Haven Lake and Changbai (Paektu) Mountain

Origin point of Korean civilization in mythology, sacred homeland of Manchu imperial dynasty, site of one of history's largest volcanic eruptions.

Korean mythology tells that Hwanin, Lord of Heaven, had a son Hwanung who yearned to live among mountains and valleys. Hwanin permitted Hwanung and three thousand followers to descend to Taebaeksan, Mount Paektu, where Hwanung founded Sinsi, the City of God. He taught humans agriculture, medicine, and the arts. A tiger and bear prayed to become human. Hwanung gave them twenty cloves of garlic and mugwort, commanding them to remain in a cave out of sunlight for one hundred days. The tiger failed the trial, but the bear persevered and was transformed into Ungnyeo, a beautiful woman. She prayed for a child, and Hwanung took her as his wife. Their son was Dangun, who founded Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, in 2333 BCE. After ruling more than a thousand years, Dangun became a mountain god and dwells in contemplation at Heaven Lake. The Manchu origin story tells of three heavenly maidens bathing near the Changbai Mountains. A magpie dropped red fruit near the youngest, Fekulen. She ate it, became pregnant, and bore Bukuri Yongson, who would become ancestor of the Aisin Gioro clan and the Qing imperial line. This divine conception established the celestial mandate of Manchu rule. The geological origin is equally dramatic. In 946 CE, the mountain erupted in what volcanologists call the Millennium Eruption, one of the largest volcanic events of the past five thousand years. The eruption ejected between 13 and 47 cubic kilometers of magma, sent ash as far as Greenland, and created the current caldera containing Heaven Lake.