뉴스레터

Whenever I consider Korea's geopolitical location, I am reminded of the title of Clark W. Sorensen's famous 1988 book: Over the Mountains are Mountains. This is one of the best books that provide keen insight into the rural society of industrializing Korea during the 1970s and 80s. Not that this book directly addresses the geopolitical reality of the Korean Peninsula, of course. But few would deny that the book's title is a fitting description of the international political environment that keeps pushing Korea into a difficult situation. Few would question, either, that considering the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula, the rapid rise of China in recent years can have a serious impact on the Korean Peninsula.

I don't think I am the only one who thinks that when we discuss recent issues concerning North Korea's nuclear program or the unification of Korea, not to mention the Northeast Project which seems to have been discussed too much already, China's roles have become moer important than those of the U.S. or Japan. This is an irony, considering the long hiatus that once existed in Korea-China relations. But there is no denying the status that China has gained in recent years. Even though we hear about China's politics, economy, and everything else about Chinese society on the news all the time, I have the nagging feeling that our efforts to learn the truth of China are still limited. I don't think it a stretch to say that the study of anything Chinese is still new in Korea.

At least in the past, most of the papers on Chinese history that I read as a researcher of the subject quoted studies by Japanese scholars. Perhaps this is understandable, because getting hands on books from China was almost impossible, until Korea established diplomatic ties with China in 1992, which would break down the political barrier of access to Chinese books and papers. That was actually the reason why Korean researchers on China welcomed the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. With political obstacles removed, getting access to Chinese libraries has never been easier, with the advancement in IT enabling you to review and copy their materials without leaving your desk. The "I-couldn't-find-that particular-research-material" excuse no longer works. I realize once again how fast the world is changing as I recall that it was not that long ago when going through the hassle of flying to China and visiting a local library to copy particular material was a fact of life for a majority of Korean researchers on China.

Europe's Admirable Legacy of Sinology

There is this very interesting book that I have been skimming through lately: La Preuve par la Chine by the French author Isabelle Landry-Deron. Although I haven't read it thoroughly enough to give details, this book basically revisits A Description of the Geography, History, Chronicle, Politics, and Natural Landscape of China and the Manchu People published in Paris in 1735 by Jesuit missionary Jean-Baptiste Du Halde (1674-1743). As Isabelle Landry-Deron pointed out in the conclusion of her book, Du Halde's work was published in French, instead of Latin, the language of intellectuals at that time. As she also reminded the readers, the purpose of Halde's work was not to show off his 'taste for the exotic appeal' of Chinese ceramics or gardens that piqued the European people's interest in China at that time. It was to seek a way to bring the general public to discover the real China.

As Isabelle Landry-Deron explained it, this book was her ambitious attempt to compare the eras of Kangxi Emperor (康熙帝) and Yongzheng Emperor (雍正帝) of China to the era of Louis XIV or Louis XV of France. But what impressed me once again was the legacy of Sinology in France or many other Western countries. In other words, Isabelle Landry-Deron's book wouldn't be here had it not been for Du Halde's work from about 300 years ago. I very much admired the connection established through China between the two French scholars three centuries apart. Korea has also made a good progress in Chinese studies, of course. But I think that there is still a long way to go before we can begin to talk about 'legacy.'

Need Dedication to Build a Long-Term Foundation for Academic Research

Here is an example. As I mentioned earlier, until very recently, many Korean scholars had to make a trip to China to copy various materials, including the many local gazetteers (difangzhi 地方志) published during the Ming and Qing periods. Of course, a considerable number of difangzhi has been photo-printed or made available to view on the Internet. But the Chinese government is publishing numerous local gazetteers named 'New Difangzhi' even as we speak. While Westerners already enjoy easy access to the database of up to 27,000 volumes 'New Difangzhi' running since 1949, we Koreans do not; the next-generation Korean researchers on China might have to start flying to China again to copy these New Difangzhi issues.

I suppose that the Northeast Asian History Foundation, being a public institution, does not have much leeway, as illustrated in the recent controversy surrounding its Northeast Asian History Map project. On the flip side, however, I think that being a state-run institution can also mean that it is capable of making a grand, long-term plan that an individual researcher or a particular private institution couldn't even dream of making. For example, the fact that there is no special library of Northeast Asia in general or China in particular is a problem that an institution like the Northeast Asian History Foundation can consider addressing. Without such insight and dedication to build legacy in the long term, I am afraid that it will not be easy for us to get out of the 'Over-the-Mountains-Are-Mountains' situation.