View source for Aigun

{{Infobox settlement
|name                   = Aigun
|other_name             = Aihui
|native_name            = 瑷珲
|native_name_lang       = zh-cn
|translit_lang1         = [[Manchu language|Manchu]]
|translit_lang1_type    = [[Manchu language|Manchu]]
|translit_lang1_info    = {{MongolUnicode|lang=mnc|ᠠᡳ᠌ᡥᡡᠨ}}
|translit_lang1_type1   = [[Transliterations of Manchu|Transliteration]]
|translit_lang1_info1   = aihūn
|translit_lang2         = [[Chinese language|Chinese]]
|translit_lang2_type    = [[Traditional Chinese character|Traditional]]
|translit_lang2_info    = {{lang|zh-hant|璦琿}}
|translit_lang2_type1   = [[Simplified Chinese character|Simplified]]
|translit_lang2_info1   = {{lang|zh-hans|瑷珲}}
|translit_lang2_type2   = [[Pinyin]]
|translit_lang2_info2   = Ài Hún
|nickname               =
|settlement_type        = [[Towns of the People's Republic of China|Town]]
|motto                  =
|image_skyline          =
|imagesize              =
|image_caption          =
|image_flag             =
|flag_size              =
|image_seal             =
|seal_size              =
|image_shield           =
|shield_size            =
|image_blank_emblem     =
|blank_emblem_type      =
|blank_emblem_size      =
|image_map              =
|mapsize                =
|map_caption            =
|pushpin_map            =
|pushpin_label_position =
|pushpin_map_caption    = Location in Fujian
|pushpin_mapsize        =
|subdivision_type       = Country
|subdivision_name       = [[People's Republic of China|China]]
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces of China|Province]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Heilongjiang]]
|subdivision_type2      = [[Prefecture-level city|Prefecture]]
|subdivision_name2      = [[Heihe]]
|subdivision_type3      = [[County (People's Republic of China)|District]]
|subdivision_name3      =
|subdivision_type4      =
|subdivision_name4      =
|government_footnotes   =
|government_type        =
|leader_title           =
|leader_name            =
|established_title      =
|established_date       =
|area_magnitude         =
|unit_pref              =
|area_footnotes         =
|area_total_km2         =
|population_as_of         =
|population_footnotes     =
|population_note          =
|population_total         =
|population_density_km2   =
|population_density_sq_mi =
|timezone               = [[China Standard Time]]
|utc_offset             = +8
|coordinates            =
|elevation_m            =
|elevation_ft           =
}}
{{coord|49.978|N|127.490|E|display=title}}
[[File:Lisle - Carte de Tartarie (Detail).jpg|thumb|''Aigou'' (Aigun) shown as one of the few towns on the Amur, and one of the most important places in the region, on a 1706 French map]]
'''Aigun''' ({{zh|s=瑷珲|t=璦琿|p=Ài Hún}}; [[Manchu language|Manchu]]: {{MongolUnicode|lang=mnc|ᠠᡳ᠌ᡥᡡᠨ}} ''aihūn''; {{Langx|ru|Айгунь|Aigun}}) was a historic [[China|Chinese]] [[Town (China)|town]] in northern [[Manchuria]], situated on the right bank of the [[Amur River]], some {{convert|30|km}} south (downstream) from the central urban area of [[Heihe]] (which is across the Amur from the mouth of the [[Zeya River]] and [[Blagoveschensk]]).<ref name=aihuizhen-map>[https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=heihe,+china&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.374125,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Heihe,+Heilongjiang,+China&ll=49.987214,127.474022&spn=0.15452,0.439453&z=12 Aihui Town] on Google Maps</ref>
The Chinese name of the town, which literally means "Bright Jade", was a transliteration of the Manchu (or [[Duchers|Ducher]]) name of the town. The current Mainland Chinese pronunciation Ài Huī does not reflect this, unlike the Taiwanese pronunciation which still follows the Old National Pronunciation Ài Hún.
