Ning'an
Encyclopedia
Ning’an is a city located approximately 20 km southwest of Mudanjiang, in Heilongjiang
province of China
. It is located on the Mudanjiang River
(formerly known as Hurka River), which flows north, eventually falling into the Sungari River near Sanxing
.
Administratively, Ning'an is now a county-level city
, and a constituent part of the prefecture-level city
of Mudanjiang.
The land area of the entire county-level city of Ning'an is 7,870 km²; the reported population count, as of 2004, stood at 440,000. The government of the "county-level city" is located in the town of the same name (宁安镇, Ningan zhen, Ning'an Town).
Notable geographic features of the county-level city
of Ning'an include Lake Jingpo
and a crater underground forest (火山口地下森林). Lake Jingpo is a natural reservoir on the Mudanjiang River upstream (about 40 km southwest, straight-line distance) from Ning'an central urban area, result of the volcanic eruptions about 10,000 years ago.
kingdom (between 756 and 785, and between 793 and 926), was located within today's county-level city
of Ning'an. Its site was near today's small towns
of Dongjingcheng (东京城镇, Dongjingcheng zhen) and Bohai (渤海镇, Bohai zhen; 44.109°N 129.215°E), about 25 km upstream (southwest) from the Ning'an main urban area.
During the early Qing Dynasty
, the town of Ning'an, known then under the Manchu
name Ningguta (transcribed into Chinese as 宁古塔, Ningguta), was one of the most important towns in the entire Manchuria
beyond the "Willow Palisade
". The name "Ningguta" literally means "six" in Manchu language because it was once guarded by six grandsons of Möngke Temür
(猛哥帖木儿).
The Hurka River valley, where Ninguta was located, was the traditional homeland of the Jianzhou Jurchens
(who later started calling themselves Manchus), Ninguta and Sanxing being the two oldest centers of the incipient Manchu state.
After the Manchus conquered all of China in 1644, the Ninguta area continued to be considered by the Qing Dynasty ruling family as the place of its origin.
Already in 1652 the Qing government sent 2000 horsemen, armed with bows, matchlock
firearms, and iron cannons, commanded by Sarhuda
to set a garrison at Ninguta, which was the first Qing garrison beyond the Willow Palisade
.
In June 1653 Sarhuda
's position became styled "military deputy-lieutenant governor" (昂邦章京, or amban
-jianggin in Manchu) and a deputy lieutenant general (副都统, fu dutong) were appointed to command the Ninguta garrison.
The suitability of Ninguta as an administrative center was in part due to its location on the Hurka River (or, for the original site, on the Hurka's tributary Hailang), which provided a convenient transportation route connecting Ninguta with the lower Sungari and the lower Amur River. Early on, a great dockyard operated in Ninguta, building boats for the Mudanjiang/Sungari/Amur river system, although it was later relocated to Jilin City.
In 1658 Sarhuda
, in charge of a Manchu fleet of several dozen ships, and including also General Shin Ryu
's Korean force, sailed from Ninguta down the Hurka and the Sungari, to defeat the smaller fleet of the Russian Cossack Onufriy Stepanov
near the fall of the Sungari into the Amur.
After the death of Sarhuda in 1659, his son Bahai (巴海) was appointed to occupy Sarhuda's position.
In 1662, the title of the military deputy-lieutenant governor (amban-jianggin) position was changed to the Ninguta Military Governor (镇守宁古塔等处将军, Zhenshou Ninguta Dengchu Jiangjun), Bahai being the first occupant of this post, while the office of the deputy lieutenant general was relocated to Jilin City
.
The early location of the Ninguta fortress was not at today's Ning'an, but some 50 km to the northwest, on the Hailang River (a tributary of Mudanjiang River
). That site is located near the present-day Gucheng village (古城村), part of small town
of Changting (长汀镇; 44.48°N 128.92°E). That site is not within the modern County-level city of Ning'an, but in the neighboring County-level city of Hailin
.
