In the Ming dynasty, Yanbian was governed by the Jianzhou Guard (建州衛) and in the late Qing dynasty the area was divided into the Yanji (延吉廳) and Hunchun (琿春廳) subprefectures. From 1644 to 1800s, the Manchurian Qing state maintained a policy of disallowing Han Chinese immigration into traditionally Manchurian lands in order to ensure that the Manchu were not assimilated by the Han Chinese. However, this effort failed because of the trading and agricultural opportunities available to Han Chinese migrants in the northeast region which made it profitable to evade the rules, as well as later Qing relaxation of the same rules (Chuang Guandong) to discourage Russian encroachment. Thus, in the 19th century, Chinese immigrants migrated en masse from China proper to areas that were formerly off limits to Han Chinese migration.[2][3]
In the late 19th century, Korean immigrants migrated en masse from the Korean Peninsula to China. After the foundation of the Republic of China, a second wave arrived. Of the 2 million ethnic Koreans in Manchuria at the time of the communist takeover, 1.2 million remained in the region after the end of World War II. Many participated in the Chinese Civil War, most on the side of the Chinese communists. When the civil war was over, the new Chinese government gave these Koreans their own autonomous region (区) in 1952. Yanbian was upgraded to an ethnic autonomous prefecture in 1955.[citation needed] During the Cultural Revolution, ethnic Koreans were killed and persecuted in Yanbian.[4]
Korean (Joseon) migration into Northeast China began in significant numbers in the last quarter of the 19th century and was mainly motivated by economic hardship on the Korean side of the border. After the Japanese annexed Korea in 1910, a small but significant number of migrants also came to Manchuria for political reasons.[5]
In 1952, the Korean migrants comprised some 60% of the local population, but by 2000 that was down to 32%. The Chinese authorities subsidize Korean language schools and publications, but also take measures to prevent an emergence of Korean irredentism in the area. From the late 1990s, the Chaoxianzu have assimilated into mainstream Chinese culture with increasing speed, often switching to daily use of Chinese and choosing to attend Chinese-language schools.[6]
The rivers sustain 28 running water processing facilities. They created basins, which are suitable for agricultural uses, like rice paddies and bean farms.
There are 1,480 km (920 mi) of public roads altogether. There are four airports.
Demographics
The total registered population in Yanbian at the end of 2022 was 2.015 million.[7] The urbanization rate was 69.6% in 2022.[7] Between 1952 and 2002, Yanbian had among the highest rates of urbanization at 55.6%, 20 percentage points greater than the provincial average (31.3%) and 25 more than the national average (26.5%).[8]
Ethnic composition
The population of Yanbian was predominantly Han as of 2022[update], who were estimated to make up 60.2%, followed by Koreans at 35.5%, and Manchus at 3.6%.[7] The ethnic composition according to the 2020 census:[9]
Demographic Profile of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture
As on the Korean peninsula, the most common surname among Yanbian Koreans is Kim (Jin [金] in Chinese). Many emigrated from Korea during the 19th century and again during the Japanese occupation.[citation needed]
Economy
The GDP of Yanbian was about CN¥83.857 billion (US$12.479 billion) as of 2022[update]. Its per capita for 2022 was CN¥44,007 (US$6,542).[10] Its primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were worth CN¥7.652 billion (US$1.138 billion), CN¥33.527 billion (US$4.9285 billion), and CN¥42.708 billion (US$6.350 billion), respectively.[10]
Both Mandarin Chinese and Chaoxianzu style Korean are used as official languages in Yanbian.
The Museum of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture was planned in 1960, and constructed in 1982. It contains over 10,000 exhibits, including 11 first-level artifacts.[citation needed] The exhibits' labels and explanations are bilingual in Korean and Chinese and tour guides are also available in both languages.
Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture is an important region for Chinese football. Over 50 years, more than 40 footballers have been selected by the China national team.
The first professional football team in this prefecture is Jilin Three Stars Football Club. From 1994 to 2000, this club had played each year in the top Chinese football league. In 2000, they were relegated from the top league. Because of poor economic conditions the club was sold to Lucheng Group in Zhejiang Province.
In 2016, Yanbian Football Club was sponsored by Shenzhen Funde Group (Chinese: 富德集团) when they got the permission of Chinese Super League, since they acquired the 1st place in the Chinese Second League in 2015.
^Lovell, Julia (2019-09-03). Maoism: A Global History. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. pp. 114–115. ISBN978-0-525-65605-0. Events took a horrific turn in the frontier town of Yanbian, where freight trains trundled from China into the DPRK, draped with the corpses of Koreans killed in the pitched battles of the Cultural Revolution, and daubed with threatening graffiti: 'This will be your fate also, you tiny revisionists!'
^Min, Pyong Gap (1992). "A Comparison of the Korean Minorities in China and Japan". International Migration Review. 26 (1): 4–21. doi:10.2307/2546934. JSTOR2546934. PMID12285045.
^ abc"延边州2022年国民经济和社会发展统计公报 - 中国统计信息网" [Yanbian Prefecture's 2022 National Economic and Social Development Statistical Bulletin]. www.tjcn.org. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
^"吉林省人口普查年鉴-2020" [Jilin Province Census Yearbook-2020]. Jilin Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
^ ab"延边朝鲜族自治州2022年国民经济和社会发展统计公报" [Statistical Bulletin on National Economic and Social Development of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in 2022]. Jilin Bureau of Statistics. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
^"Yanbian University". Study in China : China University Admission. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
^"Where Are We?" (Archive). Yanbian International Academy. Retrieved on October 1, 2015. "Yanbian International Academy 2728B Chaoyang Street, Yanji City, Jilin Province China 133000[...]吉林省延吉市朝阳街2728B 外国人学校 中国 133000" - Google Maps has it listed as "Yanbian Waiguoren School"
^Home page (Archive). Korean International School in Yanbian. Retrieved on January 10, 2016. "우) 133-000 中国 吉林省 延吉市 朝阳街 2728A 延边韩国国际学校"
Sources
延边朝鲜族自治州概编写组编写 (June 2009). 延边朝鲜族自治州概况 [Overview of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture] (in Chinese). Beijing: Publishing House of Minority Nationalities. ISBN978-7-105-08642-9.