Today the former city of Aigun is called '''Aihui Town''' ({{MongolUnicode|lang=mnc|ᠠᡳ᠌ᡥᡡᠨ<br />ᡥᠣᡨᠣᠨ}} ''aihūn hoton'') and is part of [[Aihui District]], which in turn is part of the prefecture-level city of Heihe. Heihe is one of the major cities in [[Heilongjiang]] Province.
==History==
The predecessor of Aigun was a town of the indigenous [[Duchers|Ducher]] people of the Amur Valley, located on the left (northeastern - now Russian) bank of the [[Amur River]]. The site of this town, whose name was reported by the Russian explorer [[Yerofey Khabarov]] as Aytyun ({{Lang|ru|Айтюн}}) in 1652, is currently known to archaeologists as the Grodekovo site ({{Lang|ru|Гродековское городище}}), after the nearby village of Grodekovo. It is thought to have been populated since  around the end of the 1st or the beginning of the 2nd millennium AD.<ref name=amu>[http://www.amurobl.ru/index.php?m=24596&r=4&c=2697&p=3997 Амурская область: История НАРОДЫ АМУРСКОЙ ЗЕМЛИ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718030231/http://www.amurobl.ru/index.php?m=24596&r=4&c=2697&p=3997 |date=2011-07-18 }} (Amur Oblast - the History. The peoples of the Amur Land) {{in lang|ru}}</ref>
Some sources report a Chinese presence on the middle Amur&nbsp;– a fort existed at Aigun for about 20 years during the Yongle era on the left (northwestern) shore of the Amur downstream from the mouth of the Zeya River. This Ming Dynasty Aigun was located on the opposite bank to the later Aigun that was relocated during the [[Qing dynasty|Qing Dynasty]].<ref name=halde15>{{cite book|last=Du Halde|first= Jean-Baptiste|title= Description géographique, historique, chronologique, politique et physique de l'empire de la Chine et de la Tartarie chinoise|volume=IV|publisher= P.G. Lemercier|location=Paris
|year= 1735|url= http://web2.bium.univ-paris5.fr/livanc/?cote=00992x04&do=chapitre|pages=15–16|author-link= Jean-Baptiste Du Halde}} Numerous later editions are available as well, including one [https://books.google.com/books?id=1pcsAAAAYAAJ on Google Books]. Du Halde refers to the Yongle-era fort, the predecessor of Aigun, as ''Aykom''. There seem to be few, if any, mentions of this project in other available literature.</ref>
[[File:Kitchen-21-Russia-Amur-2817.jpg|thumb|left|''Aaihom'' (destroyed) shown on the 1773 map opposite ''Sahalien Hotun'', following [[:File:CEM-44-La-Chine-la-Tartarie-Chinoise-et-le-Thibet-1734-Amur-2572.jpg|d'Anville's map]] from 1734]]
The Ducher town was probably vacated when the Duchers were evacuated by the [[Manchu]] Chinese [[Qing Dynasty]] to the [[Songhua River|Sungari]] or [[Mudan River|Hurka]] in the mid-1650s.<ref name=amu/> In 1683-85 the Manchus re-used the site as a base for their campaign against the Russian fort of [[Albazin]].<ref>Bruce Mancall, ''Russia and China: Their Diplomatic Relations to 1728'', 1971, pages 115-127.</ref>
After the capture of Albazin in 1685 or 1686, the Manchus relocated the town to a new site on the right (southwestern) bank of the Amur, about {{convert|3|mi}} downstream from the original site.<ref name=rav48>E.G.Ravenstein, ''The Russians on the Amur''. London, 1861. [https://archive.org/details/russiansonamuri00ravegoog Full text] can be found on Google Books. Pages 18,48.</ref><ref>The Jesuits (at du Halde, pp. 18-19), who visited the "new" Aigun ca. 1709, also mentioned the old site on the left bank of the river (which they called ''Aykom''), but said that it was 13 [[li (unit)]], i.e. some 8.3 km, upstream from the new site. They also claimed that ''Aykom'' was founded by the 15th-century [[Ming dynasty]] [[Yongle Emperor]], but abandoned within 20 years. Although Yongle's Amur expeditions are well known (see e.g. [[Yishiha]]), there seem to be no corroboration in modern literature for the existence of a Yongle-era fort at the Old Aigun site.</ref> The new site occupied the location of the former village of a [[Daur people|Daur]]ian chief named Tolga.<ref name=rav48/> The city became known primarily under its Manchu name '''Saghalien Ula Hotun''' or '''Hoton''' ([[Manchu language|Manchu]]: {{MongolUnicode|lang=mnc|ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ<br />ᡠᠯᠠ<br />ᡥᠣᡨᠣᠨ}} ''Sahaliyan Ula Hoton''),<ref name=duHaldeV4>[[Jean-Baptiste Du Halde]], [https://archive.org/details/descriptiongog04duha  ''Description géographique, historique, chronologique, politique, et physique de l'empire de la Chine et de la Tartarie chinoise, enrichie des cartes générales et particulieres de ces pays, de la carte générale et des cartes particulieres du Thibet, & de la Corée; & ornée d'un grand nombre de figures & de vignettes gravées en tailledouce'', Vol. 4] (La Haye: H. Scheurleer, 1736). Pp. 18-19.</ref> and sometimes also under the Chinese translation of this name, '''Heilongjiang Cheng''' ({{lang|zh|黑龍江城}}). Both names mean "[[Amur River|Black River]] City", but by the 19th century the name "Aigun" again became more current in the western languages.
