(1) The Founding of Parhae and Its Political System

After the destruction of Koguryo, the remaining people in Manchuria rose up in a restoration movement. Tae Cho-yong, a former general of Koguryo, led the remaining people of Koguryo and the Mohe tribe to found a new state in the area of Dongmiaoshan in Dunhuaxian, Jilin calling his country Chin in 698. Later Chin was renamed Parhae.
Parhae recovered almost all of the old Koguryo territory and dominated Manchuria, the Maritime Provinces and northern Korea to become a powerful nation. The ruling classes were mostly composed of the people of Koguryo, and the Mohe tribe formed the greater part of its population.
Parhae, with a strong consciousness as being the successor of Koguryo, stood in confrontation with Tang and Shilla, and maintained friendly relations with Japan and Tujue in the beginning stages. From the mid-8th century on, under the reign of King Mun, Parhae maintained peaceful relations with Tang and actively exchanged culture and goods.
The official institutions of Parhae were modelled after the Tang system, consisting of three councils--Chongdangsong, Sonjosong and Chungdaesong--each with six divisions. This system resembled the Tang structure in form but in terms of operation possessed unique characteristics. Important state affairs were determined at aristocrats' meetings in Chongdangsong.
For local administration, the country was divided into five regional capitals, 15 provinces and 62 counties. Governors and magistrates were stationed as local rulers in each province and county.

Parhae reached its zenith of prosperity under the reign of King Son in the early 9th century.
During that stage Parhae occupied a large territory, reaching out from the Heilong River (Amur) to the north, Yonghung in Hamgyong-namdo to the south, the Maritime Provinces to the east, and Kaiyuan to the west. Parhae imported civilized culture and goods from Tang, and its culture developed so peculiarly that it was referred to as Haedong songguk (a sage country in the east).
However, after King Son, an internal dispute arose among the ruling class, and harmony between the governing Koguryo people and the governed Mohe was broken. Parhae's power was weakened. During the same time, the Qidans growing in the west of Parhae gained more power with each day. Parhae was destroyed by the Qidans in 926. Ever since, Manchuria, which had been the center stage for Korea's national activities, has been estranged from Korea's history.

Parhae imported the Tang culture over the groundwork laid by traditional Koguryo culture to achieve a relatively developed culture. In Sanggyong, the long standing capital of Parhae, an aristocratic culture developed, and it became the center of culture in Manchuria.
Parhae had a Chujagam to instruct Confucianism and Chinese literature, and many sons of aristocracy studied abroad in Tang. Thus, Confucianism and Chinese literature were believed to have been considerably developed. On the epitaphs of Princess Chonghyo excavated in 1980 and of Princess Chonghye unearthed earlier, beautiful poems carved in a pairing style can be found.
As poets of Parhae, Yang T'ae-sa, Wang Hyo-ryom, Injong and Chongso are especially well-known. They sailed to Japan where they wrote poems which are still read today. Among many others, "In the Frosty Sky the Moon Shines and the Milky Way is So Much Cleaner," written by Yang T'ae-sa, was highly appreciated for its brilliant style.
Buddhism prospered in Parhae and many temples were erected, but today only the building sites remain. As monks rose in social status they performed important roles not only in the field of religion but also in foreign diplomacy. Injong and Chongso were dispatched to Japan as members of the diplomatic corps.
Parhae arts possess an overflowing ambitious spirit which is a character prevalent in the works of Koguryo, and in addition they possess a soft refined quality. The Buddhist images and lotus flower designed tiles unearthed in Sanggyong display the peculiarities of Koguryo art. Moreover, the Ondols and many tombs in lateral stone chambers found in Sanggyong prove that Parhae was the successor to the Koguryo culture.
The two stone lions excavated from the tomb of Princess Chong-hye are famous for their refinement. The stone lantern in Sanggyong, which is six meters high, is one of these masterpieces of the stone art of Parhae.
Tae Kan-chi is also known to be one of the famous painters. In the recently excavated tomb of Princess Chonghyo a fresco of twelve personages, through which the life of the people of ancient Parhae can be seen, was found.