''The Jehol Diary'' (''Yeolha Ilgi'') is a work by the

Joseon dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

silhak ''Silhak'' () was a Korean Confucian social reform movement in the late Joseon Dynasty. ''Sil'' means "actual" or "practical", and ''hak'' means "studies" or "learning". It developed in response to the increasingly metaphysical nature of Neo-C ...

scholar Bak Jiwon, written in

classical Chinese Classical Chinese is the language in which the classics of Chinese literature were written, from . For millennia thereafter, the written Chinese used in these works was imitated and iterated upon by scholars in a form now called Literary ...

. Bak, also known by his pen name of Yeon'am (燕巖), made an extensive tour of what was then the northern territory of the Chinese

Qing Empire The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

, including

Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

and

Rehe Province Rehe, previously romanized as Jehol, was a former Chinese special administrative region and province centered on the city of Rehe, now known as Chengde. Administration Rehe was north of the Great Wall and east of Mongolia in southwestern M ...

(formerly romanized as Jehol), in 1780, in the company of his cousin. Bak's cousin had been dispatched to the Qing imperial court by the Joseon king

Jeongjo Jeongjo (; 28 October 1752 – 18 August 1800), personal name Yi San (), sometimes called Jeongjo the Great (), was the 22nd monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of Crown Prince Sado and Lady Hyegyŏng, and succeede ...

to attend the 70th birthday celebrations of the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...

. The ''Yeolha Ilgi'' (the result of the trip) takes the form of a travelogue. However, the scope of the diary is vast, covering such disparate topics as history, customs, natural surroundings, politics, economics, and poetry. Both the scope of the work and the quality of its writing have earned it a place as a masterpiece and an important source for Chinese and Korean historians. A partial English translation was published in 2010 under the title ''The Jehol Diary''.Pak Chi-wŏn (translated by

Yang Hi Choe-Wall Yang Hi Choe-Wall (; born 1932) is a South Korean and Australian academic, writer and researcher specialising in Korean literature of Chosŏn period (1392–1910). She was associate professor in the division of Pacific and Asian history, the Aust ...

). ''Jehol Diary.'' Global Oriental, 2010

/ref>

The ''Yeolha Ilgi'' is divided into twenty-six chapters in ten volumes. The chapter headings are as follows: Prologue (서 序)

1. Dogangnok (도강록 渡江錄)

This is a 15-day record from the Yalu River, which shows interest in the welfare of the use of ligature and bricks.

2. Seonggyeong japji (성경잡지 盛京雜識)

This is a five-day collection of events ranging from ten years old to a small Mt. blacksand.

3. Ilsin supil (일신수필 馹汛隨筆)

It is a description of the area encompassing the bridge from Shingwangnyeong to Sanhaigwan.

4. Gwannae jeongsa (관내정사 關內程史)

It is a record of travel from Sanhaigwan to Yeongyeong. In particular, it features a story about Baek-I and Sukje, and a story entitled 'Hojil'

5. Makpuk haengjeongnok (막북행정록 漠北行程錄)

It is a five-day record from the Yeongyeong to Yeolha.

6. Taehak yugwannok (태학유관록 太學留館錄)

It is a discussion with Chinese scholars in Taehak about the theory of sturaculture.

7. Guoe imun (구외이문 口外異聞)

It is sixty different stories heard outside the Old North Gate.

8. Hwanyeon dojungnok (환연도중록 還燕道中錄)

It describes the transportation system as a six-day record that returns to the Yeongyeong from heat.

9. Geumnyo socho (금료소초 金蓼少抄)

10. Okgap yahwa (옥갑야화 玉匣夜話)

11. Hwangdo giryak (황도기략 黃圖記略)

12. Alseong toesul (알성퇴술 謁聖退述)

13. Angyeopgi (앙엽기 像葉記)

14. Gyeon'gae rok (경개록 傾盖錄)

15. Hwan'gyo mundap (황교문답 黃敎問答)

16. Haengjae jamnok (행재잡록 行在雜錄)

17. Banseon simal (반선시말 班禪始末)

18. Huibon myeongmok (희본명목 戱本名目)

19. Chal simnyunpo (찰십륜포 札什倫布)

20. Mangyangnok (망양록 忘羊錄)

21. Simsepyeon (심세편 審勢篇)

22. Gokjeong pildam (곡정필담 鵠汀筆談)

23. Dongnan seoppil (동란섭필 銅蘭涉筆)

24. Sanjang japgi (산장잡기 山莊雜技)

25. Hwanhuigi (환희기 幻戱記)

26. Piseorok (피서록 避署錄)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jehol Diary, The Korean books Books about China 18th-century books Chinese-language literature of Korea Works by Joseon people

Contents