Title: Respect China and Expose Evil: The Image of the Ming Dynasty in the Works of the Korean Envoys to China

Abstract: In the Ming Dynasty, China and Korea maintained a very close relationship. The Korean nation absorbed Chinese culture and showed a general imagining of “Utopia” to the Ming Dynasty. In the documentary diary Chaotianlu by Korean envoys, the Ming Government was greatly complimented for its prosperous urban economic scene, the progress of civilization and the advancement of its political system. At the same time, since the diary recorded what the envoys experienced themselves in Ming, it was not only able to breach the limitations of the Korean society’s prior images of China, but it also described the ugly image of corrupt officials in the Ming Dynasty directly and truly. Therefore, the image of Ming Dynasty in these works is more complete and true.

Keywords: Korean Envoys, Chaotianlu, Ming Dynasty, prosperity and advancement, corrupt officials

Author: Dongri Xu, Professor, Yanbian University, Yanbian, Jilin, China.