Cheonghaejin

Cheonghaejin
Korean name
Hangul	청해진
Hanja	淸海鎭
Revised Romanization	Cheonghaejin
McCune–Reischauer	Ch'ŏnghaejin

Cheonghaejin (literally "Blue sea headquarters") was a major military headquarters and trading hub located on nowadays Wando island, South Jeolla province of South Korea established by Korean general, Jang Bogo in 828 ACE during the Silla kingdom period.^[1] It traded mainly with Tang Dynasty China and Japan, and served as a military hub to combat various pirate factions.^[2][3]

History

Cheonghaejin was established originally as a military complex by General Jang Bogo in 828, the third year of King Heungdeok's reign. Jang appealed to Heungdeok to establish a military complex in Cheonghaejin to protect Silla's merchant fleets and coastal residents from pirates. He was granted permission and 10,000 troops. He established a small castle and a military base in Garipo.

Cheonghaejin was very successful in its mission; it maintained strong commercial ties with Chinese and Japanese trading ports and successfully protected Silla merchants and coastal residents from pirates. Jang sent envoys called Hoyeoksa (호역사) for trading activities and cultural exchange.

It was resented by many Silla noblemen of small maritime societies because they lost their profits from private maritime trades. The noblemen of Silla sent an assassin, Yeom Jang, to assassinate Jang. After Jang's assassination, the complex was maintained by Yeom Jang himself, but the residents of Cheonghaejin, mourning Jang's death, left Cheonghaejin. They mostly moved to other regions of Silla, while some moved to China or Japan. It is recorded in Samguk Sagi that the central Silla government closed Cheongjaejin in February 851. The remaining residents were then relocated to Byeokgolgun.

Modern times

Cheonghaejin is now located in Wando County, Jeollanam-do, and is a main tourist location in the region. There is a stele commemorating the relocation of residents of Cheongjaejin to Byeokgolgun and various remains of the complex. Remains of various mercantile products and plates have been discovered in Cheongjaejin, which greatly contributed to understanding the life of Silla people.

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  Panoramic view of Cheonghaejin.

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  View seen from the ramp of Cheonghaejin. From left to right, "Oeseongmun Gate", "Naeseongmun Gate", and a shrine are shown.

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  A large well in front of Oeseongmun. Its vicinity is surrounded by earthen walls.

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  View of Oeseongmun overlooked from Naeseongmun

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  Part of the wall

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  Part of the wall cut off to show the state of hardening and heaping of earth (panchuk in Korean).

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  Chi, a distinctive Korean wall style. Two chi have been preserved in Cheonghaejin.

References

1. ^ by the translators of Il-yeon's: Samguk Yusa: Legends and History of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea, translated by Tae-Hung Ha and Grafton K. Mintz. Book Two, page 102. Silk Pagoda (2006). ISBN 1-59654-348-5
2. ^ "청해진 淸海鎭 [Cheonghaejin]" (in Korean). Nate / Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. http://100.nate.com/dicsearch/pentry.html?s=K&i=257777&v=44. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
3. ^ "청해진 淸海鎭 [Cheonghaejin]" (in Korean). Nate / Britannica. http://100.nate.com/dicsearch/pentry.html?s=B&i=188711&v=44. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 

External links

• Changpogo.co.kr
• Hyulim.co.kr