The Taebaek Mountains (1994)★ 7.7/10

“The Taebaek Mountains”: The Ordeals and Lamentations of the Korean Peninsula — the Land of Three Thousand Ri

Wang Qingmin
Contents
The Background, Characteristics, and Influence of The Taebaek Mountains
The Repeated “Changes of Flags” in Beolgyo-eup, South Jeolla Province: Beginning with the Yeosu–Suncheon Incident
The Land Issue: The Focal Point of Political Struggles and Ideological Confrontation on the Korean Peninsula, and the Root of Life-and-Death Struggles Among the People
Trusteeship and Division: The Great-Power Rivalry Among the United States, the Soviet Union, China, Japan, and Others That Created the Korean Peninsula’s Division and Bloodshed
The Turbulence in Beolgyo and the Entire Southern Peninsula: Conflicts of Interest, Conscience and Positions, Uprisings and Suppression, Clashes and Betrayals
The Nobility of Ideals and the Filth of Practice: The Original Aspirations of Left-Wing Forces/Communists, and Their Later Distortion, Internal Fragmentation, and Degeneration into Ugliness
The Castles in the Air of a “Communist Paradise on Earth” and the Hellish Reality Under Red Totalitarianism
The Red Revolution Has Yet to Succeed, and the Illusory Beautiful Dream Has Already Begun to Dissolve
Comprehensive Review of The Taebaek Mountains: Emotional Yet Objective, Writing a Tragic National Epic and Illuminating the Complexity of Human Fate
The End of the Drama Is Not the End of Events: Half a Century of Turbulent Transformations on the Peninsula, and the Reflections and Advancement of the Korean People
Han Chinese China and the Korean Peninsula: The Similarities and Differences in National Destinies, and the Subtle Connections of Human Hearts and Social Sentiments
The Trajectory of the Chinese Communist Movement / The Similarities and Differences Between the Rise and Rule of the Chinese Communist Party and That of North Korea
Looking Back at 1945–1949: The Misjudgment, Naivety, and “Soft-Heartedness” of the Republic of China Government and the Chinese People—Key Reasons That Allowed the CCP to Seize Power and Led China into Decline
The Present Differences Between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Korea: Not Only in Material Wealth and Scarcity, but Also in the Brightness of Values, the Depth of Thought, the Rise and Decline of Culture, and the Virtues of the People (with examples comparing attitudes of Koreans and Chinese after the Gwangju Uprising and the June Fourth Incident)
Korea and Taiwan: Similar Historical Destinies, Different Ethnic Temperaments, and Divergent Choices in Domestic and Foreign Policy
Two Suffering Peoples Meeting in Arms: The Longstanding Yet Unnecessary Conflicts and Confrontations Between China and Korea
Vietnam’s Tragedy of Division and Pain of Reunification: Vietnam’s Fortunes and Misfortunes, External Intervention and Withdrawal, Historical Turning Points, the Reflections of Elites and the Apathy of the Masses, and the Nation’s Continuing Confusion and Struggle
Returning to Contemporary Korea: The Twists of Civil Rights and the Surges of Progress, Seeking New Paths Amid New Difficulties