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... tradition with the founding of the Yuan and Ch " ing Dynasties. In understanding this legacy and showing how it may be seen in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, it may become easier to understand why the country continues to survive, despite evidence supporting its collapse. To do this, it is necessary to view history and present not in the negative, but in a manner becoming the great tradition of dynasties. As China once saw itself as the center of the world, North Korea now sees itself as the last bastion of strength against "imperialist aggressors, " the last great nation on earth where many citizens believe there to be maybe only four other countries (presumably Russia, Japan, U. S.
A. , and China, South Korea being part of Korea), and furthermore "consider any reliance on the outside world as a source of weakness. " (Looking, p 13) Therefore, this paper will look at the general dynastic cycle of China, specifically the Ming dynasty, in comparison with the new North Korean Dynasty as well as compare one of the great Ming rulers, Wan-Li, with Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. In choosing a comparative dynasty, consideration was given to the Ming government's nationalistic and ethnocentric sentiment, indoctrination through education, hierarchical methods, the dynastic decline and centralized style government. In choosing Emperor Wan Li, his position as a divine ruler, great accomplishments in the early part of his rule, an eccentric patronage of the arts, later anti-social behavior and his ability to maintain power were the main factors. Dynasties In Review The Ming Dynasty, which began in 1368 and lasted to 1662, is considered one of the greatest Chinese Dynasties. Ming vases and development in the arts, the completion of the Great Wall, modern writing and printing, expansion of tributary states, anti commercialism and ethnocentrism, and development of military are all attributable to this dynasty (Bio, 3).
And, as with dynasties preceding the Ming, it was necessary for the emperor to have the Mandate of Heaven to justify the position of the emperor. As in ancient China, and even China today, in which "sponsorship of letters and the arts was an important means of maintaining [the Emperor's] position as head of the Confucian state and culture (EA, p 190) ", displays of martial arts, "mass games... involve[ing] tens of thousands of youths (In the Land, p 5) ", a "grand cultural and sporting festival which 10, 000 foreigners came to watch (Kim the Father, p 57) " including Muhammed Ali who was unable to speak or move about on his own, amazing art exhibits and incredible architecture are all pursued in North Korea. Not to mention the younger Kim's reported vast collection of videos, reportedly numbering 20, 000, and inaccessible collection of foreign books. The North has even attempted a type of tributary system, trying to get other Third World countries to support their ideals and inviting numerous countries to visit and watch their incredible, and sometimes bizarre, parades and festivals. Also, visitors must "make a symbolic genuflection" before a bronze statue of Kim in Pyongyang (In the Land, p 59).
Anticommercialism is pursued in North Korea not only as a matter of communist doctrine, but as the idea of "June" or self-dependence and nationalism that they follow. The advancement of the military is all too apparent in North Korea, where the military budget is said to be about $ 5. 4 billion a year, .".. anything from a fifth to a third of the North's GDP (Looking, p 12). " Perhaps North Korea's "self-imposed exile from the international community, (NK Under, p 6) ethnocentrism and nationalism can be seen reflected in this statement: This turning back for inspiration to the great ages of Han, T'ang and Sung was accompanied by deep resentment against the Mongols. Alien rule had inspired hostility toward alien things in general... This turning away from the outside world was accompanied by a growing introspection within Chinese life (EA, p 178) Also in this statement: From [the Sung] time on a degree of mixed fear and contempt for the outside world and a narrow concentration on the exclusively Chinese way of life produced a growing ethnocentrism. Eventually it dominated China's foreign relations and gave her an intellectual and psychological immunity to foreign stimuli (EA, p 178).
East Asia: traditions and Transformations breaks the dynasty into five parts: (1) the inaugural era of founding the consolidation under Hung-wu (1368 - 1398); (2) the vigorous building and expansion under Yung-lo (1403 - 1424) and his successors, which, however, by the middle of the century had overstrained the imperial resources; (3) a century of gradual decline of imperial power both at home and abroad; (4) in the latter part of the sixteenth century a period of reform; and (5) by the early part of the seventeenth century an intensification of evils and final collapse (p 180 - 81). In this first period, Hung-Wu, like Kim Il Sung, is of common origin. He brings together a nation and takes "the Mandate of Heaven, " just as Kim Il Sung takes, through political maneuvering, various head positions in the party and military and brands himself as a great revolutionary leader and hero to legitimize his rule. The Kim's also attempt to justify their position through superstitious methods and the manipulation of history.
For example, "After [Kim Il Sung] died in 1994, it was reported that the largest of the country's 35, 000 statues of the Great Leader was circled by flocks of geese, honking plangently (Through Look, p 52). " Also, to keep with Korean mythical tradition, "a tomb was erected on the supposed burial ground of Tongue, the mystical king of ancient Korea (Kim the father, p 56). " As with the emperors of China who were, even to their concubines, "demigods" who were "in all likelihood awed to numbness, " (1587, p 31) both Kim's have fantastical stories surrounding them. Kim Jong Il's biographers claim that he "wrote six operas, each of them better than any in the history of music" at an early age and "scored five holes-in-one and beat the world record for a single round by 25 strokes" the first time he tried golf (Through Look, p 12). The biographers also embellish the Dear Leader's birth, claiming he was born on Peak Mountain, when records prove that he was born in the Soviet Union. Poems, stories, songs and films have also been produced "deifying him as the Second Coming (In the Land, p 59) " and other impossible claims as well. In the second phase, Ming ruler Yung-lo and those who follow him carry out vast projects, just as Kim Il Sung, "the only great leader existing in the world (Signs of trouble, pg 38), " effectively pushes forward industrialization campaigns through various multiple-year programs.
The "most prominent landmark" in Pyongyang is "the massive Ryugyong Hotel, a 105 story, pyramid shaped colossus that was intended to be the pride and joy of the capitol" (In the Land, p 59). However, construction had to be stopped due to finances. Other accomplishments include conference halls, stadiums, universities, and museums - all of them "consecrated" to Kim Il Sung (In the Land, p 59). In the third phase, Ming power declines, as can be seen in the series of events leading to the withdraw of Russian and Chinese aid to North Korea as well as the ousting of diplomats to other countries. The fourth part, in which reforms are attempted, can also be seen in, first, the attempt to open talks for nuclear control and aid and also in the exchange of power from father to son in the North and Kim Il Jong's rise. The fifth phase, in which the Ming dynasty falls into moral corruption, economic dilapidation and social unrest.
The fruition of this has not yet fully been seen in North Korea, although the officials have shown such corruption in foreign countries and their lavish manners in comparison with the commoners of North Korea and severe economic hardship currently facing the nation is another sign. Another important feature of dynastic decline has often been attributed to such factors as severe drought, famine, flooding and other natural disasters which the DPRK is experiencing now. To the population, these events were often seen as the emperor's loss of the Mandate of Heaven. In view of these aspects of dynastic evolution, similarities of both Ming China and the Democratic People's Republic are not to be taken lightly. While North Korea claims to be a communist state, all power is centralized in the party.
Party control is focused on the North Korean leader, first Kim Il Sung then Kim Jong Il. Such was the power structure of the Ming emperors. In fact, both have similar bureaucratic systems comprised of three parts, for the DPRK, the Party, the Army and the Government. For Ming China, the six ministries of civil bureaucracy, the centralized military hierarchy and th...
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