A Chinese Traveler in Medieval Korea

Sem Vermeersch

Sem Vermeersch

A Chinese Traveler in Medieval Korea

Xu Jing’s Illustrated Account of the Xuanhe Embassy to Koryŏ

In: Korean Classics Library: Historical Materials, 2

Edited by: Robert E. Buswell

University of Hawaii Press | 2016

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824866839

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About this book

"The king and ministers, superior and inferior, move with ritual and refinement. When the king goes on an inspection tour, everyone has the correct ceremonial attributes and the divine flag [troops] gallop in front while armored soldiers block the road. The soldiers of the Six Divisions all hold their attributes. Although it is not completely in uniformity with classic rites, compared with other barbarians it is splendid to behold. This is why Confucius thought it would not be a shame to reside here. And is not moreover Kija's country a close relative of the hallowed dynasty?"

So observed the Song envoy Xu Jing in the official report of his 1123 visit to Korea—a rare eyewitness account of Koryŏ (918–1392) society in its prime. Officially, the purpose of Xu Jing's visit was to condole the new king, Injong, on the death of his father and present him with a letter of investiture; unofficially, he was tasked with persuading Injong to align with Song China against the newly emergent Jin dynasty. Although famous for its celadon and Buddhist paintings, the Koryŏ period is still very much terra incognita in world history because of the lack of translated source materials. The present work, the first fully annotated, complete translation of a key source text on Koryŏ, fills this gap.

Xu Jing spent a little more than a month in the Koryŏ capital, Kaesŏng, but he was a meticulous chronicler, compiling a veritable handbook on Koryŏ that is full of fascinating details found nowhere else on daily life, history, customs and manners, buildings, the military, food, among others. However, Xu Jing was not unbiased in his observations and supplemented his work with unreliable information from earlier chronicles—a fact often ignored in previous studies of the Illustrated Account. In a substantial introduction to his translation, Sem Vermeersch not only places this important work in its historical context, but also reveals both the sources used by the author and the merits and limits of his observations, allowing historians of medieval Korea to make fuller use of this singular primary source.

Author information

VermeerschSem:

Sem Vermeersch is associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies, Seoul National University, and the author of The Power of the Buddhas: The Politics of Buddhism during the Koryŏ Dynasty (2008).BuswellRobert E.:

Robert E. Buswell, Jr. holds the Irving and Jean Stone Endowed Chair in Humanities at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he is also Distinguished Professor of Buddhist Studies in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures and founding director of the university’s Center for Buddhist Studies and Center for Korean Studies.

Reviews

In his outstanding annotated translation Vermeersch has set a high standard for the translation of classical texts on Korea. The translation itself is lucid and eminently readable and supported by a wealth of scholarship on the Koryŏ and Song dynasties. Vermeersch is to be applauded for his unstinting labors in bringing this important text to a wider readership, and it is to be hoped that his work will encourage other scholars to engage in similarly valuable endeavors that are so substantially helpful in developing the field of Korean historical studies outside Korea. This work is a must have for any serious scholar of Korean history and indispensable for those specializing in the Koryŏ period.

There are some 40 reports translated in the book, detailing the founding of the Korean country, its dynastic lineage, the cities, prominent gates, palace halls, official dress, famous Koreans of the time, the military, the arms and weapons, flags and pennants, religion of Taoism and Buddhism the common people, the women, pottery, shipping and shipping lanes. All the reports provided remarkable detail and actual routine.

Frontmatter Free access PDF PDF	i
Contents Free access PDF PDF	v
List of Illustrations Free access PDF PDF	xi
Preface Free access PDF PDF	xiii
Conventions Free access PDF PDF	xvii
Part 1. Translator’s Introduction Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	1
Part 2. Translation: Xu Jing’s Illustrated Account of the Xuanhe Embassy to Koryŏ
Chapter 1. Founding of the Country Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	63
Chapter 2. Dynastic Lineages Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	66
Chapter 3. Cities Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	72
Chapter 4. Prominent Gates Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	80
Chapter 5. Palace Halls, 1 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	83
Chapter 6. Palace Halls, 2 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	87
Chapter 7. Official Dress Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	96
Chapter 8. Famous People Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	100
Chapter 9. Ceremonial Attributes, 1 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	105
Chapter 10. Ceremonial Attributes, 2 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	108
Chapter 11. Guards and Armies, 1 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	110
Chapter 12. Guards and Armies, 2 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	114
Chapter 13. Arms Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	118
Chapter 14. Flags and Pennons Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	121
Chapter 15. Horses and Carts Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	124
Chapter 16. Officials and Offices Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	127
Chapter 17. Shrines and Temples Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	133
Chapter 18. Taoism and Buddhism Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	141
Chapter 19. Common People Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	145
Chapter 20. Women Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	148
Chapter 21. Official Servants Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	151
Chapter 22. Various Customs, 1 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	154
Chapter 23. Various Customs, 2 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	159
Chapter 24. Embassy Guards Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	163
Chapter 25. Receiving the Edict Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	169
Chapter 26.Banquets Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	174
Chapter 27. The Embassy Hostel Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	180
Chapter 28. Tents and Other Accessories, 1 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	187
Chapter 29. Tents and Other Accessories, 2 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	191
Chapter 30. Vessels, 1 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	193
Chapter 31. Vessels, 2 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	196
Chapter 32. Vessels, 3 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	199
Chapter 33. Shipping706 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	203
Chapter 34. Sea Lanes, 1 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	206
Chapter 35. Sea Lanes, 2 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	219
Chapter 36. Sea Lanes, 3 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	222
Chapter 37. Sea Lanes, 4 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	227
Chapter 38. Sea Lanes, 5 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	229
Chapter 39. Sea Lanes, 6 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	231
Chapter 40. Matching Culture Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	236
Account of Conduct of the Deceased Assistant Office Chief of the Department of Punishment of Song, Duke Xu946 Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	246
[Postscript] Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	254
Appendix: Dynastic Lineages Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	257
Notes Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	259
Bibliography Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	341
Index Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	353

A Chinese Traveler in Medieval Korea

Xu Jing’s Illustrated Account of the Xuanhe Embassy to Koryŏ

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