Wunü Shan (;

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

: 오녀산 Onyeosan), which means "mountain of Five Women", is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located in the north of the

Huanren Town Huanren () is a town in and the seat of Huanren Manchu Autonomous County, in the eastern Liaoning province, China, It is located about to the southwest of Tonghua Tonghua () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Jilin province, Peo ...

, in

Huanren Manchu Autonomous County Huanren Manchu Autonomous County (, Manchu: ; Mölendroff: huwanren manju beye dasangga siyan), formerly Huairen County (), is a county under the administration of Benxi City, in eastern Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, bordering Jil ...

Liaoning province Liaoning () is a coastal provinces of China, province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and i ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It is located northwest of the Hun Jiang River. The tallest

peak Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-di ...

is the 821 metre-high Main Peak, measuring 1,500 metres long and 300 metres wide. Wunü Mountain is the location of

Jolbon Holbon () was the first capital of Goguryeo, which arose in the north of the Korean Peninsula. Holbon is thought to have been in modern Wunü Mountain, Liaoning. In 37 BC, Jumong had fled from Dongbuyeo to avoid death at the hands of Dongbuyeo's ...

, the birthplace of the ancient Korean kingdom of

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most ...

and its capital from 37 BC to 3 AD. Because of its historical significance to the Goguryeo Kingdom and the exceptional architecture and city planning of Jolbon, Wunü Shan was inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNES ...

as the site "

Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom The Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom is an UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes a number of archaeological sites currently in Ji'an, Jilin Province and Huanren, Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Goguryeo (or Kogury ...

", along with the nearby ancient cities of

Gungnae Gungnae (Korean) or Guonei (Mandarin) City was the capital of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, which was located in Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula. The perimeter of its outer fortress measures 2,686m. It is located in present day Ji'an, ...

and

Hwando Hwando () is a mountain fortress of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, built to protect Goguryeo's second capital, Gungnae. It is located in present-day Ji'an city of the province of Jilin, China. The fortress is located 2.5 km west of Ji'an, ...

History

Wunü Shan has a long history of human living. In recent years some

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

s found historical remains and relics on the mountain, some of which date back to the late

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

Age, more than 4,500 years ago. Those

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

also include

weapon A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

s and tools which have thousands of years of history. According to the

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...

, the Kingdom of

was founded above the mountain in 37 BC, and the mountain city remained its capital until

King Yuri King Yuri (38 BCE – 18 CE, r. 19 BCE – 18 CE) was the second ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of the kingdom's founder Chumo the Holy. As with many other early Korean rulers, the e ...

moved it to

Gungnae Fortress Gungnae (Korean) or Guonei (Mandarin) City was the capital of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, which was located in Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula. The perimeter of its outer fortress measures 2,686m. It is located in present day Ji'an ...

in 3 AD. In contemporary sources, the city was called Holbon fortress(홀본성) in the

Gwanggaeto Stele The Gwanggaeto Stele is a memorial stele for the tomb of Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo, erected in 414 by his son Jangsu. This monument to Gwanggaeto the Great is the largest engraved stele in the world. It stands near the tomb of Gwanggaeto ...

and Heulseunggol fortress(흘승골성) in

Book of wei The ''Book of Wei'', also known by its Chinese name as the ''Wei Shu'', is a classic Chinese historical text compiled by Wei Shou from 551 to 554, and is an important text describing the history of the Northern Wei and Eastern Wei from 386 to 5 ...

. During the

North-South States Period The Northern and Southern States period (698–926 CE) is the period in Korean history when Unified Silla and Balhae coexisted in the south and north of the peninsula, respectively. Unified Silla After the unification wars, the Tang Dynasty ...

Unified Shilla 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 ...

, it was recorded as Jolbon fortress(졸본성). However, there is an objection that Wunü Mountain was not Jolbon but was moved to the Gungnae fortress during the reign of

Yuri Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Jap ...

, based on the topography of the fortress in the period of Damusin recorded in Samguk Sagi, and that the relocation to

Ji'an Ji'an () is a prefecture-level city situated in the central region of Jiangxi province of the People's Republic of China while bordering Hunan province to the west. It has an area of and as of the 2020 census, had a population of 4,469,176, of ...

was probably made during the reign of King Sansang, who moved to Hwando. In this theory, 'Gungnae(國內)' is interpreted as 'Land with the capital', and Gungnae, which was moved to the capital during the reign of Yuri and the Gungnae fortress of Ji'an, are considered different fortress, and Jolbon is defined as Nahap Fortess(喇哈城) at the confluence of the Fu'er River and Hun river. However, in Samguk Sagi Book 13 History of Goguryeo Chapter 1, it describes Jumong lived in thatched house near the river as he wasn't unable to fund building the palace. During

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 unificati ...

period, according to

Goryeosa The ''Goryeosa'' (), or ''History of Goryeo'', is the main surviving historical record of Korea's Goryeo dynasty. It was composed nearly a century after the fall of Goryeo, during the reign of King Sejong, undergoing repeated revisions between ...

, it was called Oro mountain fortress(오로산성) or Ura mountain fortress(우라산성). Today's name of Wunü Mountain derives from a Chinese legend that five ladies from the Tang Dynasty defended the mountain from foreign invaders. In 1424 when the third king of Jurchen

Li Manzhu Li, li, or LI may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Landscape Institute, a British professional body for landscape architects * Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, US, that teaches "political tec ...

invaded

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...

with his troops, they quartered at this mountain and founded the Manchu tribe.

Natural significance

Wunü Shan is located in the north temperate zone so it has four distinct seasons. There are more than 60 natural tourist spots. In the spring and summer one will find flowers, trees, butterflies, and birds, and there are tourist ships that travel down the river. In the fall, the mountain turns red because of the famous Chinese sweet gums. In the winter, the mountain receives snow.

Cultural significance

Wunü Shan has all the elements of a defensive

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G. ...

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

water source Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

, and a city wall of more than 200 metres above sea level. Therefore, the Goguryeo kingdom could quarter at the mountain for extended periods in the cold weapon era.

Prominence

* 1994 Awarded as the Most Protected Culture Relic * 1999 One of the Top10 National Archaeological Discovery * 2002 Rated as AAAA Class National Tourist Spot * 2004 Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the

Gallery

File:Sole-like profile of WuNvShan.JPG, Sole-like profile of Wunü Mountain File:Pillar at complex entrance.JPG, Present-day pillar at the entrance to the Wunü Mountain complex, with the three-legged bird finial File:Rock at foot of stairs.JPG, A rock inscribed with the name of Wunü Mountain City, and the UNESCO logo File:Western Gate.JPG, Goguryeo-era western gate of Wunü Mountain City File:WuNv Shrine.JPG, Shrine to the five women after whom Wunü Mountain is named File:Building remains at Wunüshan.JPG, Remains of a Goguryeo-era building at Wunü Mountain City File:Residence remains.JPG, Remains of a Goguryeo-era residence at Wunü Mountain City File:View of reservoir.JPG, View of the vast reservoir neighboring Wunü Mountain File:Old city wall at Wunüshan.JPG, Goguryeo-era Wunü Mountain City wall File:TianChang Gate.JPG, Wunü Mountain entrance through the narrow TianChang Gate

References

External links

Wǔ Nǚ Shān
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wunu Mountain Mountains of Liaoning Former populated places in China AAAA-rated tourist attractions Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Liaoning Goguryeo fortresses