Changbai Mountain: A Sacred Site on the China-North Korea Border

I am heading further East along the North Korean border towards the triangle where Russia, China and North Korea meet. On my way I passed through China's ethnic Koreans county and met many incredibly nice people. Later I reached Changbai Mountain (长白山), also known as Paektu Mountain in Korean, which holds significant cultural and spiritual importance, especially for certain ethnic groups in China like Manchu people among others. While not as universally revered as mountains like Mount Tai or Mount Hua in traditional Chinese culture, Changbai Mountain is considered a sacred site for the Manchu people, who played a central role in the founding of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).

The Manchu regarded Changbai Mountain as their ancestral homeland. The mountain is seen as the birthplace of their founding ancestors, and during the Qing Dynasty, it was considered a sacred mountain for the imperial family.

For the Korean population, particularly in North Korea and parts of China (e.g., the Korean ethnic groups in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture), Changbai Mountain is also a sacred and symbolic site, regarded as the birthplace of the Korean nation.