Northeast Project of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

The Northeast Project (simplified Chinese: 东北工程; traditional Chinese: 東北工程), which is short for the Northeast Borderland History and the Chain of Events Research Project (simplified Chinese: 东北边疆历史与现状系列研究工程; traditional Chinese: 東北邊疆歷史與現狀系列研究工程), was a 20-million-yuan (2.4 million US dollars) project launched by the Chinese government in 2002 and finished in 2006, conducted by the Chinese Academy of Social Science. This project applies the ideology of Zhonghua Minzu to ancient ethnic groups, states and history of the region of Manchuria and northern Korea.[1] Under the Zhonghua Minzu ideology, it is assumed that there was a greater Chinese state in the ancient past.[2] Accordingly, any pre-modern people or states that occupied any part of what is now the People's Republic of China are defined as having been part of that greater Chinese state.[2] Similar projects have been conducted on Tibet and Xinjiang, which have been named Southwest Project and Northwest Project, respectively.[3]

Due to its claims on Gojoseon, Goguryeo and Balhae, the project sparked disputes with Korea.[4][5] In 2004, this dispute threatened to lead to diplomatic disputes between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea, although all governments involved seem to exhibit no desire to see the issue damage relations.[6] However, there has been a shift from anti-American and pro-China to a pro-American and anti-China in Korea as a strategic move.[7]

Contents

Background

Starting from the 1980s when the PRC constitution was amended to redefine the People's Republic of China as a "unitary multinational state built up jointly by the people of all its nationalities", some Chinese historians began to re-identify Goguryeo, especially the first half of Goguryeo's history before it moved its capital to the Korean peninsula, as part of the regional history of China rather than of Korea. This historical revisionism was intensified in the 1990s when a head historian of a North Korean delegation accused Chinese historians of conceiving of ancient China in terms of the territorial bounds of the modern Chinese state, which, he claimed, is a view unsupported by historical evidence. More recently in 2002, this effort has been taken up by the PRC government in the form of the Northeast Project.[8]

List of Research Topics

  1. General History of Heilongjiang (黑龙江通史)
  2. Cultural Research Topics of 20th Century Chinese Northeast Borderland (二十世纪中国东北边疆文化研究课题)
  3. The Gwanggaeto Stele of 1580 (好太王碑1580年)
  4. History of Economic Relationship Between Chinese Northeast and Russia (USSR) from mid-17th Century to 1949 (中国东北与俄国（苏联）经济关系史（17世纪中叶—1949年）)
  5. History of Balhae (渤海国史)
  6. Jizi and Gija Joseon Research (箕子与箕子朝鲜研究)
  7. Research on Russian Oriental Migration and Development (俄国东部移民开发问题研究（1861—1917）)
  8. Historical Theories of Balhae (渤海史论)
  9. History of the Development of Ancient Peoples in Northeastern China (中国东北古民族发展史)
  10. Research and Theory on Related Family Names of China and Korea (中韩相关姓氏族源考论)
  11. Research on Borderland Policies of Northeastern Region during Republican Era (民国时期东北地方政府治边研究)
  12. Issues of Recent International Migration in Chinese Northeastern Region (近代中国东北地区的国际移民问题)
  13. Research on Northeastern Policies of Various Chinese Dynasties in History (历朝东北治边研究)
  14. Issues Regarding International Law and China-North Korea Border Disputes (国际法与中朝边界争议问题)
  15. Detailed Analysis and Research of Samguk Sagi (《三国史记》详注及研究)
  16. Research Topics Regarding Han Chinese Demographic History in the Northeast (东北汉族人口史研究课题)
  17. Research on Governing of Balhae Immigrants (渤海移民的治理与归属研究)
  18. Research on the Restriction and Development of Yalu-river-region during the Qing Dynasty (清代鸭绿江流域的封禁与开发研究)[9]

Claims on Goguryeo

Main article: Goguryeo controversies

Goguryeo has been conventionally viewed as one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Chinese characterization of Goguryeo as a regional power of China in modern times has spawned heated disputes with both North Korea and South Korea who regard Goguryeo as a uniquely Korean state.