For a number of years after 1683, Aigun served as the capital (the seat of the Military Governor) of [[Heilongjiang Province]], until the capital was moved to [[Nenjiang County|Nenjiang]] (Mergen) in 1690, and later to [[Qiqihar]].<ref name=edmonds>{{cite book|title=Northern Frontiers of Qing China and Tokugawa Japan: A Comparative Study of Frontier Policy|first=Richard Louis|last=Edmonds|publisher=University of Chicago, Department of Geography; Research Paper No. 213|isbn=0-89065-118-3|year=1985|pages=115–117}}</ref> Aigun, however, remained the seat of the Deputy Lieutenant-General (''Fu dutong''), responsible for a large district covering much of the Amur Valley within the province of Heilongjiang as it existed in those days.
As a part of a nationwide Sino-French cartographic program, Aigun (or, rather, Saghalien Ula hoton) was visited ca. 1709 by the [[Jesuit missions in China|Jesuits]] [[Jean-Baptiste Régis]], [[Pierre Jartoux]], and [[Xavier Ehrenbert Fridelli]],<ref>Jean-Baptiste Du Halde, [https://archive.org/details/descriptiongog01duha ''Description géographique, historique, chronologique, politique, et physique de l'empire de la Chine et de la Tartarie chinoise, enrichie des cartes générales et particulieres de ces pays, de la carte générale et des cartes particulieres du Thibet, & de la Corée; & ornée d'un grand nombre de figures & de vignettes gravées en tailledouce'', Vol. 1] (La Haye: H. Scheurleer, 1736).  (p. xxxviii in Vol. 1)</ref> who found it a well-defended town, serving as the base of a Manchu river fleet controlling the Amur River region. Surrounded by numerous villages on the fertile riverside plain, the town was well provisioned with foodstuffs.<ref name=duHaldeV4/>
[[File:Ravenstein-p118-Sverbeyev-View-of-Aigun-1854.png|thumb|right|Muravyov's fleet off Aigun in 1854]]
It was at Aigun in May 1858 that [[Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky|Nikolay Muravyov]] concluded the [[Aigun Treaty]], according to which the left bank of the [[Amur River]] was conceded to [[Russia]].<ref name="EB1911">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Aigun|volume=1|page=437}}</ref>
During the [[Boxer Rebellion]] of 1900, for a few weeks Aigun was the center of military action directed against the [[Russians]].<ref name="EB1911"/> On July{{nbsp}}22, Aigun was [[Battles on Amur River (1900)|captured by Russian troops]].
In 1913 Aigun became the county seat of the newly created Aigun County ({{lang|zh-hans|瑷珲县}}, ''Àihuī Xiàn''), which was renamed Aihui County ({{lang|zh-hans|爱辉县}}, ''Àihuī Xiàn'', the pronunciation remained unchanged) in December 1956.
