뉴스레터

China started in 2003 a ten year project called 'Publication Project of New Qing History' (Qing History Project, henceforth), but it hardly gets any attention from Korea except for a few scholars. While the 'Northeast Project' which China started around the same time has gained great interest from Koreans so that most Koreans are aware of it now, the Qing History Project has somehow escaped the attention of Koreans even though it is a much more important project in its scale and significance. The Qing History Project was launched motivated by zealous appeal from Qing historians and aided by enormous financial support from the Chinese central government. As a result, approximately 1,500 scholars are participating in this gigantic project for ten years, and now it is about to reach its conclusion. Considering its magnitude and importance, it should have received much more political, academic, and practical attention than it has received so far.

Legacy of the Qing Dynasty Defining Present China

The aim of the Qing History Project is to correct the flaws of Qing Shi Go [淸史稿], a history book that was published in the early 20^th century but not included in the 24 books of Authentic History, and to publish it as a new edition. It is a 100-volume book that contains 30 million characters. Considering the fact that the 24 books that cover Chinese history from Shiji and Hanshu to Mingshi have 35 million characters altogether, the scale of the New Qing History can only be said enormous. Along with the publication of this new history book, numerous literary works, official documents, and picture albums were systematically collected and arranged to be published, and many overseas theses and papers were translated as well. All these show how earnestly and studiously China has put efforts into this project of reviving Qing history. In two or three years, we will be witnessing with our eyes a new history of Qing that consists of 10 volumes of introduction and 90 volumes of historical records.

Then why is China making so much efforts to include the history of Qing (1644~1912) in the Chinese authentic history? The key practical reason for this emphasis on Qing history is that the legacy of the empire with a vast territory and an immense mutliethnic population, which was accomplished in the Qing period, is in fact the foundation of the present China. Id est, the legacy of Qing is what defines today's China. Thus understanding and highly and positively regarding Qing's history can imply the same understanding and high regard to the present reality of China. The phrase that Qing historians employed in order to persuade the Chinese government "Prosperous time produces history books" politically hits the mark.

The Chinese Project of Qing History and Current State of Qing History Research

In order to expound the reasons and meanings of the Qing History Project, our research team has been tackling this issue for the past three years with the support of the NAHF. Our research has already produced two books, Jungguk-uy Cheongsagongjeong Yeongu [중국의 청사공정 연구, A Study on the Chinese Qing History Project] (2008) and Jungguk Yeoksahakgye-uy Cheongsa Yeongu Donghyang [중국 역사학계의 청사 연구 동향, Contemporary Chinese Historians' Approach to Qing History] (2009), and another Jungguk-uy Cheongsa Pyeonchan-gwa Cheongsa Yeongu [중국의 청사 편찬과 청사 연구, The Chinese Project of Qing History Publication and Research] (2010). The third book, which I introduce here, concludes the analytic efforts of the Korean historians on the Qing History Project. Like the previous two books, Jungguk-uy Cheongsa Pyeonchan-gwa Cheongsa Yeongu [중국의 청사 편찬과 청사 연구, The Chinese Project of Qing History Publication and Research] (JCPCY, henceforth) was motivated by the attempt to investigate the process of the Qing History Project, its historical, practical and academic significances, and its implications to Korea. Since it was an on-going project continued for 3 years, however, the focus sometimes shifted and hence in the book 5 researchers have individually analyzed each of their interest areas in the Chinese Qing History Project. This method enables us to examine the project in a number of different angles.

In the first article 'Jungguk-uy Cheongsagongjeong Yeongusanghwang 2002~2009 [중국의 청사공정 연구상황 2002~2009, The State of the Chinese Qing History Project 2002~2009]', Prof. Jun-gap Lee (Inha University) summarizes the progress of the Qing History Project based on research papers and official publications produced hitherto by the Project committee. Meticulous examination of the progress of the Project has led Lee to concern over possible repetition of 'fact distortions', committed during the publication of the Chinese government-led publications of the traditional Authentic History books, to this Qing History Project, since the Project leaders including Prof. Dai Yi [戴逸] are eager to reflect the governing ideologies of the Chinese government in the publication.

Prof. Hye-won Cha (Yonsei University) introduces Japanese approaches to Qing history, which have provided the academic root and basis for the presently dominant US school of Qing historians, namely School of New Qing History, in her article 'Cheongdae Chojungki Jeongchimwunhwasa-uy Jaengjeom Bunseok [청대 초•중기 정치문화사의 쟁점 분석, Issues from the Political and Cultural History of the Early and Mid-Qing Period]'. An important point is made that travelogues, in which Chinese and Japanese historians take great interest as valuable historical material, should receive greater attention from the Korean history field.

The article 'Cheongjo-uy Sudolon-gwa Hwangje-uy Sunhaeng [청조의 수도론과 황제의 순행, The Idea of Capital City and Imperial Tours of the Qing Dynasty] by Yeong-hyeon Jo (Hongik University) investigates the Manchurian practice of multi-capital cities, its management and characteristics, as part of an attempt to understand the governing system of the Qing Dynasty. Particularly, the article inquires into the political, social and economic implications of the southern expeditions by Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong.

The last two articles are my own 'Cheongdae Hugi Jeongchisa Yeongudonghyang-gwa Jaengjeom Bunseok [청대 후기 정치사 연구동향과 쟁점 분석, An Analysis on Approaches and Issues on the Political History of the Late Qing Period]' and Prof. Heyjung Jung (Ewha University)'s 'Cheongdae Sangeop•Geumyung•Hwasang Network-mang-uy Guseong-gwa Byeonhwa [청대 상업•금융•화상네트워크망의 구성과 변화, The Construction and Transformation of the Network of Commerce, Banking, and Han Merchants in the Qing Period]'. These two articles examine the research works on the late 19^th century China. The former article points out the 'conservativeness' of the Chinese history research field where 'the discourse of revolutionary history' still prevails. It also examines the recent statements and papers by Prof. Dai Yi, the leader of the Qing History Project, and introduces and analyzes the draft of Tongji [通紀], which is to be the backbone of the New Qing History that will be published in the future. The latter article focuses on the networks of Qing (modern) Chinese merchants and merchant groups that were booming after the reformation and opening, and discusses the configuration and changes of major Qing merchant unions, Shanxishangren [山西商人, merchant of Shanxi] and Shanxipiaohao [山西票號, banking agency of Shanxi], and situations and characteristics of the Chinese banking networks in East Asia.

The book summarized here might look somewhat like a mélange of articles, but in combination with the previous two books, it helps us understand the Chinese Qing History Project in various angles.