“This river is where the boundary between them and us is formed. It’s either the bank or the water. One’s ethics and the laws of nature are much the same as that riverbank. The path is not to be found elsewhere, but here, in between.” (Segye Choegoui Yeohaenggi Yeolhailgi Sang [The World’s Best Travels: The Jehol Diary Vol. 1], Bookdramang, 2013)
Pak Jiwon was a civil servant, silhak scholar, and writer of the late Joseon period.
1. Life
Pak Jiwon (1737-1805) was a civil servant, silhak scholar, and writer of the late Joseon period. He was a promising talent, yet he gave up pursuing a career in government and immersed himself in only studying and writing. He primarily associated with people of seo-eol origin, including Pak Chega, Yi Seo-gu, Seo Sang-su, Yu Deuk-gong, and Yu Geum. While spending time with them, he wrote stories such as “Yangbanjeon” (“The Tale of a Yangban”) and “Yedeok Seonsaengjeon” (“The Tale of a Soiled yet Virtuous Master”), in which he criticizes the social conditions. When his cousin, Pak Myeong-won, was appointed as an envoy to celebrate Emperor Qianlong’s seventieth birthday and was dispatched to the Qing dynasty, he accompanied him, and they traveled together in Beijing and Jehol. Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary) was composed at this time. He wrote in such an unconventional and witty style that it became a target of “Munche Banjeong,” a literary reform movement under King Jeongjo.
2. Writing
Prominent in Pak’s works are the “new paradigm for the human ideal” and his view that Qing Dynasty should be used as a source of learning rather than excluded, grounded in the idea of “a return to practical wisdom.” In his Korean novels written in Classical Chinese, characters who are looked down on and marginalized are portrayed as exemplary figures. For example, in his short stories, “Gwangmunjajeon” (“The Tale of Gwangmun”), “Yedeokseonsaengjeon” (“The Tale of a Soiled yet Virtuous Master”), and “Minongjeon” (“The Tale of the Old Man Min”), the protagonists are a fool, a man who handles human waste, and an old man derided for his lack of accomplishments at the age of seventy. They are all figures viewed with contempt and excluded from society. However, Pak highlights the exemplary qualities they possess and presents them as role models.
Pak’s ideology is evident in his most famous work, Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary). He argued that true learning lies in things that benefit people in everyday life and promote social prosperity. This is reflected in his explanation of the use of bricks and in his detailed descriptions of the new culture of the Qing dynasty in Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary). Meanwhile, in the chapter “Okgap Yahwa” (“A Night Conversation in Okgap”), he tells a story that later came to be known as “Heosaengjeon” (“The Tale of Scholar Heo”). Through this story, he points out the emptiness of the Northern Expedition theory and criticizes the incompetent court officials of the time. Furthermore, he emphasizes the importance of commercial development and active exchange with Qing Dynasty.
Reference
Hojil·Yangbanjeon (The Tiger’s Roar; The Tale of a Yangban), Chongmok, 1994
Yeolhailgi Sang-Ha (The Jehol Diary, vols.1–2), Dusandonga, 1996
Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary), Sol Books, 1997
Geureotamyeon Doro Nuneul Gamgo Gasio (Then Close Your Eyes Again and Leave), Hakgojae, 1997
Hojil·Yangbanjeon·Heosaengjeon oe (The Tiger’s Roar; The Tale of a Yangban; The Tale of Scholar Heo and Other Stories), Bumwoosa, 2000
Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary), Bumwoosa, 2001
Uri Gojeonsoseol Hanmadang (A Festival of Our Korean Classical Fiction), Hyemoon Books, 2001
Yeonamjip, jeon6gwon (The Collected Works of Yeonam, all 6 vols.), Areum Publishing, 2002
Kwon Geun et al., Areumdaun Uri Gojeon Supil (Our Wonderful Classical Essays), Eulyoo Publishing Co., Ltd., 2003
Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary), Taeilsodam Publishing Co., Ltd., 2003
Heosaengjeon (The Tale of Scholar Heo), Sol Books 2003
Naneun Kkeolkkeol Seonsaengirao (I Am Mr. Guffaw), Bori, 2004
Yeolhailgi, jeon3gwon (The Jehol Diary, all 3 vols.), Bori, 2004
