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Jizi, or Qizi (Gija or Kija in Korean), was a semi-mythical sage said to have ruled Gojoseon, an ancient Korean kingdom, in the 11th century BCE. Early Chinese documents claim him to be a virtuous relative of King Zhou of Shang, who remonstrated with the king and was punished for it. After the Shang Dynasty was overthrown by the Zhou Dynasty in the 1040s BCE, he became a political advisor to King Wu of Zhou.<br/><br/> King Wu made Jizi ruler of Chaoxian (Joseon in Korean) as a reward for his loyalty. It is said that he brought many facets of Chinese civilisation to Joseon, such as agriculture and sericulture. He would become a cultural hero in Korea, praised for raising Korean civilisation to the same level as China, and state cults dedicated to him developed in the 6th century CE onwards, with many clans proudly claiming to be his descendants.<br/><br/> The rise of Korean nationalism in the late 19th and early 20th century CE saw his cultural status and achievements questioned and dismissed however, due to many nationalist historians views of the Korean <i>minjok</i> (race-nation) and a refusal to recognise Chinese influence on Korean cultural development.
Kija's Tomb is a burial site located on Moran Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea. The tomb is said to be the burial place of the controversial, semi-legendary Shang sage Jizi (Gija in Korean), a member of the Shang imperial family and relative to the tyrannical King Zhou, last ruler of the Shang dynasty.<br/><br/>Jizi allegedly fled China to Korea, where he founded the state of Gija Joseon and eventually succeeded the Dangun as king of Gojoseon. Legend says that Gija brought to the Korean people many skills from China, such as agriculture and weaving; he is also credited with founding the city of Pyongyang.<br/><br/>The site of Gija's burial mound was identified during the Goryeo Dynasty by King Sukjong, who constructed the first mausoleum at the site in 1102 CE. A memorial temple was later added and the mausoleum was enlarged and repaired in 1324 and again in 1355.<br/><br/>In 1570 King Seonjo of Joseon erected a monument at the site requiring all people riding past to dismount out of respect. When Korea was under Japanese rule, the site was heavily promoted as a tourist venue by the Japanese, who tempered Korean ethnic nationalism by pointing out that the first 'Korean' kingdom was founded by a foreigner.<br/><br/>However, the North Korean government denies Gija's existence as a fabrication of the Japanese, and has neglected and defaced the tomb. The tomb was allegedly excavated in the 1960s, which in turn yielded nothing but broken bricks and pottery. The current state of the tomb is unknown, though it is believed to have been destroyed shortly after its excavation. The site was purposefully excluded from the list of National Treasures of North Korea.