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China's attempts to incorporate into its own history the ancient kingdom of Balhae are gathering steam, with Beijing having recently restored a royal palace of the period in Heilongjiang Province in Chinese style that experts contend is not historically authentic. China is now moving to register the site with UNESCO.
The Chinese government has been confirmed as embarking on a project to sinicize Balhae relics in the country. Of five Balhae palaces that survive in a ruinous state in the old Balhae capital of Ningan, Heilongjiang Province, the foundations of two have already been rebuilt.
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A restoration plan placed above the newly renovated foundation of Balhae Palace in China's Heilongjiang Province. Experts say it was drawn in a Chinese style that shows complete disregard for the influence of Koguryo culture.
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Local authorities have placed information boards in the area calling the sites "Tang Dynasty Balhae Relics," clearly stating that Balhae was a part of Chinese history.
China broke ground for excavation work on the palaces this year, and has said on countless occasions that it plans to register the sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List by 2007.
With the Balhae relics -- which inherited much of the Koguryo kingdom's architectural styles and culture -- being restored in Chinese style and China moving to officially register them as its own, academics are deeply concerned that Beijing may be attempting to distort Balhae history as it did the history of the Koguryo kingdom.
"It is clear that the Chinese intend to restore the Balhae capital so that it resembles the Tang Dynasty capital of Changan (now Xi'an) ... They are attacking Balhae history, a much weaker target than Koguryo history, and solidifying their Northeast Project," said Yoon Jae-un, who leads the Balhae history research team under the Koguryo Research Foundation and has seen photographic evidence of the sites.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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