Chŏngan

---

title: "Chŏngan" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["balhae", "938-establishments", "history-of-manchuria", "former-countries-in-chinese-history", "former-countries-in-korean-history", "986-disestablishments"] description: "938–986 state in Manchuria" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chŏngan" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 938–986 state in Manchuria ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox country"]

Field	Value
native_name	定安國
정안국
conventional_long_name	Chŏngan
common_name	Chŏngan
government_type	Monarchy
year_start	938
year_end	986
event_start	Establishment
event_end	Fall
p1	Parhae
p2	Dongdan Kingdom
s1	Goryeo Dynasty
flag_s1	Royal Flag of Goryeo bonggi.svg
s2	Liao Dynasty
flag_s2	契丹國.png
image_flag
flag
flag_type
image_map	Jeongan.svg
capital	Yongcheonbu
common_languages	Unknown
religion	Unknown
title_leader	King
leader1	Yŏl Manhwa (first)
year_leader1	938–976
leader2	(last)
year_leader2	976–986
today	China
North Korea
::

|native_name = 定安國 정안국 |conventional_long_name = Chŏngan |common_name = Chŏngan |era = |government_type = Monarchy | |year_start = 938 |year_end = 986 | |event_start = Establishment |date_start = |event_end = Fall |date_end = | |event1 = |date_event1 = |event2 = |date_event2 = |event3 = |date_event3 = | |event_pre = |date_pre = | | |p1 = Parhae |p2 = Dongdan Kingdom |flag_p1 = |s1 = Goryeo Dynasty |flag_s1 = Royal Flag of Goryeo bonggi.svg |s2 = Liao Dynasty |flag_s2 = 契丹國.png | |image_flag = |flag = |flag_type = | |image_coat = |symbol = |symbol_type = | |image_map = Jeongan.svg |image_map_caption = | |capital = Yongcheonbu |latd= | |national_motto = |national_anthem = |common_languages = Unknown |religion = Unknown |currency = | |title_leader = King |leader1 = Yŏl Manhwa (first) |year_leader1 = 938–976 |leader2 = (last) |year_leader2 = 976–986 | | |stat_year1 = |stat_area1 = |stat_pop1 = |footnotes = |today = China North Korea

Chŏngan () or Ding'an () was a state in Manchuria that existed from 938 to 986. It was the successor state of Parhae (Bohai) founded by Yŏl Manhwa (Lie Wanhua).

History

The early history of Chŏngan is mostly unknown. Large number of rebels emerged in the former territory of Parhae after the kingdom's conquest by the Liao dynasty in 926, although most were quickly defeated by Liao forces. After the Liao puppet state of Dongdan was abolished and the main Liao forces left the region, General Yŏl Manhwa (Lie Wanhua) established Chŏngan in the mid-930s to prevent a full occupation by the Liao dynasty. Chŏngan is recorded to have enlisted the assistance of neighboring tribes with the hopes of overthrowing the Liao dynasty, but apparently failed to do so.

In 970, the king paid tribute to the Song dynasty together with the neighboring Jurchens. On all four occasions in which Chŏngan envoys were able to reach the Song court, they were attached to a Jurchen mission. Chŏngan was a poor state and was unable to send their own independent missions. The History of Song claims that the Chŏngan people's origin can be traced back to the former confederacy of Mahan. However, the Mahan confederacy in the distant south of the Korean peninsula had disappeared for almost a millennium by the 10th century, and Chinese scholars consider this record, written in the Yuan dynasty, to be an error. Meanwhile Korean historians consider the History of the Song to be accurate. Goguryeo (the predecessor to Parhae and Chŏngan) had traced part of its heritage with the Mahan as its lands were previously part of Goguryeo before it became Parhae territory, and Goguryeo had acquired it from Baekje. In a message to the Song emperor in 981, described his people as the "remaining commoners of Bohai" who lived in the former land of Goguryeo. The purpose of Chŏngan's tributary mission was a proposal for the Song and Chŏngan to ally and initiate a joint attack against the Liao, which the Song declined due to the Liao's military prowess. Oh also described his territory as having been heavily damaged by the Liao and was under threat of imminent destruction.

The Khitans did not recognize Chŏngan as a state and called their people the Ujae tribes. In 975, the Liao dynasty once again invaded Chŏngan, which failed. In 976, the Yŏl clan was replaced by the Oh clan, and Chŏngan was ruled by O Hyŏnmyŏng (Wu Xuanming) until before it was finally destroyed by the Liao dynasty in 986 CE. Korean historians theorize that the Oh Clan's replacement of the Yŏl Clan may have been violent and could have played a role in the destruction of Chŏngan. According to the history book Goryeosa, tens of thousands of Parhae refugees fled to Goryeo in 979, and was recorded as the largest Parhae migration since the 936 exodus when Parhae Crown Prince Tae Kwanghyŏn had similarly led tens of thousands of refugees into Goryeo.

Although Chŏngan officially fell in 986, records indicate that Parhae resistance continued for several years, notably in 994. The Liao responded with punitive campaigns until they established three military outposts in the lower Yalu River and completely occupied the area in 991. The last remnants of Parhae resistance from the former state of Chŏngan were destroyed by 999.

Rulers

1. Yŏl Manhwa (; also Lie Wanhua; 938–976)
2. (; also Wu Xuanming; 976–986)

References

Bibliography

References

1. (2011). "定安国考论". 中国边疆史地研究.
2. (2024). "A Study on Jeongan-guk (定安國) as the Land of Mahan (馬韓之地) : Re-examining the Records in the 『Songshi』 to Determine the Location of Jeongan-guk". Kangwon National University Humanities Research Institute.
3. (March 2008). "The Cambridge History of China. The Liao (Chapter 1)". Cambridge University Press.
4. "정안국".
5. (2014). "The problem of understanding of the political status of Bohai state".
6. (1994). ""The Liao", The Cambridge History of China, Alien Regime and Border States, 907–1368". Cambridge University Press.
7. "고려사 (발해인 수만 명이 내투해오다)".
8. (1994). ""The Liao", The Cambridge History of China, Alien Regime and Border States, 907–1368". Cambridge University Press.
9. (1994). ""The Liao", The Cambridge History of China, Alien Regime and Border States, 907–1368". Cambridge University Press.
10. (2005). "Diplomacy and Trade in the Chinese World, 589-1276". Brill.

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