The Basic Cultural Attitudes of the Chosŏn Dynasty Toward the Ming and Qing Dynasties

The Chosŏn Peninsula was an important component of the ancient Chinese world system and served as the most significant vassal state of China during the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Although it was one of China’s vassal states, Chosŏn’s cultural attitudes toward successive Chinese dynasties differed markedly from those of other vassal states. This was because Chosŏn upheld the Confucian traditional view of Chinese orthodoxy, as the principle of its interactions with China. The completely different cultural attitudes of Chosŏn toward the Ming and Qing dynasties are a typical example. Historically, scholars who have studied Sino–Chosŏn relations have occasionally noticed this phenomenon, but rarely explored it in detail. The Chosŏn dynasty was founded on Neo-Confucianism, and the orthodox view of Confucianism greatly influenced it. This orthodox view had a profound and significant impact on Sino–Chosŏn relations, and its significance should not be underestimated.