Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 6: Pyongyang

A view of Pyongyang in the late 19th or early 20th century Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection

By Robert Neff

After leaving Songdo (Gaeseong), John Baptiste Bernadou, a 24-year-old ensign in the United States Navy and temporarily assigned to the legation in Seoul, traveled to Hwangju ― a town "surrounded by a heavy wall which extends to the summit of the hills in the rear." Hwangju was important for a number of reasons: both the military commander and the governor of the province resided in the area and due to its great stretches of well-cultivated land, it was a great agricultural center that shipped large quantities of grain to Seoul. Apparently, Bernadou stayed only long enough to climb the wall and do a little sightseeing (a.k.a. scavenging for relics and curiosities) before resuming his journey.

Finally, he reached the Taedong River and began to follow it upstream toward Pyongyang. He described the river as being about 650 meters wide and with a depth of about three and a half meters. Bernadou was instructed by one of his guides that large junks were not capable of sailing all the way to Pyongyang but this proved to be false as he later witnessed some larger vessels plying the river. He was also told that the voyage from Pyongyang to Jemulpo (modern Incheon) generally took "about ten days, but bad weather frequently lengthens the time."

Boats on the Taedong River at Pyongyang in the late 19th century Robert Neff Collection

At a distance, his first impressions of Pyongyang were positive. The city was built on a ridge of hills on the north bank of the river, and, according to him, was famed throughout Korea "for its natural beauty, and from many points may be had unobstructed views of the surrounding plains." He also added, "In consequence of its position the city is naturally well fortified, and has been a prominent objective point in all wars in Corea."

I assume he and his party hired a small ferry to transport them across the river. Every time I think about someone crossing the Taedong River by one of these small ferries it always reminds me of the amusing encounter a missionary had in the early 1890s. While crossing the river with his gisu (servant or bodyguard) a Korean man on the opposite shore "steadfastly gazed at the strange Western creature in the approaching boat. He was in doubt whether the stranger was a man or a woman; finally concluding his latter guess was correct, walked up to [American missionary], when that gentleman stepped ashore and chucking him under the chin said, 'Ah, pretty, pretty.' The words had hardly left his lips when the [gisu] had him by the top-knot. 'No, no,' said that man in terror, 'she is not pretty, I didn't mean it.'"

Apparently Bernadou had a more masculine appearance than the American missionary and did not have the same experience.

Recruiting Korean laborers for the Russo-Japanese War Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection

I his article, Bernadou described the city as having seven gates ― four of them being principal ones. Characteristically, he only named two of them (South Gate and North Gate) and failed to describe them.

As he approached the gate, one can imagine Bernadou was somewhat apprehensive as he was greeted by "great numbers" of the city's residents. The infamous destruction of the General Sherman (an American merchant vessel that had sailed up the river to the city in hopes of establishing trade) nearly two decades earlier was a well-known story in the open ports of China and Japan, and helped perpetuate the perception of the city being filled with a hostile, bloodthirsty and xenophobic population.

But the American experienced "no ill-treatment from the people" who merely had "a great laugh at [his] appearance" and told him that he "was the first European who had entered" the city. This claim is something Bernadou would later repeat in a letter describing his travels to the Smithsonian but with a slight modification ― "As I know that I am the first authorized European that has entered [Pyongyang]." In his article published in Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York he conceded that "Catholic missionaries had, of course, preceded me, and I knew that one was there at the time, though I did not see him."

The shrine at Kija's tomb in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection

Despite having spent 10 days in Pyongyang, Bernadou's account is agonizingly anemic with descriptions. One of the main streets ran from the river to the North Gate and was the primary commercial zone of the city ― "lined with shops and filled with booths."

"[Pyongyang] is rather a commercial than a manufacturing centre. Beans and peas, grown in very great quantity in the northern parts of Corea, find a chief market here. Iron goods manufactured in the province, silk, cotton stuffs, tobacco, hides, and goods brought from China across the northern frontier, all are to be seen. In exchange from the south come paper, rice, articles of bamboo, and such foreign goods as come in at the treaty ports. The silk industry, as the Coreans are beginning to realize, has a promising future; there is considerable gold, coal and excellent iron in the province."

