The Korean Ethnic Group in China: A Blend of Tradition and Resilience

The Korean ethnic group in China, with a population of 1,830,929 as of 2010, is a vibrant and integral part of the nation's diverse tapestry. They are primarily concentrated in the three northeastern provinces of Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Liaoning, nestled along the banks of rivers such as the Tumen, Yalu, Mudan, Songhua, Liao, and Hun. Among these, Jilin Province is home to the largest number of Koreans, with 1.145 million, followed by Heilongjiang with 388,000 and Liaoning with 241,000. Additionally, around 148,000 Koreans are scattered across other regions like Beijing, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Tianjin. In the post-reform and opening-up era, with the rapid development of the Chinese economy, an increasing number of Koreans have migrated from the traditional northeastern regions to coastal economic development zones, including the Beijing-Tianjin area, the lower reaches of the Yellow River, Yangtze River, and Pearl River.

The Korean ethnic group in China is a cross-border ethnic group that gradually took shape as people migrated from the neighboring Korean Peninsula and settled in Northeast China. As early as the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, some ancestors of the Korean ethnic group had already settled in North and Northeast China. For instance, the Piao-surnamed Koreans in Tagou Village, Qinglong County, Hebei Province, and Pujiaogou Village, Gaizhou City, Liaoning Province, had been living there for over 300 years by the time of the 1982 national census. The mid-19th century witnessed a significant influx of Koreans. Harsh exploitation and oppression by the Korean feudal ruling class, compounded by consecutive natural disasters in northern Korea around 1869, drove numerous starving and impoverished Korean peasants to cross the Yalu and Tumen rivers.

They reclaimed land in the border areas and lived among the Han and Manchu ethnic groups. By 1870, there were 28 Korean-inhabited townships on the northern bank of the Yalu River. In 1881 (the seventh year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty), the Korean population in Yanbian reached over 10,000, and by 1883, there were more than 37,000 Koreans in counties such as Ji'an, Linjiang, and Xinbin. Around the same time, a considerable number of Korean farmers also moved to the areas along the Wusuli River. However, at this stage, most of the immigrants came in spring and left in autumn, with unstable residences. In the late 19th century, the Qing government gradually lifted its ban on border areas and implemented a resettlement and reclamation policy. In 1881, a wasteland-reclamation bureau was set up in Jilin, and resettlement bureaus were established in Nangang (Hunchun), Yanji, Donggou, and other places to recruit immigrants, who were recognized as Chinese subjects. In 1885, the Qing government designated a special reclamation area for Korean farmers along the northern bank of the Tumen River, which facilitated a large-scale influx of Korean settlers into Northeast China.

In 1910, Japan forced the Korean government to sign the "Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty," reducing Korea to a Japanese colony. Oppressed by Japanese colonial rule, a large number of Korean people and patriotic individuals migrated to Northeast China. By 1918, their number had reached over 360,000. After the September 18th Incident in 1931, Japan turned Northeast China into a colony within three months. To strengthen its rule and transform Northeast China into a resource-supplying base, Japan not only organized Japanese farmers to move to Northeast China but also forced Koreans to relocate. From 1937 to 1940, 14,725 Korean peasant households were forcibly immigrated to Northeast China under the guise of "group settlers." By the end of the Japanese-occupied period in 1945, the number of Koreans in China had reached 2.165 million. After Japan's surrender in August 1945, many Koreans began to return to the Korean Peninsula. After several years of population changes, the situation stabilized after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. In the first national census in 1953, the Korean population in China was 1.111 million.

The Koreans have a unique sense of clothing. They have a penchant for plain white clothing, typically consisting of short jackets and long trousers. Men's jackets feature a slanted front without buttons, fastened with cloth strips, and often paired with a sleeveless jacket. Their trousers have loose crotches and tied cuffs. Women's short jackets also have a slanted front without buttons, secured with ribbons, and they wear long skirts, which can be either wrapped skirts or tube skirts (the latter is only for unmarried women). Elderly women often don long white skirts, middle-aged women prefer wrapped skirts that reach the heels, while young women's skirts are often made of colorful silk. In modern times, except for festivals or ethnic gatherings, Koreans generally do not wear traditional ethnic clothing and are similar in appearance to the Han ethnic group.

Rice is the staple food for the Koreans, usually in the form of plain rice or a combination of two types of grains. Soup is an essential part of every meal, especially soybean paste soup. Kimchi is a characteristic dish. The general preparation method involves soaking Chinese cabbage in salt water for a few days, then washing and smearing it with seasonings such as chili, scallions, garlic, and ginger. If available, apple and pear slices can be added. After that, it is stored in a cellar and can be eaten after half a month. Radishes, mustard greens, and other vegetables can also be pickled in the same way. Cold noodles are made from a mixture of 30% starch and 70% flour. After being cooked and cooled, they are served with a soup made from beef or chicken broth, along with seasonings such as licorice, pepper, Chinese prickly ash, ginger, monosodium glutamate, sugar, and vinegar.

