Ginseng and Borderland

Ginseng and Borderland explores the territorial boundaries and political relations between Qing China and Choson Korea during the period from the early seventeenth to the late nineteenth centuries. By examining a unique body of materials written in Chinese, Manchu, and Korean, and building on recent studies in New Qing History, the author contributes new perspectives to current understandings of the remarkable transformation of the Manchu Qing dynasty (1636-1912) from a tribal state to a universal empire. This book discusses the early Manchu history, intermingled as it was with neighboring Koreans in the borderland, and explores the Qing Empire’s policy of controlling Manchuria and Choson Korea. Kim also contributes to Korean history of the Choson dynasty (1392-1910) by challenging conventional accounts that embrace a China-centered interpretation of the tributary relationship and, instead, stressing the agency of Choson Korea in the formation of the Qing Empire. This study explains how the Koreans interpreted and employed the tributary relationship in order to preserve the boundary—and peace—with the suzerain power. By focusing on the historical significance of the China-Korean boundary, the book ultimately defines the nature of the Qing Empire through the dynamics of contacts and conflicts under both the cultural and material frameworks of its tributary relationship with Choson Korea.

Seonmin Kim is Associate Professor at the Research Institute of Korean Studies at Korea University.