Baekdu Mountain
Baekdu Mountain is a volcanic
mountain on the border between
China and
North Korea, located at . The mountain is the highest mountain of the
Changbai Mountains to the north and
Baekdudaegan to the south, standing at 2,750 m. It is also the highest mountain in
Manchuria and the
Korean peninsula.
It is commonly called
Changbai shan in
Chinese and the
Manchu name
Golmin Šanggiyan Alin corresponds to it. The Korean name means "white-headed mountain," and the Chinese and Manchu names means "perpetually white mountain."
One of the highest
crater lakes in the world, called
Cheonji (also
Ch'ŏnji, Chinese:
Tianchi, all meaning "Heavenly Lake"), lies at the top of the mountain.
|
Location of Baekdu Mountain |
The highest peak is called Janggun Peak, covered in snow about eight months of the year. The slope is relatively gentle until about 1800 m. Sixteen peaks exceeding 2500 m surround the crater lake. The central section of the mountain rises about 3 mm every year, due to rising levels of
magma below the central part of the mountain.
Cheonji was probably created in 1597, when a recorded eruption took place. Ashes from this eruption have been found as far away as the southern part of
Hokkaido of
Japan. The lake itself has a circumference of 12 to 14 kilometres and it is sometimes said to look like a sea. The average depth of the crater lake is 213 metres, its maximum 384 metres. From mid-October to mid-June, the lake is covered with ice.
Water flows north out of the lake, and near the outlet there is a 70 meter waterfall. The mountain is the source of the
Songhua,
Tumen (Tuman/Duman) and
Yalu (Amnok) rivers.
The weather on the mountain can be very erratic. The annual average temperature at the peak is about -8.3 degrees Celsius. During summer, temperatures of about 18 degrees Celsius can be reached, and during winter temperatures can drop to -48 degrees Celsius. Average temperature -24 degrees Celsius in January, 10 degrees Celsius in July, remaining below freezing for eight months of the year. Average wind speed is 11.7 meters per second, reaching an average of 17.6 m/s in December. Relative humidity averages 74%.
There are five known species of plants in the lake on the peak, and some 168 were counted along the shores. The area is a known habitat for
tigers, wild
bears,
leopards,
wolves, and
wild boars. Deer in the mountain forests, which cover the mountain up to about 2000 metres, are of the Paekdusan
roe deer kind. Many wild birds such as
black grouse,
owls, or
woodpecker are known to inhabit the area.
The Baekdu Mountain has been worshipped by surrounding people. Koreans and Manchurians alike consider it the place of their ancestral origin.
Gojoseon's legendary beginning in 2333 BCE takes place here (then called
Taebaek).
Buyeo, and
Balhae kingdoms also considered the mountain sacred. The
Goryeo dynasty (935-1392) of Korea first called the mountain Baekdu, recording that the
Jurchens across the
Yalu River were made to live outside of Baekdu Mountain. The
Joseon Dynasty recorded volcanic eruptions in 1597, 1668, and 1702. King
Sejong the Great of Joseon strengthened the fortification along the Tumen and Yalu rivers, making the mountain a natural border with the northern peoples.
The
Jurchen Jin Empire bestowed the title "the King Who Makes the Nation Prosperous and Answers with Miracles" (興國靈應王
Xingguo Lingying Wang) on the mountain god in 1172 and it was promoted to "the Emperor Who Cleared the Sky with Tremendous Sagehood" (開天宏聖帝
Kaitian Hongsheng Emperor) in 1193. During the
Manchu Qing Dynasty, the
Kangxi Emperor designated the Baitou Mountain as the legendary birthplace of the imperial family
Aisin Gioro followed a survey although it is no longer supported. He set a forbidden zone around the mountain, although it was still in dispute whether it was part of Korea (
Joseon) or China. The Qing Dynasty held annual rites for the mountain, as did the earlier Jin Dynasty.
Because of the continuous entry of Korean people into Gando, a region in Manchuria that lay between the Tomun and Yalu Rivers, the Kangxi Emperor decided to clarify the Manchu-Korean border. In 1712, Manchu and Korean officials built a monument describing the boundary at a watershed. The interpretation of the inscription caused a territorial dispute from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, and is still disputed by academic circles today. The current border was set by the 1909
Gando Convention between Qing and Japan, while Korea was a Japanese protectorate.
Dense forest around the mountain provided bases for Korean armed resistance against the
Japanese occupation, and later communist guerrillas during the
Korean War. North Korean propaganda claims that
Kim Il-Sung organized his resistance against the Japanese forces there and that
Kim Jong-il was born there, although it is likely that these took place a short distance within the borders of the
Soviet Union.
Image:Baitou_Mountain_Tianchi.jpg|Tianchi/CheonjiImage:Changbai-2005.JPG|CairnsImage:Changbai chute1.JPG|WaterfallImage:Changbai hotspring.JPG|Hot springsImage:SV100365.JPG|RiverForeign visitors including South Koreans usually climb the mountain from the
PRC side, although Baekdusan is a common tourist destination for the few foreign tourists in North Korea.
There are a number of monuments on the North Korean side of the mountain. Paektu Spa is a natural spring and is used for bottled water. Pegae Hill is a famous camp site of the
Korean People's Revolutionary Army during their struggle against the Japanese colonial power. There are also a number of secret camps which are now open to the public. The Hyongje Falls are particular in that their water is split into two separate falls about a third from the top. There are numerous other water falls which are appreciated for their beauty.
*
Geography of China*
Geography of North Korea*
List of mountains in Korea