Growth of the more conveniently located Jilin City
resulted in the decrease of the relative importance of Ninguta. Still, Ninguta was the main seat of government of the eastern half of the beyond-the-palisade Manchuria until 1676, when the Military Governor (jiangjun) moved from Ninguta to Jilin City
(then called Jilin Ula Cheng, i.e. Jilin River City), and the Deputy Lieutenant-General (副都统, fu dutong) was transferred in the opposite direction (from Jilin City to Ninguta).
Although now lower-ranked than Jilin City, Ninguta retained its importance into the 18th and 19th century as one of the few cities existing beyond the Willow Palisade
. The Deputy Lieutenant-General stationed there was the top government official for the entire region stretching east to the Sea of Japan
and populated primarily by a variety of Tungusic people, such as the Nanais.
According to the evidence of the Jesuits who visited the area in 1709 along with a government-sponsored ginseng
-harvesting expedition, by the early 18th century Ninguta had become an important center of trade in the local forest products, namely ginseng
harvested in the region, and the sable
pelts, collected as tax from the Nanai natives. Therefore, besides the Manchu garrison and the officials, Ninguta was home to numerous Chinese
civilians, some of whom had come to Ninguta from faraway provinces in order to participate in the profitable commerce. There were already numerous peasant villages around the town, some at quite a distance from it, populated both by Manchus and by Han Chinese exiled to this area for various offenses against the law. (Convicts started being sent to Ninguta area as early as 1660; anti-Qing rebels, captured in southern China, followed in 1661) A variety of cereal crops, such as millet
and oats
were grown there.
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
province of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It is located on the Mudanjiang River
Mudanjiang River
The Mudan River or Mudanjiang River .is a river in Heilongjiang province in China. It is a right tributary of the Sungari River.Its modern Chinese name can be translated as the "Peony River"...
(formerly known as Hurka River), which flows north, eventually falling into the Sungari River near Sanxing
Yilan County, Heilongjiang
Yilan County is a county of central Heilongjiang province in Northeast China. It administratively belonging to Harbin, the provincial capital, more than to the west...
.
Administratively, Ning'an is now a county-level city
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
, and a constituent part of the prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
of Mudanjiang.
The land area of the entire county-level city of Ning'an is 7,870 km²; the reported population count, as of 2004, stood at 440,000. The government of the "county-level city" is located in the town of the same name (宁安镇, Ningan zhen, Ning'an Town).
Notable geographic features of the county-level city
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
of Ning'an include Lake Jingpo
Lake Jingpo
Lake Jingpo or Lake Jingbo , is a lake located on the Wanda Mountains, in Ningan County, Heilongjiang in China, in the upper reaches of Mudan River. Earlier names for Lake Jingpo include Meituohu Lake, Huhanhai Lake and Bi’erteng Lake....
and a crater underground forest (火山口地下森林). Lake Jingpo is a natural reservoir on the Mudanjiang River upstream (about 40 km southwest, straight-line distance) from Ning'an central urban area, result of the volcanic eruptions about 10,000 years ago.
History
Sanggyeong , one of the capitals of the Korean BalhaeBalhae
Balhae was a Manchurian kingdom established after the fall of Goguryeo. After Goguryeo's capital and southern territories fell to Unified Silla, Dae Jo-yeong, a Mohe general, whose father was Dae Jung-sang, established Jin , later called Balhae.Balhae occupied southern parts of Manchuria and...
kingdom (between 756 and 785, and between 793 and 926), was located within today's county-level city
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
of Ning'an. Its site was near today's small towns
Town (China)
When referring to political divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 . It is a fourth-level administrative unit, i.e...
of Dongjingcheng (东京城镇, Dongjingcheng zhen) and Bohai (渤海镇, Bohai zhen; 44.109°N 129.215°E), about 25 km upstream (southwest) from the Ning'an main urban area.
