Bohai

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Alternate meaning: Bohai Sea

Bohai (or in the Korean context Balhae) was a kingdom in northeast Asia from AD 698 to 926, occupying parts of modern-day China (Manchuria), Korea, and Russia. Bohai was founded by Dae Joyeong who was a former general of Goguryeo, and integrated all of the Goguryeo remnants. It was conquered by the Khitan in 926.

In the confusion of the Khitan rebellion against Tang in 696, the people of Goguryeo, led by Dae Joyeong, escaped eastward. He subsequently established the State of Jin(震 or 振). Dae Joyeong established his capital at Dongmu Mountain in the south of today's Jilin province. Since it gained power through conquests of former Goguryeo territory and recieved much Goguryeo influence, Dae Joyeong declared himslef "King of Goguryeo" in 713. Thus, he had declared Bohai as Goguryeo's successor.

The second king Da Wuyi (Wuwang), who felt encircled by Tang, Silla and Black Water Mohe along the Amur River, attacked Tang and his navy briefly occupied a port on the Shandong Peninsula in 732. Later, a compromise was forged between Tang and Bohai, which resumed tributary misson to Tang. He also sent a mission to Japan in 728 to threaten Silla from the rear. Bohai kept diplomatic and commercial contacts with Japan until the end of the kingdom. Because of its proximity to many powerful states, Bohai became a buffer zone for the region.

The third king Da Jinmao (Wen Wang) expanded its territory into the Amur valley in the north and the Liaodong Peninsula in the west. He also established the permanent capital near Lake Jingpo in the south of today's Heilongjiang province around 755.

After destroyed Bohai in 926, the Khitan put the state of Dongdan, followed by the annexation by Liao in 936. Bohai aristocrats were moved to Liaoyang but small fragments of the state remained semi-independent. Some Bohai people fled southward to Goryeo, including a son of the last king. Some descendants of the royal family live in Korea, changing their family name to Tae (太). The Jin Dynasty favored the Bohai people as well as the Khitans. The fourth, fifth and seventh emperors were mothered by Bohai concubines. The 13th century census of Northern China by the Mongols distinguished Bohai from other ethnic groups such as Goryeo (Korean), Khitan and Jurchen. This suggests that the Bohai people still preserved their identity.

Characterization and political exploitation

The kingdom that straddled the current borders of the PRC, North Korea and Russia has been positioned and politically exploited in various ways.

Bohai was once likened to Manchukuo for its friendly relationship with Japan.

In North and South Korea, Bohai is regarded as a Korean state and is positioned in the "North-South period" (with Silla) today, although such a trend has been marginal for a long time. Based on the internationally recognized belief that Goguryeo was a Korean state, they emphasize its connection with Goguryeo. While South Korean historians think ruling class was of Goguryeo and the commoners were Mohe, North Korean historians think Bohai ethnography was mostly Goguryeo.

The PRC projects the current border to history. It treat everything that happened in its territory as part of its history. Today the Chinese historians consider Bohai as a local government of the Tang, and think Bohai people were mostly Mohe. The PRC's claims are, however, are rejected by most historians, who beleive that an ancient state's history relies on the ethnic makeup of its population, not if its territory fits into modern borders.

Russian historians think of Bohai as an independent Goguryeo state, with Central Asian and Chinese influence.

The genealogy of the royal family is also disputed. Koreans claims that the founder Dae Joyeong was a Goguryeo because the Old Book of the Tang describes him as "variant" of Goryeo [Goguryeo] (高麗別種). In another point of view, it is generally considered that he belonged to the Sumo Mohe tribe but served Gorguyeo as general based on the New Book of the Tang and other documents.

    Baoli (寶曆 Bǎolì) 774-?

    Daxing (大興 Dàxīng)

    Boryeok (보력|寶曆) 774-?

    Daeheung (대흥|大興)

An important source of cultural information on Bohai was discovered at the end of the 20th century at the Ancient Tombs at Longtou Mountain, especially the Mausoleum of Princess Zhenxiao.

See also: History_of_Korea Ethnic groups in Chinese history

External links

• Britannica Concise Encyclopedia article on Parhae (Barhae/Bohai) (http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article?eu=399871)

ja:渤海 ko:발해 zh-cn:渤海国

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