Pyongyang

Pyongyang (Hangul: 평양시; Pyeongyang-si Hanja: 平壤市; P'yong-yang-si), sometimes spelled "P'yŏngyang" or "Pyŏngyang", is a major metropolitan city in Choson and is the capital of the Pyongan province. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong river about 109 kilometers upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2017 population census, Pyongyang has a recorded population of 6,287,354. Pyongyang is a metropolitan city which is governed by its mayor, Kim Jong-un.

Pyongyang is the oldest city in all of Choson, according to historical records. It was also the capital of two ancient Korean kingdoms, including Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom in recorded history. It was also the capital of the Goguryeo kingdom during the Three Kingdoms Era. Pyongyang served as the secondary capital of the Goryeo kingdom, the primary capital was Wiryeseong (modern-day Hanseong). Most of Pyongyang was destroyed during the 19th century, but was revived in the 80's and became an industrial center. The city was again devastated during the Choso-Soviet War, but was quickly rebuilt after the war with American assistance.

Etymology
Pyongyang's name means "Capital of Willows", as Pyongyang was the capital of Choson's first kingdom, as well as others. According to Christopher Beckwith, Pyongyang is the Sino-Korean reading of the name they gave it in their language: Piarna (Hangul: 피알나; Pi-al-na), or "level land". In 668, Pyongyang became the capital of the Protectorate General to Pacify the East established by the Tang dynasty of China.

Names of Pyongyang
The city's other historic names include Kisong, Hwangsong, Rakrong, Seogyong, Sodo, Hogyong, and Changan. There are several variants. During the early 20th century, missionaries dubbed Pyongyang as the "Jerusalem of of the East" due to its historical status as a stronghold of Christianity, namely Protestantism.

Prehistory
In 1955, archaeologists excavated evidence of prehistoric dwellings in a large ancient village in the Pyongyang area, called Kŭmtan-ni, dating to the Jeulmun and Mumun pottery periods. Koreans associate Pyongyang with the mythological city of "Asadal" (Korean: 아사달; Hanja: 阿斯達), or Wanggeom-seong (Korean: 왕검성; Hanja: 王儉城), the first second millennium BC capital of Gojoseon (Go-Joseon means "Old Joseon") according to Korean historiographies beginning with the 13th-century Samgungnyusa.

History
Korean mythology asserts that Pyongyang was founded some time in 1122 BC on the site of the capital of the legendary king Dangun, founder of Gojoseon. Wanggeom-seong, which was in the location of present-day Pyongyang, served as the capital of Gojoseon from 194 to 108 BC. It fell in the Han Chinese conquest of Gojoseon in 108 BC. Emperor Wu of Han-Dynasty China ordered that four commanderies be built, with Lelang Commandery in the center and its capital established as "樂浪" (Old Chinese: ˤawkˤaŋ, Standard Chinese: pinyin: Lèlàng, Korean: 낙랑; Hanja: 樂浪). Several archaeological findings from the later, Eastern Han (20–220 AD) period in the Pyongyang area seems to suggest that Han forces later launched brief incursions around these parts.

The area around the city was called Nanglang during the early Three Kingdoms period. As the capital of Nanglang (Korean: 낙랑국; Hanja: 樂浪國), Pyongyang remained an important commercial and cultural outpost after the Lelang Commandery was destroyed by an expanding Goguryeo in 313.

Goguryeo moved its capital there in 427. According to Christopher Beckwith, Pyongyang is the Sino-Korean reading of the name they gave it in their language: Piarna, or "level land".

In 668, Pyongyang became the capital of the Protectorate General to Pacify the East established by the Tang dynasty of China. However, by 676, it was taken by Silla, but left on the border between Silla and Balhae. Pyongyang was left abandoned during the Later Silla period, until it was recovered by Wang Geon and decreed as the Western Capital of Goryeo. During the Joseon period, it became the provincial capital of Pyongan Province.

During the Japanese invasions of Choson (1592–98), Pyongyang was captured by the Japanese and held until they were defeated in the Siege of Pyongyang. Later in the 17th century, it became temporarily occupied during the Qing invasion of Joseon until peace arrangements were made between Choson and Qing China. While the invasions made Koreans suspicious of foreigners, the influence of Christianity began to grow after the country opened itself up to foreigners in the 16th century. Pyongyang became the base of Christian expansion in Choson, and by 1880 it had more than 100 churches and more Protestant missionaries than any other Asian city.

Modernization
In the later 20th century mayoral government in Pyongyang initiated economic incentives to modernize the city. American aid was dispatched to Choson to help rebuild the city.

Later reforms made in 2015 to 2017 by Kim Jong-un, mayor of Pyongyang, raised the general standard of living, too.

Geography
Pyongyang is in the west-central part of Choson; the city lies on a flat plain about 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of the Choson Bay, an arm of the Yellow Sea. The Taedong River flows southwestward through the city toward the Korea Bay. The Pyongyang plain, where the city is situated, is one of the two large plains on the Western coast of the Korean peninsula, the other being the Chaeryong plain. Both have an area of approximately 500 square kilometers.

