The Samjeondo Monument is a monument marking the submission of the Korean

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 re ...

to the

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

-led

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

in 1636 after the latter's invasion of the former. Its original name was Daecheong Hwangje Gongdeok Bi (大淸皇帝功德碑), which means the stele to the merits and virtues of the Emperor of the Great Qing. Initially erected at Samjeondo, near the Sambatnaru crossing point of the Han River in modern-day

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, it was thereafter buried and erected again several times. It is designated as the 101st historic site of South Korea.

Erection

Following the siege of

Namhansanseong Namhansanseong is a historical mountain fortress city 25 km southeast of Seoul, South Korea. It sits approximately 480 m above sea level and is aligned with the ridges of the mountain for maximum defensibility. The fortress, stretchin ...

King Injo of Joseon Injo of Joseon (7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649), born Yi Jong, was the sixteenth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the grandson of King Seonjo and son of Prince Jeongwon. He was the king during the Later Jin invasion of Joseon, in ...

had to surrender and was forced to accept tributary status to Qing China in 1636. The following year,

Hong Taiji Hong Taiji (28 November 1592 – 21 September 1643), also rendered as Huang Taiji and sometimes referred to as Abahai in Western literature, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizong of Qing, was the second khan of the Later Jin ...

, founding emperor of the Qing dynasty, ordered King Injo to put up a monument "in honor of the excellent virtues of the Qing Emperor". In 1639 it was erected at Samjeondo, where the ceremony of surrender had been conducted. Inscriptions were written in Manchu and Mongolian on the front side and in Hanmun on the back; they have almost identical contents. The Hanmun version was composed by Yi Gyeongseok (李景奭), and the rest seem to have been translated from it. Samjeondo, meaning "crossing of the three fields", was located near the Sambatnaru, a major crossing point of the Han River in early Joseon times. The Sambatnaru way was the shortest route to the stronghold of Gwangju and the southern provinces. It was also the one most often used to visit the tomb of King Taejong of Joseon at the foot of Mt. Daemosan.

Timeline

Because of the strong emotional charge attached to it, this monument has been buried and then erected again several times from 1639 till nowadays. * 1895. The monument was buried down as a result of the

Treaty of Shimonoseki The , also known as the Treaty of Maguan () in China and in the period before and during World War II in Japan, was a treaty signed at the , Shimonoseki, Japan on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing China, ending the Firs ...

that concluded the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

. * 1913. The monument is erected again. * ???. The monument is buried down after 1945. During

Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (, ; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965) was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Ko ...

's presidency (1948–1960), orders were given to destroy the stele, but the Ministry of Culture had it buried instead. * 1957. South Korean Government appoints the site as Historic Site No 101 (1957/02/01). *1963. The monument comes again to the eyes due to a flood of the river. * 1983. Monument is placed in a park, 37.503351 N,127.107083 E, i.e. in Seokchon-dong,

Songpa-gu Songpa-gu (Hangul: 송파구) is a ''district'' of Seoul, South Korea. Previously known as Wiryeseong, the first capital of the kingdom of Baekje, Songpa is located in the southeastern part of Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. With roug ...

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 ...

* 2010. Monument is relocated 37.510407 N, 127.101635 E.

Names

*in

: Daicing gurun-i Enduringge Han-i gung erdemui bei ( Samjeondo Monument-Manchu

) *in Mongolian: Dayičing ulus-un Boγda Qaγan-u erdem bilig-i daγurisγaγsan bei ( Samjeondo Monument-Mongolian

) *in Hanmun: Dàqīng huángdì gōngdé bēi (大淸皇帝功德碑) which can be translated as "the stele to the merits and virtues of the Emperor of the Great Qing."

Content

Description

Both the Qing and Joseon dynasties saw the inscription as the litmus test for the latter's attitude toward the Qing emperor, so

King Injo Injo of Joseon (7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649), born Yi Jong, was the sixteenth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the grandson of King Seonjo and son of Prince Jeongwon. He was the king during the Later Jin invasion of Joseon, ...

frayed his nerves to it. As a result, it greatly flattered the Qing dynasty; namely, the inscription narrates how the king of Joseon came to attach himself to the virtue of the Qing emperor from a Joseon point of view. Although one-sided, it provides a concise account of the Qing-Joseon relationship. The inscription starts with the description of the Qing campaign against Joseon in 1636. The Qing army besieged the Namhan fortress, where King Injo took refuge. He admitted his guilt, accepted the imperial edict and surrendered at Samjeondo. Since Hong Taiji felt compassion for the Joseon king, he mercifully sent the king back to the capital and rapidly withdrew the army without doing harm to the people. In the next paragraph, the inscription traces the history back to the

Battle of Sarhū The Battle of Sarhū (薩爾滸之戰; 萨尔浒之战; ''Sà'ěrhǔ zhī zhàn'') refers to a series of battles between the Later Jin dynasty (the predecessor of the Qing dynasty) and the Ming dynasty and their Joseon allies in the winter of ...

in 1619. The Joseon army, led by

Gang Hong-rip Gang Hongrip (1560 – 6 September 1627) was a Korean general during the Joseon Dynasty. Under repeated requests from Ming China, Gwanghaegun commanded Gang Hongrip to help Ming forces with ten thousand soldiers against the Manchus in 1619. ...

, put on the appearance of supporting the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

but surrendered to the Qing dynasty. However, all of the soldiers except the high-ranking ones were released by

Nurhaci Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing (), was a Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late 16th century in Manchuria. A member of the House of Aisin-Gioro, he reigned ...

, and the inscription emphasizes the merciful act. Since Joseon still displayed disobedient behavior, Hong Taiji commenced the

Later Jin invasion of Joseon The Later Jin invasion of Joseon occurred in early 1627 when the Later Jin prince Amin led an invasion of the Joseon Dynasty. The war ended after three months with the Later Jin establishing itself as sovereign tributary overlord over Joseon. ...

in 1627. He did not overthrow the kingdom but established a Confucian "elder brother-younger brother" relationship. The inscription then goes on to describe the second campaign. When Hong Taiji proclaimed the Qing dynasty in 1636, Joseon did not accept it even though Qing China announced a war. The inscription stressed his benevolent acts during the war. Next, the inscription explains the background of erection of the monument. It says that the king voluntarily erected the monument at Samjeondo to let the excellent virtue of the Qing emperor be known around the world. Finally, the inscription summarizes the entire course of events in verse.

Gallery

File:Samjeondo Monument 01.JPG, New location, reverse File:Samjeondo Monument 04.JPG, Stone tortoise File:Samjeondo Monument 05.JPG, Stone tortoise File:Samjeondo Monument 06.JPG, Historic context File:Samjeondo Monument 07.JPG, Plaque relating details of the stele's relocation Image:Samjeondo Monument2.jpg, Stele at its previous location Image:Samjeondo Monument3.jpg, The two tortoises Image:Samjeondo Monument4.jpg, Depiction of kneeling Injo, created in 1983, later demolished. File:Samjeondo Monument2-part.jpg, Enlarged view of the stele's reverse top-cap carvings File:大清皇帝功德碑毁損01.png, Acts of vandalism in 2007 File:大清皇帝功德碑毁損02.png, Acts of vandalism in 2007(back)

References

External links

Manchu, Mongolian and Chinese texts
{{coord, 37, 30, 38, N, 127, 6, 6, E, source:zhwiki, display=title Buildings and structures in Songpa District Manchu literature Mongolian literature Monuments and memorials in South Korea Joseon dynasty Korean steles Outdoor sculptures in South Korea 17th-century inscriptions