The society of the high Qing during the 18th century as observed by a Korean envoy to Beijing, in Yi Tongmu’s Ru Yan Ji
Wang Zhenzhong, Institute of Chinese Historical Geography, Fudan University, P.R.C
As a result of Sino-Korean tributary relations, from the Ming dynasty Korean envoys wrote many memoirs (e.g. Chochon nok(朝天录) and Yonhaengnok(燕行录)) about their journeys back and forth from China, and these memoirs provide a great deal of vivid and interesting materials which cannot be found in Chinese historiography of the same period. Yi Tongmu(李德懋) was sent to China in the second year of King Chongjo’s reign(1778) and wrote an excellent memoir about his journey. This article focuses on the society of the high Qing during the 18th century, including Chinese personalities Yi met in literary circles, the political situation of the high Qing period, the landscape of his journey, the circulation of Chinese books, and cultural communication between China and Korean. The primary materials include the Ru Yan Ji(入燕记), written by Yi Tongmu, as well as other rare books held in the Harvard-Yenching Library. In conclusion, the author points out that Chinese books held abroad contain invaluable materials for the study of Chinese history, and help us understand Chinese society from a special angle. Korean books in Chinese are important materials for the study not only of traditional Sino-Korean cultural relations, but also of the history of late imperial China. The social and cultural history of the Qing dynasty should be studied against the whole background of East Asia.
[5] 哈佛燕京图书馆收藏有大批朝鲜珍稀汉籍史料,具有重要的学术价值,有待于学界的深入挖掘和整理。参见:Martina Deuchler.,“The Korean rare books: A sampling”,载《燕京的宝藏》(The seventy-fifth anniversary exhibit catalogue of the Harvard-Yenching Library: Treasure of the Yenching. 2003)。概乎言之,不仅有大批著作未见于《燕行录选集》及《燕行录全集》(关于这一点,笔者已收集到不少相关资料,将陆续撰文研究),而且,有的著作虽已收入上述二书,但哈佛的藏本仍有其特别的价值。以柳得恭的《并世集》为例,该书虽已收入《燕行录选集》上册和《燕行录全集》卷60(两种版本相同,以下简称《燕行录》本),但哈佛燕京图书馆所藏的日本学者藤塚邻抄本《并世集》(以下简称哈佛本),与上述二种出自不同的祖本,故可以相互校勘。兹举一例为证,《并世集》卷2有“纪昀”条:作者: lishi 时间: 06-4-10 11:20
《燕行录》本
哈佛本
两种抄本之异同