all (the "Four Mountains" were Triangular Mountain, Songyue Mountain, Zhiyi Mountain, and Nose White Mountain); even in the roster of "Xiao Qi", there was no Changbai Mountain. At this time, Mount Changbaek, along with Mount Yonghu in Gyeonggi Province, North Korea, etc. were "sacrificed by local magistrates on their own'".
During sejong's reign (reigned 1418-1450), the state advocated Confucianism, and various ceremonial systems were further perfected. In March 1437, the so-called "YueHaiDu Shan Chuan Temple and Sacred Tablet System" was established. Among them, the "Xiande Town Baitou Mountain" (that is, Changbai Mountain), which was already sacrificed on its own, was once again cut down. The reason is very simple, "Baekdusan is not within the territory of the country, and the town of Xiandeok was reformed in Goryeo, and there is no other spiritual experience, please cut the ceremony." ”
Bronze statue of Li Qi (Sejong).
Frankly speaking, there is a certain basis for the fact that Changbai Mountain is regarded by North Korea as an "extraterritorial mountain." Near The Changbai Mountains at that time, there were inhabited by the Jurchen tribes, which were despised by the Korean authorities as "wild people". Not only were they not under the rule of Korea, but they also attacked Korean villages from time to time and carried out armed robbery.
In order to resist the invasion of the Jurchens, North Korea spent a lot of manpower and material resources, and set up four counties and six towns along the Yalu River and the Tumen River. At the same time, there has been an uninterrupted migration of residents from the south to places such as Pyongan Province, Hamgyong Province, and Hwanghae Province in the northwest region, enriching the population and consolidating the frontier.
Therefore, in the "Famous Mountains of Hamgi Province (i.e., Hamgyong Province)" in the Records of Sejong of Joseon, "the famous mountain is known as the Nose White Mountain, in the northwest of Dingping Province, Bailixu; the White Mountain is in the west of Gyeongseong County; and the Uya Mountain is in the east of Anbian Province." The "White Mountain" here is not Changbai Mountain (Baekdu Mountain), but refers to the Guanmao Peak (the second highest peak in Korea) in present-day North Hamgyong Province.
In short, in the nearly 100 years since the founding of The People's Republic of Korea, officials have always set the birthplace of the nation in Yongxing-gun (present-day Kuroshi-ri, Kimno-gun, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea). For example, in the "Song of Longxing" written in October 1431, there is a sentence that "the mountain comes from Changbai Mountain (Guanmao Peak), the water flows to the Longxing River, the mountain and the water bell Xiu Chuxiang, the Great King of Taizu Naisheng, the long history, the virtue and thick stream, the oriental music, and the transmission of the boundless".
However, although Mount Changbai is an "extraterritorial mountain", there are still relatively detailed records in the "Records of Sejong of Joseon and Geography". "(The four realms of Xianji Road) East coast sea, south bounded by Tieling, west of the Yellow Sea, Ping'an Road, there are steep ridges from the Baitou Mountain undulating, south of tieling, stretching for more than a thousand miles, north of the savage interface." The Baekdu Mountain here is changbai mountain.
Changbai Mountain Hot Spring
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="02" data-track="59" > 1712 China-North Korea demarcation: Changbai Mountain became the border between the two countries</h1>
In 1712, the Qing court sent the governor of Wula, Mu Kedeng (1664-1735), to investigate the terrain between China and Korea on the Yalu River, the border of the Tumen River, and the Changbai Mountains, with the aim of drawing the latest "Imperial Public Opinion Overview Map". In today's view, the Qing court's act of checking the border and delimiting the border "invisibly" pulled Changbai Mountain into the vision of the Koreans.
For a long time, the Yalu River and the Tumen River have been the customary boundary lines between China and north Korea. The problem is that there is a large area of "open land (as shown in the figure below)" between the two rivers, and the demarcation of the boundary of this "transition zone" has become a major problem plaguing the Korean government and the opposition.
Overview of the China-NORTH Korea border
Since The entry of Manchuria into Manchuria, the boundaries between the two countries south of the Changbai Mountains have not been clearly defined. Therefore, the local border people of Korea from time to time entered the Predo River (Jianchuan) and fuduohui River south of the Changbai Mountains to hunt and even settle. But North Korea's border towns and forts are built five or six times away from the main peak of Mount Changbai – it can be said that the hunting and settlement activities of North Korean border residents are like a "cross-border" act of pretending.
