Pak Chega (; November 5, 1750–1805) was a Korean philosopher. He was of the school of
Practical learning (Silhak) in the late
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 ...
. He was a student of
Pak Chiwŏn.
Background
Pak Chega was a famous Silhak scholar in the late Joseon Dynasty. He was a student of another famous Silhak scholar,
Pak Chiwŏn. Pak Chega was born in 1750 and died in 1815. Pak Chega went to the
Qing dynasty
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 ...
after becoming a student of Pak Chiwŏn. He learned about China's modern culture, advanced techniques, and its economic system while there. After returning from Qing, Pak Chiwŏn worked in
Jiphyeonjeon, a place where important scholars and scientists worked, during the time of King
Jeongjo.
Legacy
Because the Joseon government supported 'Yuhak', a neo-Confucianist conservative ideology, Pak Chega had an important role and his desire was to make
Joseon
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 ...
rich in science and commerce.
He authored several books; the compilation is titled, ''Jeongyungyp.'' He wrote about making the commerce system stronger in ''Umyoungnomchogo'' and ''Gunyeonjib''. At that time, it was quite shocking to believe in
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 ...
, whose ideas opposed Yuhak.
Pak Chega developed the way of agriculture, and he also enhanced some of the farming machinery to cultivate plants.
Bukhak theory
He argued that using the cart to develop local commerce and at the same time develop strong ships to actively enter foreign trade in his book,
. He called for improving the reality and proactively embracing the culture of the Qing Dynasty. He argued for the abolition of Joseon's status system, and considered commerce and industry important. He said, " If we actively take advantage of the natural environment of Joseon, which is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and develop it into maritime trade, the national power will become strong and the livelihood of the people will be stabilized."
Books
* Bukhagui (북학의 北學議) :
* Jeongyujip (정유집 貞否集)
* Myeongnongchogo (명농초고 明農草稿)
* Hangaekgeonyeonjip (한객건연집 韓客巾衍集)
* Sigo (시고 詩稿)
* Muyedobotongji
''Muyedobot'ongji'' (; ''Muye Dobo Tong Ji'') was a Korean martial arts text written by , Pak Chega, and Paek Tongsu and published in four volumes in 1795. It was commissioned in 1790 by King Jeongjo (r. 1740–1810). It expanded on the eigh ...
(무예도보통지 武藝圖譜通志)
References
Further reading
* Kim Haboush, JaHyun and Martina Deuchler (1999). ''Culture and the State in Late Chosŏn Korea.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 40926015
* Lee, Peter H. (1993). ''Sourcebook of Korean Civilization'', Vol. 1. New York: Columbia University Press. ; ;
OCLC 26353271
* Noh, Daehwan
''Korea Journal.'' Winter 2003.
External links
조선일보 2010.02.23
1997년 08월의 문화인물:초정 박제가(楚亭 朴齊家)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pak, Chega
1750 births
1815 deaths
18th-century Korean philosophers
18th-century Korean poets
Joseon scholar-officials
Joseon Confucianists
Neo-Confucian scholars
18th-century Confucianists