History UsefulNotes / Manchuria

Manchuria is also the subject of, for now, largely theoretical disputes between China and South Korea--owing mostly to the presence of North Korea between them. Their dispute is over two topics. First, Manchuria was homeland to a number of ancient and medieval states regarded by modern Koreans as their ancestors--Gojoseon (from which the last Korean kingdom took its name from), Buyeo, Goguryeo, and Balhae. As it were, the last of these kingdoms was extinguished in 10th century when nomadic Khitans conquered western Manchuria and its remnants scattered everywhere--some settled in Korea, some went to Japan, some joined the Jurchens, and so forth--leaving Koreans with nothing more than distant memory and the dispute largely theoretical. More recently, there was a territorial dispute along the Korean-Chinese border that was finally settled in 1910 when, Japan, who had just annexed Korea, unilaterally dropped the issue. This, again, is theoretical since South Korea does not even border the region and the North Korean state has affirmed the boundary as it is. Still, there are ultranationalists in South Korea who insist that there is some validity to Korean claim to parts of Manchuria. Many historical [[KoreanDrama K-drama and movies]] do take place in Manchuria.

Manchuria IS home to the largest Korean population outside both Koreas, numbering some three million. This is a unique group in that, while they are also the oldest expatriate Korean community. They have also retained Korean language and culture better than their counterparts in Japan or United States, for example. At the same time, however, they are considered among the most loyal ethnic minority to the People's Republic of China. Their presence means that Korean is an officially recognized regional language in PRC and a lot of signs in the region are bilingual (and government websites invariably have some bilingual contents). Interestingly, while South Korean media has recently moved to using Korean approximation of Mandarin pronunciations for names of Chinese places and persons, the official Chinese media in Korean language insistently uses the Korean pronunciations. This leads to odd disparities in place names: South Koreans now call the city that is the center of Korean population in Manchuria Yanbian, while the Chinese (Koreans) living there insistently call their city Yeonbyeon.

Manchuria IS home to the largest Korean population outside both Koreas, numbering some three million. This is a unique group in that, while they are also the oldest expatriate Korean community. They have also retained Korean language and culture better than their counterparts in Japan or United States, for example. At the same time, however, they are considered among the most loyal ethnic minority to the People's Republic of China. Their presence means that Korean is an officially recognized regional language in PRC and a lot of signs in the region are bilingual (and government websites invariably have some bilingual contents). Interestingly, while South Korean media has recently moved to using Korean approximation for Mandarin pronunciations of names of Chinese places and persons, the official Chinese media in Korean language insistently uses the Korean pronunciations. This leads to odd disparities in place names: South Koreans now call the city that is the center of Korean population in Manchuria Yanbian, while the Chinese (Koreans) living there insistently call their city Yeonbyeon.

Manchuria IS home to the largest Korean population outside both Koreas, numbering some three million. This is a unique group in that, while they are also the oldest expatriate Korean community. They have also retained Korean language and culture better than their counterparts in Japan or United States, for example. At the same time, however, they are considered among the most loyal ethnic minority to the People's Republic of China.

In Chinese pop culture, Manchuria is often depicted as China's very own GrimUpNorth, what with it being very close to the nomadic heartland of UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}} (although the Manchus themselves are famous among the North Asian peoples for ''not'' adhering to the BornInTheSaddle rule; they're mainly sedentary agriculturalists) and being the starting point of the people who conquered China and started China's last dynasty. It's a bit TruthInTelevision; being the northernmost region of China and just right on Siberia's doorstep, Manchuria has possibly China's worst winters, in spite of its close proximity to the sea.

In more modern settings, given its aforementioned reputation as China's rust belt, Manchuria will usually be portrayed as its equivalent of OopNorth. Pop culture generally depicts the area as the home of loud, proud, and obnoxious boors who are nonetheless tough, down-to-earth and self-sufficient when compared to the more affluent folks in the coastal south-east. The rural areas are regarded as the home of many a slapstick comedy. Expect merry peasants and other salt-of-the-earth sorts in flat caps or ushankas sitting by the campfire, smoking pipe and drinking their days away in the cold Siberian winter. On the other hand, urban Manchuria will usually be stereotyped as an area of social deprivation, crime, and working-class struggle. It will more often than not be set it in a grim, polluted and overcrowded city (usually Changchun) with steel and coal as the main export. Expect dreary factory workers and failed businessmen trying to make a living through honest means if portrayed positively, though a less than positive portrayal may find them with ties to organised crime. Either way, ''baijiu'' alcoholism is a must. The highly rhotic Manchu accent is a staple of ''xiangsheng'', a form of stand-up comedy popular in northern China made famous by artists such as Zhao Benshan and Fan Wei.

