This realm in modern Manchuria was founded by a people named Mohe 靺鞨, and during the first period of the Bohai empire the realm was also called Mohe, or Zhenguo 震國. Old Chinese historians identify the old inhabitants of Manchuria, the Sushen 肅慎 and Yilou 挹婁 or Wuji 勿吉, as ancestors of the Mohe. During the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo) 三國 period the Mohe freed themselves from the sovereignity of the Fuyu kingdom 夫余 and sent presents and tributes to the Chinese dynasties. During the Sui Dynasty 隋 the seven tribes of the Wuji are said to have adopted the name Mohe, the largest and mightiest tribe being the Sumo-Mohe 粟末靺鞨. The Sumo submitted to the Sui Dynasty, while the other tribes of the Mohe became subjects of the Korean Koguryŏ kingdom (Chinese: Gaogouli 高句麗). In the next decades most tribes of the Mohe traveled back to the origin territory more north of the Liao River 遼河. In 698 a chieftain named Da Zuorong 大祚榮 who was enfeoffed by the Tang Dynasty 唐 as King of the Commandery Bohai 渤海郡王 founded the Zhen empire and was acknowledged by the Tang court as regional ruler installed by Tang. The first capital of the Bohai kingdom was located near Dunhua 敦化/Jilin, but soon shifted to Longquan 龍泉 (modern Ning'an 寧安/Heilongjiang). During the whole Tang period, the Bohai kingdom controlled the northeast within the Amur River until the sea. Under the influence of the Tang empire, the administration system of the Bohai kingdom was shaped in a style similar to the Tang administration system with three departments (sansheng 三省) and six ministries (liubu 六部) in the central government, and with prefectures (fu 府 and zhou 州) and counties (xian 縣) as local administration structure. The military was organized in 16 guards (shiliuwei 十六衛). Likewise, the economy of the Bohai kingdom assimilated to the Chinese economical conditions and situations because the southern territories of Bohai were inhabited by numerous Chinese. The nomad Mohe people, once engaging in stockbreeding, started to cultivate field crops, in summer even wet rice, and planted mulberry trees. "International" trade was undertaken with the neighboring states and peoples, the Turks, Tang China, Korea, and Japan. Court nobles of Bohai like Pei Ting 裴頲 and Da Mouze 大某則 composed Chinese poems. From the end of the 9th century on some northern tribes of the Mohe began to fight for independency from the central government. In 926 the Bohai kingdom collpsed under the attacks of the neighboring Khitan realm 契丹. The capitals of Bohai were five, following the pattern of the Tang that had a central capital with several secondary capitals: capital prefecture modern place Shangjing 上京 "Superior Capital" Longquan 龍泉府 Ning'an 寧安/Heilongjiang Dongjing 東京 "Eastern Capital" Longyuan 龍源府 Hunchun 琿春/Jilin Xijing 西京 "Western Capital" Yalu 鴨淥府 Ji'an 集安/Jilin Nanjing 南京 "Southern Capital" Nanhai 南海府 Hamhŭng 咸興 ("Xianxing"; DPR Korea North) Zhongjing 中京 "Central Capital" Xiande 顯德府 Dunhua 敦化/Jilin

Kings of Bohai 698-926 title, reign personal name Bohai Gaowang 渤海高王 698-719 Da Zuorong 大祚榮 Bohai Wuwang 渤海武王 719-737 Da Wuyi 大武藝 Bohai Wenwang 渤海文王 737-793 Da Qinmao 大欽茂 The Deposed King (Bohai Feiwang 渤海廢王) 793 Da Yuanyi 大元義 Bohai Chengwang 渤海成王 793-794 Da Huayu 渤海華璵 Bohai Kangwang 渤海康王 809-812 Da Yuanyu 大元瑜 Bohai Xiwang 渤海僖王 812-818 Da Yanyi 大言義 Bohai Jianwang 渤海簡王 818 Da Mingzhong 大明忠 Bohai Xuanwang 渤海宣王 818-830 Da Renxiu 大仁秀 830-857 Da Yizhen 大彝震 857-872 Da Qianhuang 大虔晃 872-894 Da Xuanxi 大玄錫 894-907 Da Weixie 大瑋瑎 The Last King (Bohai Mowang 渤海末王) 907-926 Da Yinzhuan 大諲譔