VOL.69/2024.04

A Diplomat’s Pick

2022.10.04

“Yeonhaengnok (燕行錄)” is a very special collection of Korean travel literature. Marco Polo’s The Travels of Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta’s Rihla, and monk Hyecho’s Wang Ocheonchukguk Jeon are travelogues about the writers’ trips to other countries, but Yeonhaengnok is different from typical travelogues as it is a journal about diplomatic activities. The book is a well-organized, systematic travel journal written by former diplomats of Korea cumulated over a long period of time. It is very unlikely to find something of its kind anywhere in the world except in Korea. One of the best-appraised Yeonhaengnoks in Korea is The Jehol Diary written by Park Ji-Won as he returned from China in 1780.

The book The Jehol Diary (Green Bee) is a travel journal of events that took place over a 3,500km round trip of the Joseon diplomatic corps, as they departed from Seoul (Hanyang) in 1780, arrived in Beijing via Dandong, Shenyang, and Sanhaigwan in China, traveled to Seungdeok, where the emperor was staying for a summer vacation, and then back to Seoul. Even though it is a diplomatic travel journal, The Jehol Diary is a general compilation of records about the politics, society, economy, customs, geography, history, public atmosphere, and climate of China at that time. It also describes all sorts of new and unique experiences the corps experienced as they traveled to the destination for diplomatic purposes. These records include the exchanges they had through handwritten conversations with the Chinese people who the author met on the way to Beijing, the perceptions and attitudes of the Chinese toward the Qing dynasty court at the time, and the behavior of Qing dynasty officials. Moreover, in spoken language, Park vividly describes the manners and ceremonial procedures of Joseon’s envoys when they had discussions with the emperor of the Qing dynasty, which are difficult to know the ins and outs today, as well as the greetings they used during the discussions, as if they were being aired on television.
The true beauty of The Jehol Diary is its attitude to and its evaluation of the customs and systems that the writer experienced while travelling to many countries. In the book, writer Park Ji-Won’s travel to China is his first overseas trip in his life. There, he witnessed numerous unique, advanced technologies, such as brick-built walls, advanced transportation systems, road systems using carts, and the recycling of manure. Such an experience gave him thoughts on improving the society and economy of Joseon, which was far more underdeveloped than China at that time. His envy of advanced technology and culture and his will to improve the people’s lives and develop the economy by introducing them to Joseon are evident throughout his book.
The Jehol Diary shows the beauty of travel literature as well. One day, the writer stops at Gubeikou (古北口), a part of the Great Wall, on his way to the destination. He takes out a brush under the moon, writes his name on one of the bricks, and says, “Now I’m alone under the Great Wall in the dark, the moon falls, and the river cries. The wind is bleak, and fireflies are flying through the air. Every encounter is a surprise, marvelous and bizarre.” The heart of a traveler who travels abroad falls to pieces in the moonlight.
Modern people leave many traces of their trips. Park Ji-Won’s The Jehol Diary is not a record written on a desk, but a travelogue written on the road. This is a record left with a brush during its journey, as on a horse, while traveling a long way. It is truly an extraordinary record, and it is a record of emotions, impressions, and experiences that are difficult to describe. In short, The Jehol Diary is the on-the-ground record of overall diplomatic activities and one of the best travelogues that shows the essence of diplomatic exchanges that the Korean people have been carrying out with neighboring countries that have never stopped in history, to foster peace and friendship.

Pyohaerok (Seohaemunjip) is a travel story written by Choi Bu on the King’s orders as he returned from China five months after his unexpected trip to China. The journey had been challenging, as he was first deployed to Jeju Island by order of King Seongjong, met a storm at sea on his way back to his hometown on a boat after hearing his father’s sudden death, and drifted off the coast of Gangnam, China.
The 43 people on the boat with Choi Bu encountered strong waves at sea and suffered moments of life and death for approximately two weeks. The group, drifting ashore, met pirates along the way, overcoming the danger of death. They are then sent to Beijing. In this process, they get to have a very special journey to China that no Joseon people could experience. Traveling the Gangnam area, which had never been visited by a Korean diplomatic envoy, gave Choi Bu and his group an unprecedented chance to experience China across the entire history of Joseon. Such an experience also aroused great curiosity for the King of Joseon, as it was an important reference for the King’s diplomatic policies.
The part that you must not miss in Pyohaerok is that Choi Bu clearly reveals Joseon is the country that succeeded Goguryeo. The Chinese people asked Choi Bu, “What kind of technology did your country have that could defeat the Sui and Tang soldiers?” Choi Bu replied, “Wise servants and brave generals led the army, and all the soldiers loved their superiors and died for them.” He also added, “Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo are now combined to form one dynasty. The present Joseon inherits the legitimacy of Goguryeo, which defeated the Sui and Tang dynasties.”
Choi Bu’s Pyohaerok has been the subject of much interest and research even today. As the book is a record of detailed situations, customs, and public sentiments of inland China, which was not available to outsiders due to the Ming dynasty’s policy of maritime trade prohibition, it is of great help for the study of history and folklore. Although this book is a Chinese document from the past, it is still an introductory guide to traveling and research in China, which is still valid today.

Written by Yuh Pok-Keun (Diplomat at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in China)