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, the town of Ning'an, known then under the Manchu
Manchu language
Manchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus...
name Ningguta (transcribed into Chinese as 宁古塔, Ningguta), was one of the most important towns in the entire Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
beyond the "Willow Palisade
Willow Palisade
Willow Palisade was a system of ditches and embankments planted with willows intended to restrict movement into Manchuria, built by the Qing Dynasty during the later 17th century...
". The name "Ningguta" literally means "six" in Manchu language because it was once guarded by six grandsons of Möngke Temür
Möngke Temür
Möngke Temür or Dudu Mentemu was the Jurchen chieftain of the Odoli tribe, one fo the three tribes of the lower Sungari river valley in Manchuria...
(猛哥帖木儿).
The Hurka River valley, where Ninguta was located, was the traditional homeland of the Jianzhou Jurchens
Jianzhou Jurchens
The Jianzhou Jurchens were a grouping of the Jurchens as identified by the Chinese of the Ming Dynasty. They were the southernmost group of the Jurchen people The Jianzhou Jurchens (Chinese:建州女真) were a grouping of the Jurchens as identified by the Chinese of the Ming Dynasty. They were the...
(who later started calling themselves Manchus), Ninguta and Sanxing being the two oldest centers of the incipient Manchu state.
After the Manchus conquered all of China in 1644, the Ninguta area continued to be considered by the Qing Dynasty ruling family as the place of its origin.
Already in 1652 the Qing government sent 2000 horsemen, armed with bows, matchlock
Matchlock
The matchlock was the first mechanism, or "lock" invented to facilitate the firing of a hand-held firearm. This design removed the need to lower by hand a lit match into the weapon's flash pan and made it possible to have both hands free to keep a firm grip on the weapon at the moment of firing,...
firearms, and iron cannons, commanded by Sarhuda
Sarhuda
Šarhūda, known also under the Chinese transcription of his name, Shaerhuda , was a Manchu military commander during the early Qing Dynasty, active both before and after the Manchus' seizing control of the entire China....
to set a garrison at Ninguta, which was the first Qing garrison beyond the Willow Palisade
Willow Palisade
Willow Palisade was a system of ditches and embankments planted with willows intended to restrict movement into Manchuria, built by the Qing Dynasty during the later 17th century...
.
In June 1653 Sarhuda
Sarhuda
Šarhūda, known also under the Chinese transcription of his name, Shaerhuda , was a Manchu military commander during the early Qing Dynasty, active both before and after the Manchus' seizing control of the entire China....
's position became styled "military deputy-lieutenant governor" (昂邦章京, or amban
Amban
Amban is a Manchu word meaning "high official," which corresponds to a number of different official titles in the Qing imperial government...
-jianggin in Manchu) and a deputy lieutenant general (副都统, fu dutong) were appointed to command the Ninguta garrison.
The suitability of Ninguta as an administrative center was in part due to its location on the Hurka River (or, for the original site, on the Hurka's tributary Hailang), which provided a convenient transportation route connecting Ninguta with the lower Sungari and the lower Amur River. Early on, a great dockyard operated in Ninguta, building boats for the Mudanjiang/Sungari/Amur river system, although it was later relocated to Jilin City.
In 1658 Sarhuda
Sarhuda
Šarhūda, known also under the Chinese transcription of his name, Shaerhuda , was a Manchu military commander during the early Qing Dynasty, active both before and after the Manchus' seizing control of the entire China....
, in charge of a Manchu fleet of several dozen ships, and including also General Shin Ryu
Shin Ryu
Shin Ryu was a general of the Joseon Dynasty. He was born into a yangban family of the Pyeongsan Shin lineage in modern-day Chilgok County, Gyeongsangbuk-do, near where his shrine now stands in Yangmok-myeon. He passed the military gwageo in 1645, and went on to hold various state positions...
's Korean force, sailed from Ninguta down the Hurka and the Sungari, to defeat the smaller fleet of the Russian Cossack Onufriy Stepanov
Onufriy Stepanov
Onufriy Stepanov was a Siberian Cossack and explorer of the Amur River. For background see Russian–Manchu border conflicts....
near the fall of the Sungari into the Amur.
