THROUGH THEIR NEIGHBORS’ EYES: INTERACTIONS AND RELATIONS BETWEEN KOREA, JAPAN AND CHINA DURING THE MING-QING TRANSITION by SIMENG HUA A THESIS Presented to the Department of History and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts March 2017 THESIS APPROVAL PAGE Student: Simeng Hua Title: Through Their Neighbors’ Eyes: Interactions and Relations between Korea, Japan and China during the Ming-Qing Transition This thesis has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in the Department of History by: Ina Asim Chairperson Andrew Goble Member Yugen Wang Member and Scott L. Pratt Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded March 2017 ii © 2017 Simeng Hua iii THESIS ABSTRACT Simeng Hua Master of Arts Department of History March 2017 Title: Through Their Neighbors’ Eyes: Interactions and Relations between Korea, Japan and China during the Ming-Qing Transition In the period from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century, East Asia witnessed changes in the Chinese tribute system, the downfall of the Ming Dynasty, the Manchu invasion of Korea, the establishment of the Tokugawa bakufu in Japan, and the prosperity of the High Qing era. This extraordinary period disrupted the existing China- centered diplomatic system; however, at the same time, a fertile ground was created for new perceptions of the respective immediate neighbor for each individual state. In the struggle to achieve or maintain domestic and external stability, intellectuals, officials, and even commoners reflected on ways to express their individual and communal narratives that contributed to their nation’s history. This thesis explores Sino-Korean and Sino- Japanese cultural and diplomatic interactions from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century based on primary sources with a special focus on diplomatic envoys’ travel reports. iv CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Simeng Hua GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene Minzu University of China, Beijing DEGREES AWARDED: Master of Arts, History, 2017, University of Oregon Bachelor of Arts, History, 2013, Minzu University of China AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: East Asian History Chinese History PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Teaching Assistant, Department of History, University of Oregon, Eugene, 2013-2015 v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 Literature Review ................................................................................................... 1 Sino-Korean Studies ....................................................................................... 1 Sino-Japanese Studies ...................................................................................... 7 Research Method .................................................................................................. 11 Primary Sources ..................................................................................................... 12 Korean Travel Accounts by Diplomatic Envoys: Yǒnhaengnok .................... 12 Documents by Japanese Authors .................................................................... 14 Other Related Documents ................................................................................ 16 Goals and Introduction .......................................................................................... 17 II. MING AND QING CHINA THROUGH THE EYES OF JOSEON ENVOYS ... 21 Women as Carriers of Fading Memories .............................................................. 22 Women as Victims and Heroines in Turbulent Times ........................................... 26 Women as “Mobile Lonely Islands” ...................................................................... 32 Talented and Educated Women ............................................................................ 37 III. JOSEON BETWEEN SINOPHILIA AND SINOPHOBIA ................................. 42 In Favor of Restoring Trust in China .................................................................... 43 Neo-Confucianism and the Concept of “Revering the Zhou, Longing for vi Chapter Page the Ming” ........................................................................................................... 47 Joseon as Protector of Han Civilization ................................................................ 51 The Silhak School and a New Perception of the Qing ........................................... 55 IV. INTERACTION AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN CHINA AND JAPAN DURING THE SENGOKU ERA (1467-1603) .......................................................... 60 The Tally Trade System ........................................................................................ 61 Sakugen’s Tribute Missions to Ming China .......................................................... 63 Japan’s Understanding of China and the Chinese .................................................. 66 Sakugen’s Leisure Observations and Associations ................................................ 68 China’s Understanding of Japan and the Japanese ................................................ 71 Mutual Concepts about the Sino-Japanese Relations ............................................ 74 V. SINO-JAPANESE INTERACTION THROUGH THE TOKUGAWA ERA ....... 77 Haijin and Kaihai .................................................................................................. 78 Japanese Pirates ..................................................................................................... 80 Japan under the Sakoku Policy ............................................................................... 83 The Reconstruction of the Ka-i Worldview .......................................................... 86 The Reconstruction of the Hua-yi Concept ........................................................... 89 VI. CONCLUSION...................................................................................................... 91 Summary ............................................................................................................... 91 vii Chapter Page Comparison ............................................................................................................ 94 APPENDIX: JOSEON AND JAPANESE ENVOYS MENTIONED IN THE THESIS ....................................................................................................................... 97 GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................ 101 REFERENCES CITED ............................................................................................... 103 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Literature Review This thesis explores the cultural, diplomatic and ideological interactions within East Asia from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century with a focus on three topics: the China-centered tributary system, the conceptualization of gender, and piracy issues. The goal of this thesis is to trace and compare the interactions and relations between Ming-Qing China and its major neighboring states Japan and Korea. The connections between China, Korea and Japan have always been an intriguing topic for historians studying Asia. A considerable number of studies have been conducted on the history of the individual empires and dynasties, their interactions, and interrelations. In the following paragraphs, scholars and works that inspired and contributed to the rethinking and reinterpretation of East Asian relations starting in the sixteenth century portrayed in this thesis will focus on three categories: Sino-Korean studies, Sino-Japanese studies, and East Asian studies. 1.1.1 Sino-Korean Studies Major topics in the field of Sino-Korean studies that relate to the focus of this thesis include the Sino-centric tribute system, the dynastic transition of the Ming to the Qing, travel essays of Korean envoys, the concept of “Chonchu Samyong” 尊周思明 (Revering the Zhou and Longing for the Ming), associations between Korean and Chinese literati, and the Neo-Confucian Silhak School. Primary Korean documents, known as the Yǒnhaengnok 燕行錄 (Travel Reports of Korean Envoys), serve as the basis for much of the knowledge and understanding of Korean and Chinese relations. Chen Shangsheng 陳尚勝 can be considered as the pioneer 1 of studies on these primary documents. He pointed out the value of Yǒnhaengnok and suggested the use of these Korean diplomatic records as supplementary material for studies of Ming and Qing China. Chaoxian wangchao duihuaguan de yanbian 朝鮮王朝 對華觀的演變 (Changes of the Choson Empire’s Attitude towards China)1 is Chen’s major contribution to Sino-Korean studies. It was published in 1999 before studies of the Yǒnhaengnok attracted much attention. This work provides fundamental and instructional ideas for the study of both Sino-Korean relations and Sino-centric diplomatic and maritime and is frequently referenced in current Sino-Korea studies. The Chinese historian Ge Zhaoguang 葛兆光 also made a vital contribution to this field by providing a more cultural perspective for the research of the Yǒnhaengnok. In his essay collection titled Xiangxiang yiyu: du lichao chaoxian hanwen yanxing wenxian zhali 想象異域—讀李朝朝鲜漢文燕行文獻札記 (Imaging A Foreign Land: Reading Journals of Classic Chinese Documents