Organizer: Yoong-hee Jo, Academy of Korean Studies
Chair and Discussant: Grace Koh, University of London
Old Korean materials such as Samguk yusa and Samguk sagi show that Mt. Baekdu
has been considered a sacred mountain by Koreans. Furthermore, this mountain
is often considered as the place where Koreans' ancestors originated. Nowadays,
even with the division of the peninsula, South and North Koreas share the same
idea that Mt. Baekdu continues to have historical and national significance.
Now, however, Mt. Baekdu geographically belongs to two countries: the
southern part of the mountain to North Korea and the northern part
to China. This mountain also caused serious border disputes between Qing China
and Joseon Korea during the pre-modern period. Ultimately, Mt. Baekdu can
be discussed as an important border in East Asia that can provide clues of
cultural understanding as well as a historical and geographical background
of the region.
Our panel discusses the cultural significance of Mt. Baekdu while examining
diverse materials, especially those written up to the early twentieth century
by Koreans, Chinese, and Westerners. The examined materials are primarily travel
records, and they offer hints of how this one mountain is perceived by people
from different cultural backgrounds. Finally, this research can be expected
to contribute to a dialogue on the present hot issues surrounding Mt. Baekdu.
Ik-cheol Shin, Academy of Korean Studies
The 18th century is the dividing line in Korean classical literature of Mt.
Baekdu. Before the 18th century, Mt. Baekdu was regarded as a far, remote
area at the northern edge of Joseon Korea’s territory and therefore it was
not well described in literature. Beginning in the 18th century, as geographical
and astronomical research increased and many maps were created, people’s
concept of national territory changed. As a result, Mt. Baekdu became significant
as a landmark of national territory. In 1712, Joseon government officials visited
Mt. Baekdu and built a stone post establishing its border with Qing China. This
event created a conflict between Joseon and Qing and amplified people’s
interest in Mt. Baekdu. One remarkable change was the establishment of the
backbone structure of mountains on the Korean Peninsula originating from Mt.
Baekdu. This backbone structure first appears on the maps from the 18th century.
This presentation examines the descriptions of Mt. Baekdu in Korean classical
literature and compares descriptions from before and after the 18th century.
This comparison will show the change of people’s concept about national
territory in Joseon and the significance of Mt. Baekdu in the concept of
national territory.
Hyung-dae Lee, Korea University
Literature on traveling to Mt. Baekdu written by Korean intellectuals is
not rare in Korean history, including the period of Japanese annexation. This
presentation reveals the historical significance of travel literature written
in the 1920s and focuses on works by Min Taewon, Choe Namseon, and An Jaehong.
In the 1920s, Japanese imperialists devised policies to assimilate Korea
into the Japanese Empire and the colonial government distorted Joseon’s
history and culture. Japanese scholars invented ideas such as “the passiveness
of Joseon’s history” and “the lack of Joseon’s identity”.
Travelogues written by Joseon intellectuals in this era exhibit counterarguments
against these invented ideas.
Intellectuals including Min Taewon, Choe Namseon, and An Jaehong visited
Mt. Baekdu, which was regarded as the origin of the Korean nation. There,
they tried to experience the dynamics of Korean history, which was still ongoing
and everlasting. Therefore, their travelogues, in which the authors’ feelings
while standing in front of beautiful scenery appear, are also ethnographical
in terms of containing myths, folklore, local traditions, and beliefs about
the Mt. Baekdu area. In short, their travelogues aim at constructing a “Korean
nation” in the imagination.
Yoong-hee Jo, Academy of Korean Studies
There is no doubt that Mt. Baekdu has been considered a sacred mountain among
Koreans. However, Chinese and Westerners have also understood this in their
own way based on both direct and indirect experiences, which is revealed by
this presentation. Materials written or published until the late nineteenth
century will mainly be discovered.
During the pre-modern period, Qing China raised diverse disputes on Mt. Baekdu,
its common border with Joseon Korea. Historical and geographical records of
the Qing dynasty such as Qing shilu show Chinese perceptions about the mountain,
which include both personal and official opinions. When the Joseon dynasty opened
its doors in the late nineteenth century, Westerners could also visit the mountain
and some left interesting records containing their travel experiences, i.e.
British Captain A. E. J. Cavendish's Korea and the Sacred White Mountain. Western
visitors tried to show their own ideas and perceptions about the mountain while
observing Koreans' way of understanding Mt. Baekdu. This presentation is expected
to expand the objective horizon of understanding East Asian borders especially
based on cultural and historical aspects.
|