Criticisms

The PRC's claim on Goguryeo history, in an attempt to recharacterize it as a Chinese tributary state rather than a Korean kingdom, has received international criticism. Such criticisms came from numerous scholars from other countries such as the United States, Russia, Mongolia, and Australia,[10] [11] including prominent Goguryeo experts such as Mark Byington, a postdoctorate at the Korea Institute, an independent Korean studies research institute at Harvard University,[12] and R. Sh. Djarylgashinova of Russian Academy of Science Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography.[13]

For thousands of years, official history books of dynasties that ruled China's current territory (Twenty-Four Histories) have taken it for granted that Goguryeo is Korea's history. For example, Book of Sui, Old Book of Tang and New Book of Tang, the official history books of Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, consistently called Goguryeo, together with Shilla and Baekje, "Three Koreas (三韓)". In addition, the following official history books made sure Goryeo (a.k.a., Korea) succeeded Goguryeo's history and legacy:

The Chinese government and communist party's attempted revision of Goguryeo history, in an attempt to overrule the foregoing thousands of years' orthodox, is not universally accepted in the PRC. In 2006, a senior scholar from Peking University affirmed Goguryeo as a part of Korean history and denied Chinese connections.[17] He has expressed disagreement with the CASS institute, the PRC government institution running the Northeast Project, and indirectly criticized the project on behalf of the Peking University Department of History.

Political motives

Some historians and political analysts believe that the Northeast Project is a defensive move by China to strengthen its claim on current territory and prepare for possible land disputes with a unified Korea, and also promote national unity upon rising inter-ethnic tensions.[18] The Chinese government fears that if North and South Korea unite, the 2 million ethnic Koreans living in Manchuria will secede from China and reclaim some of what used to be "Greater Korea".[19][20] On the other hand, there are also other historians and political analysts who believe the Northeast Project to be an attempt to establish historical justification for possible Chinese takeover of North Korea or political intervention on North Korea upon its collapse.[21][22][23]

Political effects

The Northeast Project quickly caught the attention of the Korean press and caused a massive public outrage in Korea. In response, China blocked access to Chinese language websites protesting China's claims on Goguryeo. South Korean newspaper The Hankyoreh also reported that the Chinese government was responsible for shutting down of a popular community website for ethnic Koreans in China, where there was active criticism against the Chinese government's claims on Goguryeo.[24]