In more modern settings, given its reputation as its aforementioned reputation as China's rust belt, Manchuria will usually be portrayed as its equivalent of OopNorth. Pop culture generally depicts the area as the home of loud, proud, and obnoxious boors who are nonetheless tough, down-to-earth and self-sufficient when compared to the more affluent folks in the coastal south-east. The rural areas are regarded as the home of many a slapstick comedy. Expect merry peasants and other salt-of-the-earth sorts in flat caps or ushankas sitting by the campfire, smoking pipe and drinking their days away in the cold Siberian winter. On the other hand, urban Manchuria will usually be stereotyped as an area of social deprivation, crime, and working-class struggle. It will more often than not be set it in a grim, polluted and overcrowded city (usually Changchun) with steel and coal as the main export. Expect dreary factory workers and failed businessmen trying to make a living through honest means if portrayed positively, though a less than positive portrayal may find them with ties to organised crime. Either way, ''baijiu'' alcoholism is a must. The highly rhotic Manchu accent is a staple of ''xiangsheng'', a form of stand-up comedy popular in northern China made famous by artists such as Zhao Benshan and Fan Wei.

In more modern settings, Manchuria is often depicted as China's equivalent of OopNorth, particularly to those of the urban southeast coast (e.g. Guangzhou and Shanghai). Pop culture often portrays the area as the home of loud, obnoxious boors who are nonetheless tough, down-to-earth and self-sufficient when compared to the more affluent south. The rural areas, usually set in northern Jilin or Heilongjiang, is the home of many a slapstick comedy. Expect merry peasants and other salt-of-the-earth sorts in flat caps or ushankas sitting by the campfire, smoking pipe and drinking their days away in the cold Siberian winter. The urban Manchuria will more often than not be set it in a grim, polluted and overcrowded city (usually Changchun) with steel and coal as the main export. Expect dreary but honest factory workers and small businessmen trying to make a living through honest means if portrayed positively, though a less than positive portrayal may find them with ties to organised crime. Either way, ''baijiu'' alcoholism is a must. The highly rhotic Manchu accent is also a staple of Chinese comedy.

* A background subplot in ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter 2'' and ''3'' involves [[RenegadeRussian rogue Chinese general Shi Hao]] leading a separatist movement in Hēilóngjiāng, the most northeastern province of China. He attempts to buy samples of the Syphon Filter virus to fend off both the Chinese and Russian militaries from claiming control of the province, and sets up a deal with the [[DirtyCommunists Japanese Red Army]] to obtain the virus. The exchange is shut down by Gabe Logan in the third game's opening mission when he snipes all parties involved.

In more modern settings, Manchuria is often depicted as China's equivalent of OopNorth, particularly to those of the urban southeast coast (e.g. Guangzhou and Shanghai). Pop culture often portrays the area as the home of loud, obnoxious boors who are nonetheless tough, down-to-earth and self-sufficient when compared to the more affluent south. The rural areas, usually set in northern Jilin or Heilongjiang, is the home of many a slapstick comedy. Expect merry peasants and other salt-of-the-earth sorts in flat caps or ushankas sitting by the campfire, smoking pipe and drinking their days away in the cold Siberian winter. The urban Manchuria will more often than not be set it in a grim, polluted and overcrowded city (usually Changchun) with steel and coal as the main export. Expect dreary but honest factory workers and small businessmen trying to make a living through honest memes if portrayed positively, though a less than positive portrayal may find them with ties to organised crime. Either way, ''baijiu'' alcoholism is a must. The highly rhotic Manchu accent is also a staple of Chinese comedy.

In more modern settings, Manchuria is often depicted as China's equivalent of OopNorth, particularly to those of the urban southeast coast (e.g. Guangzhou and Shanghai). Pop culture often portrays the area as the home of loud, obnoxious boors who are nonetheless tough, down-to-earth and self-sufficient when compared to the more affluent south. The rural areas, usually set in northern Jilin or Heilongjiang, is the home of many a slapstick comedy. Expect merry peasants and other salt-of-the-earth sorts in flat caps or ushankas sitting by the campfire and smoking pipe and drinking their days away in the cold Siberian winter. The urban Manchuria will more often than not be set it in a grim, polluted and overcrowded city (usually Changchun) with steel and coal as the main export. Expect dreary but honest factory workers and small businessmen trying to make a living if portrayed positively, though a less than positive portrayal may find them with ties to organised crime. Either way, alcoholism is inevitable. The highly rhotic Manchu accent is also a staple of Chinese comedy.

In more modern settings, Manchuria is often depicted as China's equivalent of OopNorth, particularly to those of the urban southeast coast (e.g. Guangzhou and Shanghai). Pop culture often portrays the area as the home of loud, obnoxious boors who are nonetheless tough, down-to-earth and self-sufficient when compared to the more affluent south. The rural areas, usually set in northern Jilin or Heilongjiang, is the home of many a slapstick comedy. Expect merry peasants and other salt-of-the-earth sorts in flat caps or ushankas sitting by the campfire and smoking pipe and drinking their days away in the cold Siberian winter. The urban Manchuria will more often than not set it in a grim, polluted and overcrowded city (usually Changchun) with steel and coal as the main export. Expect dreary but honest factory workers and small businessmen trying to make a living if portrayed positively, though a less than positive portrayal may find them with ties to organised crime. Either way, alcoholism is inevitable. The highly rhotic Manchu accent is also a staple of Chinese comedy.