The Manchus of the Chinese capital Peking (now known as Beijing) were [[Manchu language#Beijing dialect of Manchu|influenced by the Chinese dialect spoken in the area]] to the point where pronouncing Manchu sounds was hard for them, and they pronounced Manchu according to Chinese phonetics, while in contrast, the Manchus of Aigun could both pronounce Manchu sounds properly and mimick the sinicised pronunciation of Peking Manchus, since they learned the Pekinese pronunciation from either studying in Peking or from officials sent to Aigun from the capital, and they could tell them apart, using the Chinese influenced Pekinese pronunciation when demonstrating that they were better educated or their superior stature in society.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FpEyQ1tUYTkC&q=The+Manchus+of+Peking+who+now+read+Manchu+like+the+Chinese+do,+viz.+with+all+phonetic+peculiarities+characteristic+of+the+local+Chinese+dialect,+have+great+difficulties+in+pronouncing+certain+Manchu+sounds+').+The+Manchus+of+the+Aigun+region,+who+at+the+time+of+my+living+amongst+them+still+used+Manchu+Lit.+and+Manchu+Sp.+as+family+languages,+did+not+feel+similar+difficulties.+The+Pekinese+pronunciation+was+well+known+to+them+e.+g.+from+high+officials+who+brought+these+fashions+from+Peking+and+from+local+young+men+who,+although+knowing+Manchu+from+childhood,+after+their+stay+Peking+for+completion+of+their+education,+became+familiar+with+this+pronunciation.|title=Archives polonaises d'etudes orientales, Volumes 8-10|first=S. M.|last=SHIROKOGOROFF|chapter=Reading and Transliteration of Manchu Lit.|others=Contributors Polskie Towarzystwo Orientalistyczne, Polska Akademia Nauk. Komitet Nauk Orientalistycznych|year=1934|publisher=Państwowe Wydawn. Naukowe.|page=122|access-date=25 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JsQSAAAAIAAJ&q=The+Manchus+of+the+Aigun+region,+who+at+the+time+of+my+living+amongst+them+still+used+Manchu+Lit.+and+Manchu+Sp.+as+family+languages,+did+not+feel+similar+difficulties.+The+Pekinese+pronunciation+was+well+known+to+them+e.+g.+from+high+Rocznik+orientalistyczny|title=Rocznik orientalistyczny, Volumes 9-10|first=S. M.|last=SHIROKOGOROFF|chapter=Reading and Transliteration of Manchu Lit.|others=Contributors Polskie Towarzystwo Orientalistyczne, Polska Akademia Nauk. Komitet Nauk Orientalistycznych, Polska Akademia Nauk. Zakład Orientalistyki|year=1934|page=122|access-date=25 August 2014}}</ref>
On November{{nbsp}}15, 1980, [[Heihe]] City was created, and on June{{nbsp}}6, 1983, Aihui County was abolished and merged into the Heihe City.<ref>[http://www.heihe.gov.cn/html/2007-6/6/2007_06_06_959.html 爱辉区概况] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225024447/http://www.heihe.gov.cn/html/2007-6/6/2007_06_06_959.html |date=2012-12-25 }} (Aihui District overview) {{in lang|zh}}</ref>
==Commemoration==
There are a number of historical sites in today's Aihui Town (30&nbsp;km south of downtown Heihe) related to the historical Aigun. They include Aihui Ancient City ({{lang|zh-hans|瑷珲古城}}), Aihui Heroic Defenders' of the Fatherland Garden ({{Lang|zh-cn|瑷珲卫国英雄园}}, ''Àihuī Wèiguó Yīngxióng Yuán''), and Aihui History Museum ({{Lang|zh-cn|瑷珲历史陈列馆}}, ''Àihuī Lìshǐ Chénliè Guǎn'').<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aihuihistorymuseum.org.cn/EN/ENindex.aspx?type=422 |title=Aihui History Museum |access-date=2020-11-27}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Aigun}}
{{Heilongjiang topics}}
[[Category:Township-level divisions of Heilongjiang]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1684]]
[[Category:Boxer Rebellion]]
[[Category:Geography of Heilongjiang]]
[[Category:1684 establishments in China]]
[[Category:Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Heilongjiang]]