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 1: Collecting

2023-05-13 10:15 | About the past

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 2: Goyang and Beyond

2023-05-20 12:21 | About the past

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 3: Gaeseong, the old capital

2023-05-21 09:15 | About the past

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 4 - Gaeseong's passive defiance

2023-05-27 15:52 | About the past

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 part 5: Gaeseong's bridges and tombs

2023-06-12 12:27 | About the past

By the end of the 19th century, Pyongyang would be the hub for several Western gold mining concessions as well as a thriving coal industry. It would also become a center of missionary activity and would eventually become the "Jerusalem of the East."

Besides natural resources and potential trade, Pyongyang was rich with history. Bernadou, surprisingly, wrote about some of the historical sites around the city that he visited:

"Below the city, along the river bank, may be followed a mound of earth marking the site of the walls of the old city, founded over two thousand years ago by [Gija] the so-called civilizer of Corea. Although no portion is standing, yet its line can be easily followed. At one point within are the remains of the stone foundation of a pavilion said to mark the site of the old palace. There is near by a well, called [Gija's Well], deep and very narrow, lined with smooth, rounded stones."

Kija's tomb in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection

Not content with just visiting Gija's ruined city, Bernadou also went to Gija's tomb, located in a grove of pine trees on a hill just north of the city.

"The approach is through an outer court; the mound is about ten feet in height and twenty in diameter. Along the paved path leading from the court are two lines of stone figures facing each other. There are three on each side, each one of a pair being the same as its opposite; the two nearest the mound are in the shape of rams and are neatly carved from blocks of granite. The others represent Coreans in a dress something like that now worn, but having their hands meeting in front of the body, holding rods of stone."

Kija's tomb ― Bernadou's great temptation Robert Neff Collection

Perhaps we can excuse our young naval officer for not exploring more of the city and its surrounding area because Mother Nature was definitely working against him. It seems that he was under the belief that the rainy season had ended ― he was wrong.

"The river rose fifteen feet (4.6 meters). It undermined the wall in several places, swept away the houses along the bank, partly flooded the plains, and it became impassable for boats."

A water carrier uses empty kerosene tins in the late 19th or early 20th century. Robert Neff Collection

As soon as the weather permitted it, Bernadou bade farewell to the city and started for Uiju, a city on the Yalu (Amnok) River. It was his intention to travel from Uiju, along the river and into the heart of the northern peninsula and eventually arrive on the shores of the Pacific Ocean (East Sea). Unfortunately, things did not go as he planned. In a letter to the Smithsonian, he wrote:

"Owing to the change of food, I had trouble with my digestion and was compelled to return to [Seoul] for medical aid… [and] was compelled to retrace my steps. I made a journey of over five hundred miles [805 kilometers], however."

Pyongyang's city wall and Chilseong Gate in the late 19th century Robert Neff Collection

Following his return to Seoul, he did not venture very far from the capital as he had been instructed by his doctor (most likely Dr. Horace N. Allen) to take it easy until he fully recovered. Eventually, the naval officer did resume his exploration of the peninsula but, to the best of my knowledge, never made it to the east coast.

In closing his letter to the Smithsonian, Bernadou wrote:

"I would add that the Korean officials have been very kind to me, affording me every facility for traveling, furnishing me horses at government rates, and giving me lodging on my way, in the official buildings."

A traveler on horseback in the Pyongyang area in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection

Bernadou's traveling account, despite his reluctance to describe the places he visited in detail, is a refreshing read and it is relatively devoid of disparaging comments about his Korean hosts or his experiences. Bernadou's writing was the exception and not the rule.

My appreciation to Diane Nars for allowing me to use some of her images.

A view of Uiju and its South Gate in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books, including Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.