For the purpose of defending the Qing Dynasty, the DPRK put forward to the Qing court a request for the demarcation of the boundary between "the south of Tianchi of Changbai Mountain as the boundary of Korea", and even some "bold" ministers proposed that the two countries "limit the (Changbai Mountain) Tianchi horizontally (that is, half of Tianchi)", which is really courageous. Of course, the vast majority of North Korean ministers understood the importance of The Changbai Mountain Tianchi to the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty.
Therefore, when the North Korean minister met with Mookden, he never proposed that "Tenchi cut across the limit", but proposed that "the south of (Changbai Mountain) Dachi is the border of our country".
Changbai Mountain Forest Area
In the end, the two sides decided that the boundary monument between the two countries would be erected on the watershed of more than 10 miles south of Tianchi in Changbai Mountain. "Mu Kedeng, the governor of the Great Qing Dynasty, was instructed to check the border, and at this point he examined that the west was Yalu and the east was Tumen, so it was the boundary of the watershed on the Upper Leshi", that is, the Yalu River and the Tumen River of the two countries were bounded, the Changbai Mountain Tianchi was included in the Qing Dynasty, and the south of the boundary monument was assigned to Korea. Since then, Changbai Mountain has become the boundary mountain between China and North Korea.
After the demarcation of the boundary between the two countries was completed, North Korean officials proposed to the Qing court that they would get the "White Mountain Map", and Mukden replied very generously: "The mountains and rivers of a big country cannot be painted, and the White Mountain Nair State is also difficult to paint?" Many scholars believe that the "White Mountain" here is the Changbai Mountain; some scholars believe. "White Mountain" refers to the "Little White Mountain" south of Changbai Mountain.
The demarcation not only locked the fact that the two countries are bounded by the Yalu River and the Tumen River, but also enabled the latter to obtain the protection of the natural barrier of Changbai Mountain, which further promoted the improvement of the Korean people's awareness of the border and the awareness of the territory.
With the passage of time, the fertile land in the upper reaches of the Tumen River, along the Maoshan Area, the displaced people gathered more and more, and gradually developed into a large northern town with a large population. So that in the Guangxu period, when China and the DPRK re-demarcated the boundary (Yihai and Ding you), the Chinese surveyors found that the vicinity of Xidoushui (the upper tributary of the Tumen River) north of Maoshan Mountain had long become a Korean settlement, and "the foundations of the houses and graves were all old"; between the Northern Hongdanshui (the upper tributary of the Tumen River) and the laterite landscape (the northernmost tributary of the upper reaches of the Tumen River), "there were more than 100 former Korean households" and approached the vicinity of Tianchi in Changbai Mountain.
Changbai Waterfall
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="03" data-track="68" > Yingzu period: Changbaishan national ceremonialization</h1>
In the Yingzu period (1724-1776), the status of Changbai Mountain began to have a "qualitative leap". In 1761, a great debate began between the Korean government and the public on whether to replace the Nose White Mountain (Guanmao Peak) with Changbai Mountain.
Proponents believe that Bukcheok (Hamgyong Province) is the birthplace of the (Joseon) Dynasty, and Changbaeksan (Baekdusan) is the birthplace of the North Province's landscape and water, and is the "ancestor of the mountains" in North Korea. "China's North Road, Ruo Zhou Zhi Qi, Han Zhi Fengpei, ancestors of the old base, the natives still refer to a certain water and a certain hill, the ancestors of the mausoleum, all of them are fengbei road, and one water and one foothill, all originate from the white head. Zishan is the place where I am destined for the spirit of Bing. ”
However, most ministers were opposed or recused for the simple reasons. One is that "(Changbai Mountain) crosses the Hu boundary", which is not convenient for climbing to the top and sacrificing; the second is to oppose the establishment of a new ritual system that the ancestral dynasty did not have.
Frankly, the proponents' advice is in line with Yingzu's wishes. Designating Changbai Mountain, the "ancestor of the mountains", as "Beiyue", will not only help to improve the national political status of Hamgyong Province, but also further achieve the political goal of "honoring the place where King Zhaoji of Xingxing" is located. However, after nearly four months of argumentation, the voice of opposition occupied an absolute advantage, and the reluctant Yingzu finally had to give up.
