1902년 칭경예식과 진연연구

Abstract

‘Hŭidae,’ The term -Hŭidae- a common noun in Chinese, literally means a stage; at its initial period, the name of Hŭidae was more widely used than a proper noun 'Soch'undae' 笑春臺. 戱臺 literally means a stage, was the first royal theater in Korea where Hyŏmnyulsa 協律社 and Wŏn'gaksa 圓覺社 were located. Ch'oe Nam-sŏn 崔南善 named it ‘the first national theater’ in Korea, and he also stated that the background for its foundation lied in ‘Ch'ingkyŏng yesik’ 稱慶禮式 (literally means congratulatory rites) in honor of the fortieth anniversary of King Kojong's 高宗 accession to the throne in 1902. By the way, Kojong imin Chinyŏn ŭigwe ꡔ高宗壬寅進宴儀軌ꡕ (Document of Court Banquet in 1902 of Kojong) recorded the fact that chinyŏn 進宴 (lit. ‘offering banquet’) had been held to congratulate on King Kojong's fortieth enthronement and his expecting to be a sexagenarian called mangyuksun 望六旬 (51 years of age) since December 3rd, 1902. On the basis of this, Sa Chin-sil 史眞實, judging the aggressive chinyŏn, a sort of congratulatory rites to be held on December, 1902, regards this Ch'ingkyŏng yesik as a type of a ceremony belonged to chinyŏn. Actually, the opinion viewing Ch'ingkyŏng yesik as a one-time ceremony has already been perceived in other monographs. In other words, those who hold such an opinion argue that Hŭidae was installed for the use of a ceremony hall for holding Ch'ingkyŏng yesik, while Sa Chin-sil even stated her view that those involved in Hyŏmnyulsa might have kept their business use of it as a theatric space in mind after ‘congratulatory rite’ ended. The proper understanding of Ch'ingkyŏng yesik is really important to its related study because the foundation purpose of Hŭidae and Hyŏmnyulsa could appear differently according to the character and contents of congratulatory rite. This research, with the aim to properly understand the historical background for the foundation of Hŭidae, the first royal theater in our country, deeply considered the promotive process of Ch'ingkyŏng yesik and chinyŏn in 1902 centering on an authentic record for the King Kojong period and Sŭngjŏngwŏn ilgi ꡔ承政院日記ꡕ (Diary of the Royal Secretariat). As a result, congratulatory rite (Ch'ingkyŏng yesik) was a diplomatic state occasion that was supposed to be held as a commemorative event on the westernized way of protocol accompanied by a military parade ceremony, commemorative medal awarding ceremony, and garden party, etc., according to King Kojong's political intention of displaying Taehan Empire's 大韓帝國 modernized appearance and its national prestige and image to western countries. On the other hand, court banquet (chinyŏn) was an in-state royal family-centered occasion arranged for both auspicious events, i.e. King Kojong's expecting to be sexagenarian and the fortieth anniversary of King Kojong's enthronement, as congratulatory banquets after traditional manner. Initially, the in-state court banquet known as nae chinyŏn 內進宴 had been intended to be held starting on October 4th, 1902 [lunar calendar September 3] and to go on with ‘congratulatory rites,’ but both Ch'ingkyŏng yesik and chinyŏn were impossible to be carried out as scheduled due to an abrupt prevalence of disease outbreak around September 20th of that year. Ch'ingkyŏng yesik was delayed until the spring and the autumn of the next year, then being dropped, while the chinyŏn was finally carried out between the 8th and 3rd of December, 1902 after going through several date changes including a delay to the spring of the next year.