When eating, beef slices, cucumber shreds, sesame seeds, and chili powder are added. Dog meat is one of the meats favored by the Koreans. They do not eat dog meat during weddings, funerals, or festivals, but in other seasons, especially in the dog days or when convalescing, dog meat is consumed for nourishment. When killing a dog, it is hung up, its four hooves are bled, and its hair is removed. The meat, skin, and internal organs are used to make soup, and the meat is seasoned and eaten cold, with a delicious taste. The Koreans' cooking utensils and tableware are distinctive. Generally, there is one stove with two pots. The pot has a deep and wide body, especially the iron lid, which is convenient for cooking rice but not very suitable for stir-frying. Usually, one pot is for rice and the other is for soup. There is a basin of rice in the middle of the table, and each person has a spoon, along with cold water. The utensils are kept very clean, and in the past, women used jars to carry water on their heads (this is no longer common).

The Koreans often live in houses in the style of a horse's tail, built near convenient water sources. The houses are framed with wood, and the walls are made of mud smeared on woven straw mats. The roofs have four slopes and are covered with straw. Each house has four or five doors (which also serve as windows). The interior of the house is a continuous kang, and people take off their shoes when entering and sit cross-legged. In rural areas, a large yellow ox is raised in the eastern-end room of the house, and there are ox-carts and pestles and mortars for pounding rice in the courtyard. In recent years, there have been significant changes among the Koreans. Brick-and-tile-structured houses are becoming more common, and the interior design with ethnic styles is gradually decreasing as everything moves towards modernization.

The Koreans celebrate a variety of festivals. The New Year's Day (Seollal) is one of the most important festivals, during which families clean their houses, put on new clothes, and have a reunion dinner. They also perform traditional ceremonies such as bowing to ancestors. The Lantern Festival (Daeboreum) is another significant occasion. People eat tteokguk (rice cake soup), which is believed to add a year to one's age. There are also activities like playing traditional Korean games and flying kites. The Cold Food Festival (Hansik) commemorates an ancient sage. People refrain from using fire on this day and eat cold food. It is also a time for family outings and visiting ancestral graves. The Autumn Eve (Chuseok) is a harvest festival. Families gather to make and eat songpyeon (half-moon-shaped rice cakes), and they also perform ancestral rites. It is a time of gratitude for the harvest and family togetherness.

Korean traditional dance is rich and colorful. The Sword Dance showcases the bold and heroic spirit of the Koreans, with dancers brandishing swords in coordinated and powerful movements. The Long Drum Dance is characterized by the rhythmic beating of the long drum while the dancers perform elegant and lively movements. The Dragon Drum Dance is a more solemn and grand performance, with large dragon-shaped drums creating a powerful sound. The Farmer's Dance reflects the hard-working and joyous life of the peasants, with dancers imitating farming actions. Traditional Korean musical instruments include the Gayageum, a plucked zither-like instrument with a beautiful and mellow sound; the Heukgum, a two-stringed bowed instrument; the Tongso, a vertical bamboo flute with a clear tone; the Janggu, a double-headed drum that is widely used in traditional music performances; and the Piri, a double-reed wind instrument that can produce a wide range of tones.

Family holds a crucial position in Korean society. The family structure is relatively traditional, with strong family values emphasizing respect for elders and harmony within the family. When a Korean youth wishes to get engaged, the process begins with the young people expressing their intentions to their respective parents. Then, the parents of the young man will visit the young woman's home to propose marriage. If the young woman's parents refuse to meet, it indicates that the marriage may not proceed. If the two sets of parents meet, the young couple can be present, which is a positive sign. Once the parents reach an agreement, the young man first kowtows to the young woman's parents, followed by the young woman kowtowing to the young man's parents. The couple also needs to express their willingness to support both sets of parents, and thus the engagement is settled. During the wedding, both the bride and groom's families prepare sumptuous feasts. The groom first arrives at the bride's home in an ox-cart covered with a new quilt, accompanied by two or three groomsmen, all dressed in formal attire and wearing red flowers. At the bride's home, the groom is first led into a room with a sumptuous meal. The bride's family pours three cups of wine for the groom. After that, the groom selects some food and wine, wraps them in white paper, and sends them back to his own home, indicating his satisfaction with the wedding and the warm hospitality of the bride's family. Then, the bride's family serves the groom a bowl of rice with three eggs hidden inside. The groom leaves half a bowl of rice and one egg for the bride, symbolizing that they will share the same pot of rice in the future, sharing joys and sorrows. The groomsmen also take some dishes home to share the happiness. After the ceremony, the bride and groom bow to the elders to express their gratitude. Then, the bride, with her dowry, gets on the cart and heads home with the groom. On the way back, the cart driver deliberately takes a bumpy route to create a jovial atmosphere.

