PARHAE

also spelled Palhae, Chinese P'o-hai, state established in the 8th century among the Tungusic-speaking peoples of northern Manchuria (Northeast Provinces) and northern Korea by a former Korean general, Tae Cho-yang. The ruling class consisted largely of the former aristocrats of Koguryo, which had occupied most of northern Korea and Manchuria before it was conquered by the state of Silla in 668. Parhae was considered the successor state to Koguryo. Parhae, like Silla, became a tributary state of the Chinese T'ang dynasty (618907) and was prevented by the T'ang from developing friendly relations with Silla. Its trade and cultural relations were largely with the nomadic tribes of the north and with Japan and China. Parhae appears to have enjoyed high prosperity; indeed, in its heyday it was referred to in Korea as Haedong-songguk, the prosperous country of the East. The territory at this time extended from the Sungari and Amur rivers in northern Manchuria down to the northern half of Korea. Parhae bore a strong cultural resemblance to Koguryo. The surviving Buddhist images and stone lanterns suggest that Buddhism played a predominant role in the life of the Parhae people. The government administration was modeled after the T'ang bureaucracy. Parhae's rule was ended in 926 when it was conquered by the Khitan tribes of Central Asia, who had established the Liao dynasty (9071125) on China's northern borders.