After the death of Sarhuda in 1659, his son Bahai (巴海) was appointed to occupy Sarhuda's position.
In 1662, the title of the military deputy-lieutenant governor (amban-jianggin) position was changed to the Ninguta Military Governor (镇守宁古塔等处将军, Zhenshou Ninguta Dengchu Jiangjun), Bahai being the first occupant of this post, while the office of the deputy lieutenant general was relocated to Jilin City
Jilin City
Jilin City is the second largest city of Jilin province in Northeast China. At the 2010 census, 4,414,681 people resided within its administrative area of and 1,975,803 in its built up area...
.
The early location of the Ninguta fortress was not at today's Ning'an, but some 50 km to the northwest, on the Hailang River (a tributary of Mudanjiang River
Mudanjiang River
The Mudan River or Mudanjiang River .is a river in Heilongjiang province in China. It is a right tributary of the Sungari River.Its modern Chinese name can be translated as the "Peony River"...
). That site is located near the present-day Gucheng village (古城村), part of small town
Town (China)
When referring to political divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 . It is a fourth-level administrative unit, i.e...
of Changting (长汀镇; 44.48°N 128.92°E). That site is not within the modern County-level city of Ning'an, but in the neighboring County-level city of Hailin
Hailin
Hailin is a county-level city, part of Mudanjiang prefecture-level city, Heilongjiang province, northeast China. It has an area of 8,816 km², and a population of 440,000...
.
Jilin City
Jilin City is the second largest city of Jilin province in Northeast China. At the 2010 census, 4,414,681 people resided within its administrative area of and 1,975,803 in its built up area...
resulted in the decrease of the relative importance of Ninguta. Still, Ninguta was the main seat of government of the eastern half of the beyond-the-palisade Manchuria until 1676, when the Military Governor (jiangjun) moved from Ninguta to Jilin City
Jilin City
Jilin City is the second largest city of Jilin province in Northeast China. At the 2010 census, 4,414,681 people resided within its administrative area of and 1,975,803 in its built up area...
(then called Jilin Ula Cheng, i.e. Jilin River City), and the Deputy Lieutenant-General (副都统, fu dutong) was transferred in the opposite direction (from Jilin City to Ninguta).
Although now lower-ranked than Jilin City, Ninguta retained its importance into the 18th and 19th century as one of the few cities existing beyond the Willow Palisade
Willow Palisade
Willow Palisade was a system of ditches and embankments planted with willows intended to restrict movement into Manchuria, built by the Qing Dynasty during the later 17th century...
. The Deputy Lieutenant-General stationed there was the top government official for the entire region stretching east to the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
and populated primarily by a variety of Tungusic people, such as the Nanais.
According to the evidence of the Jesuits who visited the area in 1709 along with a government-sponsored ginseng
Ginseng
Ginseng is any one of eleven species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae....
-harvesting expedition, by the early 18th century Ninguta had become an important center of trade in the local forest products, namely ginseng
Ginseng
Ginseng is any one of eleven species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae....
harvested in the region, and the sable
Sable
The sable is a species of marten which inhabits forest environments, primarily in Russia from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, in northern Mongolia and China and on Hokkaidō in Japan. Its range in the wild originally extended through European Russia to Poland and Scandinavia...
pelts, collected as tax from the Nanai natives. Therefore, besides the Manchu garrison and the officials, Ninguta was home to numerous Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
civilians, some of whom had come to Ninguta from faraway provinces in order to participate in the profitable commerce. There were already numerous peasant villages around the town, some at quite a distance from it, populated both by Manchus and by Han Chinese exiled to this area for various offenses against the law. (Convicts started being sent to Ninguta area as early as 1660; anti-Qing rebels, captured in southern China, followed in 1661) A variety of cereal crops, such as millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
and oats
OATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
were grown there.