When the cart enters the village, villagers dressed in traditional ethnic clothing welcome the bride with singing and dancing. The groom's family offers a table of food and wine to the cart driver. After the meal, the cart driver takes a few turns around the village before driving the cart to the groom's home. The bride and groom then enter the house to hold the wedding ceremony, which is similar to the one at the bride's home. After the ceremony, everyone present sings and dances together. During this time, the bride and groom engage in a "three-question-and-answer" session, which includes expressions of respect for the elderly, love for the younger generation, and vows of eternal love. After the banquet, the guests leave, and the bride and groom enter the bridal chamber.

The Korean ethnic group attaches great importance to education. In areas with concentrated Korean populations, there are schools that not only teach general educational courses but also incorporate Korean language, culture, and traditional arts into the curriculum. This ensures that the younger generation can inherit and carry forward the ethnic culture while receiving a modern education. For example, in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, the education system has unique features that combine ethnic characteristics with modern educational concepts, cultivating a large number of outstanding talents with both ethnic and global perspectives. Korean communities often organize various activities to strengthen community cohesion. These activities include traditional cultural performances, sports competitions, and agricultural cooperation projects. In traditional festivals, the entire community comes together to celebrate, sharing traditional food, performing traditional dances, and passing on cultural traditions. In daily life, neighbors help each other, whether it is in agricultural production or dealing with family affairs. For instance, during the busy farming season, community members will work together to plant and harvest crops, reflecting the strong sense of community and cooperation within the Korean ethnic group.

As an agricultural ethnic group, the Koreans are renowned for growing rice in the cold northern regions of China. The Tumen River and Yalu River basins, where they settled, were mountainous and hilly areas with a cold climate and short frost-free periods. The land was covered with wild grass and tangled roots, making it difficult to grow rice.

However, the Korean ancestors fearlessly reclaimed the land and actively experimented with rice cultivation. They successfully planted rice in Dadianzi, Tonghua County, and later expanded it to other areas such as Linjiang, Huairen, Xingjing, Liuhe, and Hailong. In 1877, rice cultivation began in Yanbian. In 1906, Korean farmers in Dajiaodong, Yongzhi Township, Helong County, dug a 1,308-meter-long canal, irrigating 33 hectares of paddy fields and achieving high yields. Since then, the paddy field area in Yanbian has gradually increased, making it a famous rice-producing area in Northeast China.

By the 1920s, in Jilin Province, 100% of the paddy fields in Yanbian and Jilin areas, 85% in Tonghua area; in Heilongjiang Province, 100% of the paddy fields; in Liaoning Province, 90% in Kaiyuan area, 85% in Xingjing and Shenyang areas, 80% in Fushun area, and 70% in Dandong area were all developed and cultivated by the Korean people. During the revolutionary era, the Korean people actively participated in the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggles led by the Communist Party of China. In the late 1920s, when the Communist Party organizations in Northeast China were not yet fully developed, after the formal establishment of the Manchurian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1928, under the guidance of the "one country, one party" principle of the Communist International, early Korean Communists joined the Communist Party of China one after another, significantly strengthening the Party's strength in Northeast China.

By November 1931, according to the "Resolution on the Issue of Expanding the Organization of the Manchurian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China," the number of Party members in Northeast China had increased from more than 100 to more than 2,000, and the number of organized localities had grown from 12 to 55, with 85% of the Party members being Korean comrades. After the September 18th Incident, the Korean people, together with other ethnic groups, actively engaged in the anti-Japanese struggle. They established anti-Japanese guerrilla forces, which later became an important part of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army. The anti-Japanese guerrilla bases in Northeast China were initially mainly established in Korean-inhabited areas.

The Korean people in the bases not only provided full support to the anti-Japanese guerrillas in terms of manpower and materials but also fought side by side with them, effectively shattering the continuous "mopping-up" operations of the Japanese invaders. In the War of Liberation, the Korean people actively participated in the cause of liberating New China, making important contributions to the establishment and development of the People's Republic of China. Today, the Korean ethnic group in China continues to play an active role in various fields such as economic construction, cultural inheritance, and social development. They maintain their unique ethnic identity while integrating into the big family of the Chinese nation, jointly promoting the prosperity and progress of this land.