A Study On Geography Of North China In Ming Dynasty

The series of travel notes Jocheonrok (朝天录) left by Joseon emissaries who traveled to and recorded what they saw and heard in China are very precious historical documents for us to study Ming China. Especially, it is possible to use Joseon emissaries’travel notes systematically to do research on geographic issues on North China in the Ming Dynasty, for the reason that they recorded lots of geographic landscapes and phenomena such as post roads, cities, passes and scenic spots. Studying geographic issues on North China in the Ming Dynasty by using Jocheonrok can not only supplement what were recorded in Chinese historical materials and thus give us a more detailed and comprehensive image of North China, but also provide another perspective for the research on the activities, memories and mentalities of Joseon emissaries and Sino-Joseon relationship.Doing research on the geographic issues of North China in the Ming Dynasty recorded in Jocheonrok monographically could not only sum up the relevant contents in Jocheonrok in a systematic way, but also make it possible to conduct further analysis. There are five topics in this thesis:1. Geographic writings in Jocheonrok;2. Ming Post Roads and relevant institutions;3. Dongbaljeom (东八站) of Liaodong;4. Military landscape of North China;5. Ming Beijing. These five topics cannot be exhaustive. However, they try to connect text, institution, politics, military affairs and culture to geographic records, which help to advance our understanding of Ming China and relevant issues about Sino-Korea relationship.