Gaogouli County was a county under the administration of Xuantu Commandery located in southern Manchuria and the northern Korean peninsula. It was established by the Han dynasty after its conquest of Gojoseon to keep the tribes of Goguryeo in check. In 75 BC, Xuantu Commandery was forced to move its seat of power from Fort Okjeo to Gaogouli County due to Yemaek raids. From 75 BC to 12 AD, Goguryeo tribes were under administration of Gaogouli County and engaged in tributary relationship with the Han dynasty. In 12 AD, Goguryeo rebelled against the Han dynasty and established its own kingdom, and in 105 AD, began attacking the Chinese commanderies of Xuantu and Liaodong. Later, in the 4th century, the State of Goguryeo conquered Xuantu Commandery, along with the Liaodong and Lelang commanderies, ending Chinese rule over the Liaodong Peninsula, Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula.
Historical controversy
There has been much controversy regarding the history of Goguryeo based on Han rule, as it is a borderland between China and Korea. Goguryeo was traditionally viewed in China as a Korean kingdom,. However, the Serial Research Project on the History and Current Status of the Northeast Border Region, started in February 2002 by the Center for the Study of Borderland History and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences brought attention to Goguryeo, with the aim of construing it as a minority-ruled regime in ancient Chinese territory. The nationalist Chinese argument is that Goguryeo originated from Xuantu Commandery and was also a part of the Tang Dynasty along with Parhae. Ma Dazheng, a Northeast Project researcher, believes that the Goguryeo were "an influential ethnic group in China's border area in northeastern China between the Western Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty". The conclusion made by the Northeast Project is that Goguryeo was a client state of China from the Han to Tang dynasties. This theory has come under criticism from Korean scholars, worldwide experts on Goguryeo and moderate Chinese scholars. On the other hand, Korean nationalist historians see Goguryeo as being formed out of the Yemaek, which also formed Korean nationality. These historians aim to separate more of Goguryeo's history from China.
