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Ganghwa County is a county in the city of
Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
,
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. The county is composed of
Ganghwa Island Ganghwa Island (Hangul ; Hanja ), also known by its native name Ganghwado, is a South Korean island in the estuary of the Han River. It is in the Yellow Sea, off Korea's west coast. The island is separated from Gimpo (on the South Korean mainlan ...
, and the minor islands around it.


History

Ganghwa County contains some of the most important historical sites in Korea. These sites cover the prehistoric
old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...
and
new New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
stone ages, as well as the
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...
and
iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...
ages. Additionally there are numerous historic sites. Ganghwa Island is rich in
dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were some ...
, and they have been designated a
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
. There are about 150 dolmen on the island. Their distribution shows that these dolmen were closely related to fishing in the Bronze Age, although they are now separated from the sea. They are located on the slopes of mountains and are thus higher in elevation than their counterparts. It is believed, but not proved, that the Ganghwa dolmen are the earliest Korean ones made, because the designs of the dolmen in Bugeun-ri and Gocheon-ri are resemble those in Ganghwa.
Dangun Dangun (; ) or Dangun Wanggeom (; ) was the legendary founder and god-king of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, around present-day Liaoning province in Northeast China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "gran ...
, the founder of
Gojoseon Gojoseon () also called Joseon (), was the first kingdom on the Korean Peninsula. According to Korean mythology, the kingdom was established by the legendary founder named Dangun. Gojoseon possessed the most advanced culture in the Korean P ...
, is said to have made an altar on top of Mani-san and offered sacrifices to his ancestors. In the 9th century, the
Unified Silla Unified Silla, or Late Silla (, ), is the name often applied to the Korean kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, after 668 CE. In the 7th century, a Silla–Tang alliance conquered Baekje and the southern part of Goguryeo in the ...
established a garrison on the island to combat piracy. Their commander,
Wang Geon Taejo of Goryeo (31 January 877 – 4 July 943), also known as Taejo Wang Geon (; ), was the founder of the Goryeo dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. Taejo ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Thre ...
, established his military reputation at the garrison, and later went on to found the
Kingdom of Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...
. In the 13th century, the court of Goryeo took refuge on the island as
Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
forces invaded in 1232. After Goryeo capitulated to the Mongols, the elite forces on the island rose up, beginning the Sambyeolcho Rebellion. In the early 19th century, Catholicism was introduced into Korea despite its official proscription by the Korean court. The Korean court clamped down on the illicit French missionaries, massacring French Catholic missionaries and Korean converts alike leading to a punitive French expedition to Korea in 1866. The encounter lasted nearly six weeks. In the first battle, a Korean infantry division lost heavily, and Korean General Yang Heon-su concluded that only a large cavalry division could stand up to French firepower. On 9 November, the French were checked when they attempted to occupy the strategically important Cheondeung (Jeongdeung–sa) Temple, on the island's south coast. Stiff Korean resistance, coupled by the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Korean defenders, now numbering 10,000 men, forced a French retreat with dozens of casualties but no deaths, finally resulting in the French retreating, and abandoning the island. In 1871, following the
General Sherman Incident The ''General Sherman'' incident ( ko, 제너럴셔먼호 사건) was the destruction of the American merchant ship '' SS General Sherman'' in the Taedong River during an unsuccessful and illegal attempt by the ship's crew to open up trade with ...
, the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
launched an expedition against the soldiers at Ganghwa Island, resulting in the
Battle of Ganghwa The Battle of Ganghwa was fought during the conflict between Joseon and the United States in 1871. In May, an expedition of five Asiatic Squadron warships set sail from Japan to Korea in order to establish trade relations, ensure the safety o ...
. In 1875, the Japanese ship, Unyo, made and incursion into the restricted coastal zone, under the guise of measuring the coastline. It fired a few shots at the fortress on the island. When the Unyo sent a boat to the island, the Korean garrison fired a few shots back. The Japanese argued that this was an aggressive act, and demanded concessions. Early in the following year, Japan sent a large
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
fleet to Korea, which forced the government to sign the unequal
Treaty of Ganghwa A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...
. That agreement, concluded on Ganghwa Island, officially opened Korea to Japanese external trade for the first time during the 19th century. Ganghwa was raised to the status of a county in 1906, and incorporated into the
Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
Metropolitan City in 1995.


Climate


Speciality

About 70% of Ganghwa's citizens are engaged in farming, mainly rice. Fishery and forestry are other occupations practiced. ''Hwamunseok'' is a well-known traditional fancy matting. Since the
Goryeo dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...
(10th-14th centuries), hwamunseok has been produced and exported to China and Japan. The mats are produced in the home handicraft industry. Under an order given by the royal court of the
Joseon dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...
over 100 years ago, craftsman Han Chunggyo from the white-mat producing village, Yango-ri, Haesongmyeon, Ganghwa-gun, achieved a successful product by the design of his own idea. Thereafter, various designs have been developed and manufacturing techniques have been improved. The Ganghwa
turnip The turnip or white turnip ('' Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''rapa'') is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. The word ''turnip'' is a compound of ''turn'' as in turned/rounded on a lathe and ...
is a specialty of the area. It has been cultivated since the 5th century. This is recorded in the 17th-century ''
Dongui Bogam The ''Dongui Bogam'' (동의보감 東醫寶鑑) is a Korean book compiled by the royal physician, Heo Jun (1539 – 1615) and was first published in 1613 during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. The title literally translates as "A Precious Mirror ...
'' book of oriental medicine."Ganghwa County
/ref>


World Heritages

In Ganghwa county, dolmens are registered by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
as a World Heritage Site. In three regions of South Korea including
Hwasun Hwasun County (화순군; ''Hwasun-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Symbol * County Flower : Wild Chrysanthemum * County Tree : Zelkova Tree * County Bird : Dove Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves ...
and
Gochang Gochang County (''Gochang-gun'') is a county in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is a rural area, and is home to only one institution of higher education: Gochang Polytechnic College. Notable people from Gochang include the 20th-centur ...
, Ganghwa's dolmens are famous sites to study ancient culture.


Administrative Divisions of Ganghwa-gun

*Ganghwa-eup (강화읍) *Seonwon-myeon (선원면) *Bureun-myeon (불은면) *Gilsang-myeon (길상면) *Hwado-myeon (화도면) *Yangdo-myeon (양도면) *Naega-myeon (내가면) *Hajeom-myeon (하점면) *Yangsa-myeon (양사면) *Songhae-myeon (송해면) *Gyodong-myeon (교동면) *Samsan-myeon (삼산면) *Seodo-myeon (서도면)


Sister cities

* Soeda,
Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...


References


External links


Ganghwa-gun homepage
{{Coord, 37, 44, 20, N, 126, 29, 22, E, region:KR_type:adm2nd_source:kolossus-itwiki, display=title Counties of Incheon