During the reign of Young-zu Lee Woo, he implemented the policy of benefiting the people represented by the Equalization Law, and compiled and published a large number of books, creating another heyday of Korea
Six years later, in 1767, the discussion began again. At this time, it was the old age of Yingzu, and the country's political, economic, cultural and other aspects had made great progress and development, and the royal power had been further consolidated and strengthened. However, the idea of "replacing the Nose White Mountain (Crown Hat Peak) with Changbai Mountain" was opposed by many ministers.
For example, Xu Zhixiu, the envoy of the Imperial Government, put forward three points of "doubt: 1) Changbai Mountain is too far away from the birthplace of Qingxing; 2) Baekdu Mountain is the Zongshan of Korea, which has no documentary basis, but is only a private theory; 3) replacing nose white mountain with Changbai Mountain is contrary to the etiquette of the first formulation of the Five Rites.
Hong Chongxiao, the judge of Cao Cao, also raised two objections: 1) the Book of Rites cloud "the princes sacrifice the mountain inside the seal", and the Changbai Mountain Tianchi is within the boundaries of the Qing Dynasty, and the south of the watershed where the boundary monument is located belongs to Korea, and the Korean officials should not sacrifice the mountains outside the territory; 2) the Maoshan and Jiashan mountains of the Changbai Mountains can be seen, the climate is cold and warm, and if the Spring and Autumn Festivals are practiced, it will bring disadvantages to the land of abundance.
However, unlike the hesitant attitude 6 years ago, Yingzu at this time can be said to have made up his mind. Based on the "Dragon Flying Royal Song", he pointed out that "Qingxing is the birthplace of the dynasty" and emphasized that "Changbai Mountain is the Korean Mountain". "Although (Changbai Mountain) is not the realm of our country, it is in the way of retribution, as if it were a sacrifice, but in our country?" In his view, Changbai Mountain is a border mountain between the two countries, and at least half of it should belong to North Korea.
A sea of tundra flowers
This time, the opposition of the Qunchen was not in the slightest able to reverse Yingzu's will. He not only ordered Li Cao to personally preside over the sacrifice ceremony of Changbai Mountain, but also ordered Hamgyong Dao to observe and survey the location suitable for the altar. The Hamgyong Road observations that had been running for many days for this matter made the gold vessel large, and later he was given a mature horse by Yingzu as a sign of encouragement.
In order to improve the standard of sacrifice, Hidezu ordered Hirobunkan to study the system of sacrifice texts, and at the same time, according to the ritual specifications of Mt. Nobura (Guanmao Peak), "sacrifice clothes and sacrificial vessels will be sent from the capital to the capital, and sacrifices will be set up three times a year in the first month, February, and August", and the festival will begin in the first month of the following year (1768).
In this way, Changbai Mountain achieved a revered status in both the Qing Dynasty and Korea. The Qing Dynasty sacrificed the "God of Changbai Mountain" outside the Five Mountains, on the same scale as the "Five Mountains", while the Joseon Dynasty "upgraded" the Changbai Mountains to one of the "Four Mountains" of the North Mountain.
Changbai Mountain Red Pine
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="04" data-track="76" > known as Changbaishan during the Reign of Emperor Gaozong</h1>
With the passage of time, by the time of Emperor Gojong (1864-1906), "Changbai Mountain is The Korean Mountain" has become the "consensus" of many Koreans. For example, in the Korean literature at that time, there were frequent records such as "China's Baekdu Mountain" and "My East's WhiteHead".
But in reality, North Korea has to recognize Mount Changbai as the boundary mountain between China and North Korea. During the Guangxu period, Li Chongxia, who twice served as the representative of the Korean side of the boundary survey, wrote in the "Diary of BaekduShan" (1885): "Baekdushan stretched thousands of miles from a distant place, twisting and turning thousands of miles, galloping to the northeast, to the three eastern provinces of China, standing tall, thousands of miles between China's Hamgyong Province and Ping'an Province, beautiful and vast. To the southeast, it has become the first of china's mountains, and to the north, Ninggu, Wula, etc., is the place where its vein extends. ”
Gaozong Li Xi (1852-1919)
The reign of Gojong was undoubtedly the "most dangerous moment" in North Korea. In April 1895, China and Japan signed the Treaty of Maguan, Korea became "independent", and the clan relations between China and North Korea that had been maintained for more than 200 years came to an end. At the same time, in order to eradicate the pro-Russian faction of queen Min of Korea, Japan launched the "B Wei Incident" in August 1895. The following year, Emperor Gaozong was forced to move to the Russian mansion, the so-called "Russian Pavilion Broadcasting".