Gojeon Ilgiui Jeulgeoum (The Joy of Reading Classics), Sol Books, 2004
Yeonam Sanmunseon (Selected Prose of Yeonam), Geosong Media, 2005
Gochujang Jageun Danjireul Bonaeni (That I Send a Small Jar of Gochujang), Dolbegae, 2005
Kim Sisup et al., Uri Gyeoreui Mihaksasang (The Aesthetic Spirit of Our People), Bori, 2006
Cheongsonyeoneul Wihan Yeonam Bak Jiwon Soseoljip (Selected Works of Yeonam Pak Jiwon for Young Adults), Booksea, 2006
Jongnoreul Meunge Mojori Hwangchungilse (Indeed, the Jongno Streets Are Overrun with Locusts), Ilsong Media, 2006
Yeonamjip, jeon3gwon (The Collected Works of Yeonam, all 3 vols.), Dolbegae, 2007
Jigeum Joseonui Sireul Sseura (Write a Poem of Joseon, Now), Dolbegae, 2007
Yeonam Sanmun Jeongdok (A Close Reading of Yeonam’s Essays), Dolbegae, 2007
Segye Choegoui Yeohaenggi Yeolhailgi Sang-Ha (The World’s Best Travels: The Jehol Diary, vols. 1–2), Greenbee, 2008
Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary), Dodulsbook, 2008
Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary), Haseo Publishing Co., Ltd., 2008
Yeonam Sanmunseon (Selected Prose of Yeonam), Dream & Hope, 2008
Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary), Hongsin Munhwasa, 2008
Barame Tteoreojin Gogeum (The Past and Present in the Wind), Munjahyang, 2009
Yeonamjip (The Collected Works of Yeonam), Jimanjigojeoncheonjul, 2009
Yeolhailgi, jeon3gwon (The Jehol Diary, all 3 vols.), Dolbegae, 2009
Yeonam Sanmun Jeongdok 2 (A Close Reading of Yeonam’s Essays, vol. 2), Dolbegae, 2009
Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary), Dongsuh Publishers, 2010
Yeonam Sanmunseon, Cheonjurilgi (Selected Prose of Yeonam, Reading 1,000 Lines), Zmanz, 2011
Kim Su-eop, Bak Jiwonui Hanmunsoseol: Hanpundo Mot doeneun Geunomui Yangban (Kim Su-eop, Pak Jiwon’s Korean Novels Written in Classical Chinese: A Worthless Yangban, Not Worth a Dime), Humanist, 2013
Segye Choegoui Yeohaenggi Yeolhailgi Sang-Ha (The World’s Best Travels: The Jehol Diary, vols. 1–2), Bookdramang, 2013
Yangbanjeon oe (The Tale of a Yangban and Other Stories), Forest of Knowledge (Nexus), 2013
Yangbanjeon·Heosaengjeon oe (The Tale of a Yangban; The Tale of Scholar Heo and Other Stories), Pureun Saenggak, 2013
Hannune Ikineun Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary at a Glance), Tree’s Dream, 2013
Nangsong Yeolhailgi (Reading the Jehol Diary Aloud), Bookdramang, 2014
Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary), Maewoldang, 2016
Yangbanjeon Hojil Heosaengjeon (The Tale of a Yangban; The Tiger’s Roar; The Tale of Scholar Heo), Maewoldang, 2016
Yeonam Bak Jiwon Soseoljip (Selected Works of Yeonam Pak Jiwon), Holy Wave Plus, 2016
Hanguk Sanmunseon 7 (Selected Korean Prose, vol. 7), MINUMSA Publishing Group, 2017
Choi Seongyun Gyosuwa Hamkke Ingneun Heosaengjeon/Yangbanjeon (Reading The Tale of Scholar Heo and The Tale of a Yangban with Professor Choi Seong-yun), Seoyounbiram, 2019
Yeolhailgi 1 (The Jehol Diary, vol. 1), Swiyom, 2020
[Keungeuljachaek] Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary [Large Print]), Dodulsbook, 2020
Nangsong Yeonamjip (Reading The Collected Works of Yeonam Aloud), Bookdramang, 2021
Swipge Ingneun Yeolhailgi 1-2 (Easy Reading of The Jehol Diary, vols. 1–2), Booksea, 2021
Yeonamjip jeon6gwon (The Collected Works of Yeonam, all 6 vols.), Korean Studies Information, 2023
Yeonam Cheokdok (The Short Letters of Yeonam), Zmanz Korean Literature, 2024
[Keungeuljachaek] Yeonam Cheokdok (The Short Letters of Yeonam [Large Print]), Zmanz Korean Literature, 2024
Joseonui Yangsim, Yeonam Bak Jiwon Soseoljip (Conscience of Joseon, Selected Works of Yeonam Pak Jiwon), Somyong Publishing, 2024
Reference
Yeolhailgi (The Jehol Diary), Translated by Kim Hyeol-jo , Dolbegae, 2009
Hangukgojeonmunhaksa Jakpumnon 5 Hanmungojeon (A Study of Korean Classical, Vol. 5: Korean Classics Written in Classical Chinese), edited by Institute of Korean Literary History, Humanist, 2017
Lim Junchul, “The Evolution of the Concept of Illusion in Yeonhaengrok and Park Ji-won's ‘Hwanhuigi’”, Korean Cultural Studies, no. 53, Research Institute of Korean Studies, Korea University, 2010
LTI Korea 
DLKL 
SIWF 
