The talk will begin with an introduction to the framework of the Dr. Xiuzhi Huang’s forthcoming book The Anxious Kingship: Chosŏn Korea’s “Small China” Mind and Historical Writing Practice, followed by a discussion of the kingship caught in the “Great Ritual Controversy” between Chosŏn and the Ming Dynasty.
The “Great Ritual Controversy” of Emperor Shizong profoundly changed the political structure and national sacrifice rituals of Ming China while causing great concerns to the Chosŏn king and his ministers. The Chosŏn King dispatched envoys to Beijing one after another to celebrate Emperor Shizong’s victories in the “Great Ritual Controversy” – dispatches that helped bring Sino-Korean relations into a new dimension. Nevertheless, Chosŏn allusively criticized the “Great Ritual Controversy” against a backdrop of domestic political struggles, reflecting Chosŏn’s distinctive power structure and scholar-bureaucratic politics.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.
Speakers
Dr. Xiuzhi Huang is a professor at Ludong University, China. He earned his PhD from Fudan University and conducted research as a postdoctoral fellow at Shandong University.
His research involves Chinese classical philology and ancient literature, Ming-Qing history, premodern East Asian history (especially Sino-Korean relations and Confucianism). Currently, he is working on premodern Sino-Korean diplomatic relations in the context of kingship and East Asian Confucianism with two projects funded by the National Social Science Fund of China. His forthcoming publications include a monograph entitled The Anxious Kingship: Chosŏn Korea’s “Small China” Mind and Historical Writing Practice (China Social Science Press, 2024).