『동국세시기』에 나타난 중국 세시풍속의 수용과 변용 연구

Abstract

This study examines the narrative strategy of “searching for Chinese origins” in Hong Seok-mo’s Dongguk Sesigi, investigating how late-Joseon intellectuals constructed the legitimacy and distinctiveness of Korean customs within the framework of their relationship with Chinese culture. The 19th century in Joseon was characterized by intellectual tension between Chinese cultural influence and the pursuit of autonomous identity. Within this historical context, Hong Seok-mo actively engaged with Chinese texts through three strategic approaches: the ‘direct origin theory’, ‘similarity-imitation theory’, and ‘universality-homogeneity theory’. These narrative strategies transcended mere imitation, representing instead a deliberate effort to systematically position Korean seasonal customs within the broader East Asian cultural sphere. More significantly, the research reveals how customs tracing their origins to China underwent substantial reinterpretation within Korea’s unique environmental and sociocultural context. This transformative process demonstrates that cultural exchange operates not as a simple linear transmission, but rather as an active recreation by the receiving culture. Ultimately, the “search for Chinese origins” in Dongguk Sesigi emerges not as an expression of blind subservience, but as a dialectical practice that strategically navigated Chinese cultural hegemony to simultaneously validate and distinguish Korean cultural traditions. This study contributes to our understanding of cultural identity as a dynamic process of continuous reinterpretation rather than a fixed entity, offering significant insights for East Asian cultural historiography.