청일전쟁기 조선 진하사 - 최초의 성수절 경하와 최후의 대청사행

Abstract

This study explores the disintegration of the traditional tributary relationship between Joseon and Qing through the final Joseon envoy dispatched in 1894 to celebrate Empress Dowager Cixi’s 60th birthday. This mission embodies dual historical significance: it was both Joseon’s last tribute mission to Qing and its first diplomatic mission honoring an empress dowager. Unlike the 70th-birthday mission for Emperor Qianlong, which symbolized harmonious relations, the 1894 envoy represented Joseon’s effort to repair increasingly strained ties under growing Qing interference. Amid escalating tensions preceding the Sino-Japanese War, Joseon’s decision to dispatch the mission demonstrated its commitment to preserving traditional ties while simultaneously seeking diplomatic and military support from Qing. As representatives of a tributary state, the envoy participated in unprecedented ceremonies conferring an honorific title on Empress Dowager Cixi. However, they also witnessed the collapse of the Sinocentric order, as Qing faced military defeats and Pyongyang fell to Japanese forces. Following the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which formally ended Joseon’s tributary obligations and recognized its independence, the envoy returned not as official representatives but as “displaced persons,” repatriated aboard a Qing warship. This transformation symbolized the final dissolution of traditional diplomatic structures under the pressures of a shifting international order and underscored the practical implementation of Article 1 of the Treaty of Shimonoseki.