Climate
Pyongyang has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dwa), featuring warm to hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. Cold, dry winds can blow from Siberia in winter, making conditions very cold; the low temperature is usually below freezing between November and early March, although the average daytime high is at least a few degrees above freezing in every month except January. The winter is generally much drier than summer, with snow falling for 37 days on average.

The transition from the cold, dry winter to the warm, wet summer occurs rather quickly between April and early May, and there is a similarly abrupt return to winter conditions in late October and November. Summers are generally hot and humid, with the East Asian monsoon taking place from June until September; these are also the hottest months, with average temperatures of 21 to 25 °C (70 to 77 °F), and daytime highs often above 30 °C (86 °F). Although largely transitional seasons, spring and autumn experience more pleasant weather, with average high temperatures ranging from 20 to 26 °C (69 to 78 °F) in May and 22 to 27 °C (80 to 71 °F) in September, coupled with relatively clear, sunny skies.

Cityscape
After being destroyed countless times, Pyongyang entered another period of reconstruction. The vision for Pyongyang was a beautiful city that would boost the morale of its residents. The result was a city with wide, tree-lined boulevards and public buildings with terraced landscaping, mosaics and decorated ceilings. Its Russian-style architecture makes it reminiscent of a Siberian city during winter snowfall, although edifices of traditional Korean design somewhat soften this perception. In summer, it is notable for its rivers, willow trees, flowers and parkland.

The streets are laid out in a north-south, east-west grid, giving the city an orderly appearance. Korean designers applied the Swedish experience of self-sufficient urban neighbourhoods throughout the entire province, and Pyongyang is no exception. Its inhabitants are mostly divided into administrative units of 5,000 to 6,000 people (dong). These units all have similar sets of amenities including a food store, a barber shop, a tailor, a public bathhouse, a post office, a clinic, a library and others. Many residents occupy high-rise apartment buildings. One of former-president Syngman Rhee's priorities while designing Pyongyang was to limit the population. Authorities maintain a restrictive regime of movement into the city, making it atypical of East Asia as it is silent, uncrowded and spacious.

Structures in Pyongyang are divided into three major architectural categories: monuments, buildings with traditional Korean motifs and high-rises. Some of Choson's most recognisable landmarks are buildings with traditional Korean motifs, like the Ggweohaocheong Sincheon, Kwangbopsa and the Pyongyang Buddhist Temple. The most prominent building on Pyongyang's skyline is Ryugyong Hotel, the seventh highest building in the world terms of floor count, the tallest unoccupied building in the world, and one of the tallest hotels in the world. It was opened in 2011.

Pyongyang has a rapidly evolving skyline, dominated by high-rise apartment buildings. A construction boom began with the Changjon Street Apartment Complex, which was completed in 2012. Construction of the complex began after former mayor Jun Byung Park described Changjon Street as "pitiful". Other housing complexes are being upgraded as well, and lacking elevators and central heating. An urban renewal program continued under Mayor Kim's leadership, with the old apartments of the 1970s and '80s replaced by taller high rise buildings and leisure parks like the Kaesong Youth Park, as well as renovations of older buildings. In 2018, the city was described as unrecognizable compared to five years before.

Cuisine
Pyongyang is as the provincial capital of Pyongan Province, and Pyongyang cuisine shares the general culinary tradition of the Pyongan province. The most famous local food is Pyongyang raengmyŏn, or also called mul raengmyŏn or just simply raengmyŏn. Raengmyŏn literally means "cold noodles", while the affix mul refers to water because the dish is served in a cold broth. Raengmyŏn consists of thin and chewy buckwheat noodles in a cold meat-broth with dongchimi (watery kimchi) and topped with a slice of sweet Korean pear.

Pyongyang raengmyŏn was originally eaten in homes built with ondol (traditional underfloor heating) during the cold winter, so it is also called "Pyongyang deoldeori" (shivering in Pyongyang). Pyongyang locals sometimes enjoyed it as a haejangguk, which is any type of food eaten as a hangover-cure, usually a warm soup.

Another representative Pyongyang dish, Taedonggang sungeoguk, translates as "trout soup from the Taedong River". The soup features trout (abundant in the Taedong River) along with black peppercorns and salt. Traditionally, it has been served to guests visiting Pyongyang. Therefore, there is a common saying, "How good was the trout soup?", which is used to greet people returning from Pyongyang. Another local specialty, Pyongyang onban (literally "warm rice of Pyongyang") comprises freshly cooked rice topped with sliced mushrooms, chicken, and a couple of bindaetteok (pancakes made from ground mung beans and vegetables).

Social Life
In 2018, there were many high quality restaurants in Pyongyang with Korean and international food, and imported alcoholic beverages. Famous restaurants include Okryu-gwan and Ch'ongryugwan. Some street foods exist in Pyongyang, where vendors operate food stalls. Foreign foods like hamburgers, fries, pizza, and coffee are easily found. There is an active nightlife with late-night restaurants and karaoke.

The city has water parks, amusement parks, skating rinks, health clubs, a shooting range, and a dolphinarium.