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Ze, Xiaoyi

University of British Columbia

In 1882, a boat carrying Chinese merchants landed at the Korean port of Inch’ǒn, after the conclusion of the Sino-Korean Trade Regulation between Qing China and Chosǒn Korea. These newly arrived Chinese merchants, under the protection of the Qing legation in Chosǒn as guests of Chosǒn's suzerain state, were expected to enjoy favorable privileges in local business and trade in this foreign territory. This thesis examines the evolution of Chinese merchants' economic activities and their daily lives during the late Chosǒn period, with the objective to use the Chinese-in-Chosǒn case to re-cast the way IR understands imperialism and the Qing’s defensive imperialism in Chosǒn in the late nineteenth century. The thesis comprises five chapters. Chapters 1 through 4 chronicle the journey of Chinese merchants, starting from their discrimination in Japanese settlements, the establishment of Chinese settlements in Chosǒn, and their temporary dominance in the fabric business. Despite the challenges stemming from the Qing authorities’ limited understanding of international law and intense competition and conflicts with Japanese merchants, Chinese merchants achieved temporary economic prosperity in the Korean peninsula during the early 1890s. However, their circumstances underwent a significant transformation with the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War in1894. Chapter 5 delves into the difficulties Chinese merchants encountered when all their privileges were revoked. Sino-Korean tributary relations was terminated following the war, but prior to that, the Qing Dynasty made concerted efforts to preserve this relationship. The arrival of Chinese merchants on the Korean peninsula were integral components of Qing's strategy to uphold its suzerain state status over Chosǒn. This thesis posits that Qing China's approach in the Korean peninsula significantly diverged from the intentions and practices of other imperial powers, and it provides a comparative analysis with Meiji Japan's approach for context. Chinese merchants' arrival on the peninsula aimed at competing with their Japanese counterparts and maintaining Qing's authority over Chosǒn. Given the Qing Dynasty's aim to sustain its tributary relationship with Chosǒn, this thesis concludes that the Qing's approach can be characterized as a form of defensive imperialism in late Chosǒn Korea.

Text

2024-04-30

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/88113

Asian Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/