A Graduate Student Perspective- Wenjiao Cai, G2, Graduate Student in EALC- Korea Institute Graduate Summer Research Travel Grant-Summer 2013

Thanks to the generous support from the Korea Institute, I had the opportunity to conduct a six-week field-research trip in South Korea this summer. The trip enriched my understanding of the political and social environment of eighteenth-century Seoul, a topic which is currently at the center of my research interests.

The majority of my summer activities were based in Seoul, a city that was witness to dynamic political changes and increasing urbanization throughout the eighteenth century. The materials that proved most helpful in the course of my research were the well categorized maps and paintings housed at Kyujanggak archival collection housed at Seoul National University (SNU). Through these visual resources, I was able to gain a vivid picture of how the ambitious kings in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries projected their authority through maps and paintings, as well as to assess how the monarchy employed these new media to communicate with their ministers and subjects.

In addition to conducting archival research at Kyujanggak Library in Seoul National University and the Institute of Seoul Studies I attended the Korean Studies Workshop and Hanmun Workshop organized by SNU.  A series of lectures offered by experts on various topics informed me of recent academic trends and newly discovered sources, providing me with a better understanding of subjects in the study of Korean history and culture that lie outside my area of specialization. Intellectual exchanges with other professors from SNU likewise equipped me with fresh perspectives from which to analyze my research topic.

During my stay in Korea I was also able to visit many historical sites and interact with Koreans who enriched my understanding of these places. I took a trip to Ch’angdŏkkung palace with Professor Jeong Hohoon from SNU, who recently published several books on palaces and traditional architecture in Seoul. Visiting Ch’angdŏkkung enhanced my understanding of how architectural styles interacted with the changing intellectual and aesthetic trends of the late Chosŏn Dynasty. On another occasion I ventured into the outskirts of Seoul with Professor Pak Hyunsoon, where we toured the former residences of several important figures of the eighteenth century and nineteenth century, such as Chŏng Yakyong (1762-1836) and Yi Hangno (1792-1868).  I also visited

 the Hwasŏng fortress in Suwŏn, which was built by King Chŏngjo (1752-1800) in order to enhance Chosǒn defensive capabilities as well as to honor the remains of his father, Crown  Prince  Sado  (1735-1762).  A  trip  to  Sangju  in  North  Kyŏngsang  Province deepened my understanding of how power struggles waged in the capital altered life in rural areas during the late Chosŏn Dynasty and how local people responded to these changes. I was surprised to find out that nowadays descendants of Chosŏn elite families still gather together at Sangju county school to practice poetry and calligraphy, activities perhaps inherited from their ancestors. 

My summer stay in Korea provided me with the precious opportunity to collect research materials, build connections with Korean scholars, enhance my familiarity with the Korean language, and generally to delve further into the past and present of Korean culture, greatly enriching my life and proving altogether invaluable for my continued academic development.