New Directions for Research and the Tradition of Yeonhaengrok

Abstract

The tradition of yeonhaengrok is enmeshed with the tradition of Korean missions to China. Korean literati from the late Goryeo wrote of their experiences in Ming China using the titles Jocheonrok and Gwangwangrok. It is well-known that the term jocheon has a connotation of experiencing the land of the son of heaven. Gwanwang, which has an equally strong connotation of experiencing the superior culture of the Ming, was also widely used in early Joseon as the title of such records. After establishing the involuntary diplomatic relationship with the Manchu Qing after the fall of the Ming, such records were titled yeonhaeng (going to Beijing) in order to erase the connotation of sadae (serving the great). Out of the approximately 380 extant records from Korean missions to China, approximately 280 were written during the Qing period. Approximately 120 were written during the eighteenth century, making the eighteenth century the “peak” of yeonhaengrok. Among the eighteenthcentury yeonhaengrok, Kim Changeob’s Nogajae yeonhaeng ilgi, Hong Daeyong’s Yeongi, and Bak Jiwon’s Yeolha ilgi have been extensively researched as paragons of yeonhaengrok literature. Yi Giji’s Ilam yeongi, recently discovered to have great significance, includes extensive descriptions of the cultures, institutions, and technologies of China and the West. It also deserves a multifaceted examination and analysis as one of the representative yeonhaengrok works of the eighteenth century. From the yeonhaengrok writings that have been collected and compiled so far, works of translation and annotation have centered around the works of Bak Jiwon, Hong Daeyong, and Kim Changeob. Academic research from disciplines such as literature, history, philosophy and arts on yeonhaengrok have also centered around the aforementioned works. There is a clear need for translation and research activities to expand and cover other yeonhaengrok writings. From here, I believe systematic and collaborative research on the yeonhaengrok-specific system of discourse, specific modes of production and circulation of knowledge, culture, and information in premodern East Asia, and the significance of yeonhaengrok written in vernacular Korean vis-a-vis pieces written in classical Chinese, would allow a systematic understanding of the common aesthetic foundation of the yeonhaengrok writings in their entirety.