Coupled with various provocations, such as sending threats to Korean parliamentary members, the Goguryeo controversy generated an anti-Chinese sentiment that reversed the anti-US and pro-China atmosphere in Korea along with a possible shift in Korea's security strategy.[25] On a 2006 poll commissioned by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, South Koreans chose China as the greatest security threat in 10 years.[26]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ *Byington, Mark. “The Creation of an Ancient Minority Nationality: Koguryo in Chinese Historiography.” In Embracing the Other: The Interaction of Korean and Foreign Cultures: Proceedings of the 1st World Congress of Korean Studies, III. Songnam, Republic of Korea: The Academy of Korean Studies, 2002.
  2. ^ a b Byington, Mark. “The Creation of an Ancient Minority Nationality: Koguryo in Chinese Historiography.” In Embracing the Other: The Interaction of Korean and Foreign Cultures: Proceedings of the 1st World Congress of Korean Studies, III. Songnam, Republic of Korea: The Academy of Korean Studies, 2002.
  3. ^ "중국 동북공정에 앞서 `서남공정`은 어떻게" (in Korean). Joongang Daily. 2006-09-14. http://article.joins.com/article/article.asp?Total_ID=2447385. Retrieved 2007-04-20. 
  4. ^ "중국 동북공정 연구과제 107개중 56개 ‘한국관련’" (in Korean). Donga Ilbo. 2007-01-26. http://www.donga.com/fbin/output?n=200701260155. Retrieved 2007-05-30. 
  5. ^ "China Co-Opts More Old Korean Kingdoms". Chosun Ilbo. 2006-09-06. Archived from the original on 2007-11-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20071128011146/http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200609/200609050028.html. Retrieved 2007-05-30. 
  6. ^ Seo, Hyun-jin (2004-08-24). "Skepticism Lingers over History Issue" (Reprint). The Korea Herald. http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=4414. Retrieved 2007-03-06. 
  7. ^ Gries, Peter Hays. The Koguryo Controversy, National Identity, and Sino-Korean relations Today. 
  8. ^ Byington, Mark. “The Creation of an Ancient Minority Nationality: Koguryo in Chinese Historiography.” In Embracing the Other: The Interaction of Korean and Foreign Cultures: Proceedings of the 1st World Congress of Korean Studies, III. Songnam, Republic of Korea: The Academy of Korean Studies, 2002.
  9. ^ "项目介绍 (Topic Overview)" (in Chinese). Centre of China's Borderland History and Geography Research, CASS. 2007-07-04. http://chinaborderland.cass.cn/show_News.asp?id=1837. Retrieved 2009-07-28. 
  10. ^ Bae, Young-dae; Min-a Lee (2004-09-16). "Korea finds some allies in Goguryeo history spat". Joongang Ilbo. http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2470382. Retrieved 2007-03-06. 
  11. ^ China shock for South Korea By Bruce Klingner. Asia Times
  12. ^ Byington, Mark (2004-01-01). "Koguryo part of China?". Koreanstudies mailing list. http://koreaweb.ws/pipermail/koreanstudies_koreaweb.ws/2004-January/004054.html. Retrieved 2007-03-06. 
  13. ^ "Korean-Russian academia jointly respond to Northeast Project" (in Korean). Naver. 2006-10-31. http://news.naver.com/news/read.php?mode=LSD&office_id=078&article_id=0000026912&section_id=117&menu_id=117. Retrieved 2007-03-06. 
  14. ^ "History of Song, Vol.487" (in Chinese). Wikisource. http://zh.wikisource.org/zh/%E5%AE%8B%E5%8F%B2/%E5%8D%B7487. 
  15. ^ "History of Jin, Vol.135" (in Chinese). Wikisource. http://zh.wikisource.org/zh/%E9%87%91%E5%8F%B2/%E5%8D%B7135. 
  16. ^ "History of Yuan, Vol.208" (in Chinese). Wikisource. http://zh.wikisource.org/zh/%E5%85%83%E5%8F%B2/%E5%8D%B7208. 
  17. ^ "Chinese Scholar Slams Co-opting Korean History". Chosun Ilbo. 2006-09-13. Archived from the original on 2006-10-19. http://web.archive.org/web/20061019012559/http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200609/200609130027.html. Retrieved 2007-03-06. 
  18. ^ Byington, Mark (2004-09-06). "War of Words Between South Korea and China Over An Ancient Kingdom: Why Both Sides Are Misguided". History News Network. http://hnn.us/articles/7077.html. Retrieved 2007-03-08. 
  19. ^ Asia Times - News and analysis from Korea; North and South
  20. ^ Ramzy, Austin (2004-08-16). "Rewriting History". [Time]. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501040823-682338,00.html. Retrieved 2007-04-05. 
  21. ^ Asia Times - News and analysis from Korea; North and South
  22. ^ Lankov, Andrei (2006-09-16). "China and Korea can't escape their pasts". History News Network. http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/30047.html. Retrieved 2007-03-08. 
  23. ^ Lilley, James (2007-01-31). "Briefing: North Korea". American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.25536,filter.all/pub_detail.asp. Retrieved 2007-03-08. 
  24. ^ "고구려사 왜곡비판 조선족사이트 폐쇄당해 (Joseonjok website criticizing historical distortions on Goguryeo gets shutdown)" (in Korean). Naver. 2004-08-15. http://news.naver.com/news/read.php?mode=LSD&office_id=028&article_id=0000073596&section_id=100&menu_id=100. Retrieved 2007-03-31. 
  25. ^ Gries, Peter Hays. The Koguryo Controversy, National Identity, and Sino-Korean relations Today. 
  26. ^ "South Koreans believe China likely to be biggest security threat in 10 years". Associated Press. 2006-03-20. http://english.ohmynews.com/ArticleView/article_view.asp?no=280522&rel_no=1. Retrieved 2007-03-31. 

References

External links