Crossing the Yalu River 7 8 (Togang-Nok) 9 [The Diary Begins on 25 July (24Th Day of 6Th Month)1 and Finishes on 10 8 August (9Th Day of 7Th Month) 1780
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3065_CH01.qxp:Layout 1 5/25/10 1:31 PM Page 1 1 2 3 CHAPTER 1 4 5 6 Crossing the Yalu River 7 8 (Togang-nok) 9 [The diary begins on 25 July (24th day of 6th month)1 and finishes on 10 8 August (9th day of 7th month) 1780. It is a record of crossing the Yalu River 1 and reaching Liaoyang in fifteen days.] 2 3Li 4 5 6 PROLOGUE 7 8 he reader may ask why the ‘Record of Crossing the Yalu (Amnok) 9 TRiver’ begins with the words ‘the third sixty-year cycle of the year 20 Gengzi (Kor. Kyo˘ngja, 1780),2 since . .’. The reasons are several: to 1 describe the itinerary, the daily happenings, and the weather along the 2 way, matched to the relevant days and months of the entries, starting 3 from the 6th month of 1780. The word ‘since’ appears because the date 4 starts after the adoption of the reign title3 Chongzhen (r. 1628–1644). 5 This was the reign title of the last reigning monarch of the Ming dynasty 6 (1368–1644), the Emperor Chongzhen (posthumous name: Zhuanglie 7 huangti). The year 1780 corresponds to the third cycle of the year 8 Kyo˘ngja. One may ask further: ‘Why not simply describe it as 9 Chongzhen such and such a year?’ The answer is ‘Because soon we will 30 be crossing the Yalu River and we want to avoid that term. The people 1 living on the other side are Manchurians and they all use the reign title 2 of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Because of this, we dare not openly 3 couple the date with Chongzhen as we usually do.’ 4 Our country uses the reign title Chongzhen because Imperial Ming 5 is Chinese. China’s rulers acknowledged our nationhood from the 36 beginning, and we became a sovereign country. In the 17th year of 37 Chongzhen (1644), Emperor Zhuanglie (1628–1644)4 died for his 38 country and the Ming dynasty fell. It has been over one hundred and 39 thirty years since the fall of the Ming dynasty, but our country still uses 40 41 1 42 3065_CH01.qxp:Layout 1 5/25/10 1:31 PM Page 2 1 The Jehol Diary 2 3x the reign title Chongzhen. The Manchurians invaded China, displaced 4 the Ming government and enforced the Qing system. But this eastern 5 land of ours, with its several thousand ri5 extending at that time even 6 across the Yalu River, preserved the Ming government’s standards. This 7 meant that the Ming court still existed in the east, over the river. 8 Though we were not powerful enough to drive the Manchurians out of 9 China, purge them and resurrect the old imperial house, we at least 10 preserved the Chinese way by respectfully using the reign title of the 1 former rulers. 2 3 I, Pak Chiwo˘n(Yo˘lsang oesa6) wrote this Prologue in 1783. 4 1780 was the 4th year of our King Cho˘ngjo’s7 reign and Qianlong the 5 44th year of Qing dynasty. 6 7 25 JULY (24TH DAY OF 6TH MONTH) 1780 8 9 All morning it drizzled intermittently. In the afternoon, we crossed the 20 Yalu River, and rode about 30 ri to Jiulian cheng where we camped. At 1 night there were heavy showers, but these soon stopped. 2 Earlier, when we stayed in Yongman Inn8 for ten days and before our 3 river crossing, we received various local products from the local people. 4 They, being aware that our departure date was imminent, had chosen 5 these as gifts. Although we had not had prolonged heavy rain for four 6 days the river was still very swollen. The current was so strong that tree 7 branches and stones were being swept downstream, and it seemed as if 8 the muddy waters were almost touching the sky. 9 The Yalu is characteristically turbulent because it rises so far away. 30 According to Tang shu9 the Yalu (Majasu10) River in Korea starts from 1 the Bai Mountain in Manchuria (Malgal11). It was said that the colour 2 of the water was as green as a duck’s head, which gave the river the name 3 of Yalu (Kor. Amnok). Bai Mountain refers to the Changbai Mountain. 4 In Shanhai jing (The Book of Mountains and Seas12) this mountain is 5 referred to as Buxian Mountain. Koreans know it as Paektu Mountain 36 and as the source of many rivers. As Tang shu records, the Yalu, too, has 37 its source there, and flows to the south-west. 38 According to Huangyu kao,13 there are three great rivers in the world: 39 the Yellow River, the Yangzi River and the Yalu River. Chen Ting’s 40 Liangshan motan points out that north of the River Huaishui the river 41 42 2.