Earticle

초록

영어

This paper examines a seemingly insignificant subject – a withered tree in a Chinese county. From 1712, it became a persistent subject in Chosŏn travelogues, or yŏnhaengnok 燕行錄. It loomed large in Chosŏn travelogues because, as an outlet of Chosŏn anti-Qing sentiment, the tree was believed to prophesize the predestined downfall of Qing rule. The case of this ordinary object shows that Chosŏn writers’ perception of the Qing landscape was not restricted to their immediate observations but was deeply entwined with beliefs that were prevalent in Chosŏn. The withered tree, a ubiquitous subject in yŏnhaengnok, was completely omitted from the Qing imperial narrative, which was compiled in the comprehensive gazetteers of the empire and local gazetteers. How Chosŏn writers chose to write on Qing localities and landscapes was independent from the imperatives of the Qing imperial narrative, which was sponsored by and in turn endorsed the Qing empire-building process. The parallel relationship between the two narratives allows us to see yŏnhaengnok as fitting into a broader production of narratives in early modern East Asia.

목차

Abstract
Introduction
Foretelling the Barbarian’s Fortune
The Case of the Withered Tree in Chosŏn Travel Writings
Paralleling the Qing Imperial Narrative
The Narrative of the Qing Empire
Conclusion
References

저자

• ZHIJUN REN [ A doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ]

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