In August 1897, Gojong "proclaimed himself emperor" and announced the establishment of the "Korean Empire". He wants to realize the goal of enriching the country and strengthening the army by implementing the "Guangwu Reform" of independent modernization, and then relieving the national crisis and relieving the national crisis. As the only "emperor" in Korean history, he performed the ceremony of altar sacrifice on the dome that only the Son of Heaven could perform.
In April 1903, he issued an edict: "But the Son of Heaven sacrifices the world's famous mountains and rivers, and the seals of the Five Mountains, the Five Towns, the Four Seas, and the Four Defilements are still not yet in place, and the ceremonies are not yet prepared." It ordered the Palm Temple (formerly Li Cao) Bo Kao Ding To be enshrined, with the meaning of the god of ceremonies. Among them, the "five mountains" are Zhongyue Triangle Mountain, Dongyue Jingang Mountain, Nanyue Zhiyi Mountain, West Yue Miaoxiang Mountain, and North Yue Baitou Mountain (that is, Changbai Mountain).
Emperor Gaozong after emperor
Two years later, in 1905, Japan forced Korea to sign the Treaty of Otomi, and Korea became a Japanese protectorate and lost diplomatic rights. In 1910, Japan announced the "merger of Japan and Korea", and Korea was completely reduced to a Japanese colony. Japan's aggression completely ruined Korea's efforts to modernize its independence, and the establishment of the Korean Empire and even the preparation of the Yamakawa Ceremony failed to save the fate of the country's demise. It can only be said that at that time, Emperor Gaozong tried his best.
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="05" data-track="86" > summary</h1>
At the beginning of the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty, Changbai Mountain, as the birthplace of the Jurchens, was regarded by Korea as an extraterritorial mountain. Therefore, when Sejong formulated the Five Rites, he did not include Changbai Mountain in the "big list" of national ceremonies, and even was cut down in the list of mountains and rivers where local sacrifices were made. As the birthplace of Taizu, Yongxing County was officially revered, and the Nose White Mountain to the north of it also became "Beiyue".
In 1712, the Qing Dynasty sent Mukden to the Changbai Mountain to demarcate the boundary, which became the beginning of the Korean attention to changbai mountain. The DPRK side has made a request for the demarcation of the Boundary between The DPRK and south of Tianchi in Changbai Mountain. As a result of the discussion, the boundary monument was erected more than ten miles south of Tianchi, the Tianchi of Changbai Mountain was classified into the Qing Dynasty, and the south of its lower watershed belonged to Korea. Since then, Changbai Mountain has become the boundary mountain between China and North Korea.
Out of the need to strengthen the royal power, Emperor Yingzong ignored the objections of the ministers and based on the "Now My Ancestor, Qingxing is the House" in the "Dragon FlyIng Royal Song", pushed the birthplace of the dynasty from Yongxing to Qingxing(located on the Tumen River), the birthplace of Muzu (Li Chenggui's great-grandfather), and stipulated that the Changbai Mountain to the north was "Beiyue".
Cover of Dragon FlyIng Royal Song
During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, Changbai Mountain had gradually been "Koreanized", so there were sayings such as "China's Baekdu Mountain" and "The White Head of My East (Country)". However, in reality, North Korea has to recognize Changbai Mountain as the boundary mountain between China and North Korea. In order to strengthen the power of the monarch and relieve the need to save the country from danger, Emperor Gaozong, who "called himself emperor", gave titles to the mountains and rivers, including the Changbai Mountains. But as Japan's aggression deepened, Korea eventually became a Japanese colony.
Further reading: Reading Notes: "Arrogance" and "Inferiority" in Korean History
Nevertheless, North Koreans, both at home and abroad, have never given up the struggle for national independence. As a result, Changbaek Mountain, which originally symbolized the birthplace of the Korean royal family, eventually became the "holy mountain" that symbolized the spirit of Korean national independence.
Regrettably, due to historical reasons, the Korean Peninsula was divided into two countries with different political systems, the North and the South, and the Korean nation suffered a tragic scene of separation. South of the 38th Parallel, South Koreans who want to climb Changbai Mountain Tianchi will have to take a detour through China to reach the summit — and frankly, this will only exacerbate South Koreans' sense of helplessness and powerlessness.