| (1) Exchanges with Song
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Koryo and Song established
friendly relations for a long time. Koryo enforced
pro-Song policies in order to import advanced culture
from Song, and Song wished to join with Koryo in order
to confront the threat from the northern tribes, so
exchanges were active.
Koryo began exchanges with
Song under the reign of King Kwangjong, and later, many
missions visited Song, dispatching large numbers of
students and monks. Merchants also traveled to Song
frequently. Kim Haeng-song and Ch'oe Han, students from
Koryo, studied in Guozijian and Koryo's monk, Uich'on,
studied Buddhist doctrines in Song and brought back many
Buddhist books.
Before this, in the earlier stages of
Koryo, Uit'ong and Ch'egwan sailed to China and engaged
in many activities. Uit'ong became founder of the
Ch'ontae-jong sect in Song and Ch'egwan arranged the
fundamental creed of Ch'ontae-jong in the famous book
entitled "The Creed of Ch'ontaesa".
Many Chinese
subjects were naturalized as citizens of Koryo and
engaged in activities in Koryo. Many were apt writers
and became government officials in Koryo. Ssang Ki
(Shuangji) during the reign of Kwangjong and Zhouzhu
under the reign of King Mokjong are examples of such
personages. The Song envoy, Xujing, wrote "A Pictorial
of Koryo" introducing the things of Koryo to China and
praising the celadon porcelains of Koryo as world
masterpieces.
Trade was active between Koryo and
Song; Koryo exported gold, silver, ginseng, mats woven
with flower designs and works inlaid with mother of
pearl and imported brocades, medicines and books from
Song.
Song porcelains influenced the development of
the celadon porcelain in Koryo, and the Taesong-ak of
Song became the court music of Koryo. |
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| (2) Exchanges with Qidan
and Nuzhen |
From the first stages after
its founding, Koryo enforced a policy to march northward
in order to recover the territories of old Koguryo.
Thus, Koryo often clashed with the kingdom of Qidan
which destroyed Parhae and ruled over Manchuria. Thus,
exchanges between Koryo and Qidan were not active. Koryo
exported grains and stationary and imported silver and
fur from Qidan.
After the destruction of Parhae, the
Mohe tribe lived in scattered groups throughout
Manchuria as well as in the northern frontiers of Koryo.
Some of them referred to Koryo as their parent country
and offered gifts to Koryo as tribute. In the 12th
century, Nuzhen became a powerful nation and founded the
unified kingdom of Jin, and Koryo was subject to the
threats of them.
For this reason, trade between Koryo
and Nuzhen began, but not actively. Koryo imported
silver, fur and horses from Nuzhen and exported farm
implements and grains. |
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| (3) Contacts with Islam
|
The islands of the Saracen
Empire in southwest Asia engaged in active trade with
China, and the Arabian merchants of the Saracen Empire
carried on commerce with Shilla by sailing to Ulsan via
China.
During the Koryo dynasty, large groups of
Arabian merchants arrived at Pyongnan Island to engage
in trade. Pyongnan Island prospered as an international
trading port at the mouth of the Yesong River where Song
and Arabian merchants brought mercury, spices and
corals, and Koryo gave them gold and brocades in
exchange. Through their visits, Koryo became known to
the West and that is how Korea got its Western name.
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| (4) Exchanges with Yuan
|
In the 13th century,
relations between Koryo and Yuan became closer, and they
engaged in active cultural exchanges up to the mid-14th
century. Visitors coming and going did not cease for 80
years and customs were exchanged.
Among the upper
class of Koryo, Mongolian was spoken and Mongolian
customs were practiced as the cultures of the two
countries were mutually exchanged. Marriages were often
contracted between the royal families of the two
countries and a Koryo woman from the Ki family became
Empress to King Shundi of Yuan.
King Ch'ungson of
Koryo built Man'gwon-dang (Hall of Ten Thousand Books)
in Yenching to facilitate scholarly exchanges between
the two. Koryo's Yi Che-hyon and Yuan's Chao Meng-pu
made their scholastic debutes in the
Man'gwon-dang.
Later, many writers of Koryo often
visited Yuan and exchanged their customs.
At that
time, Yuan was a world empire and imported cultures from
various countries. As a result, Koryo was able to import
Saracen culture through Yuan, and the Saracen
developments in science and technology, astronomy,
mathematics and medicines were influencial in bringing
about similiar developments in Koryo. For example, the
astronomical observatory "Soun'gwan" was built, and
observation equipment used for the study of astronomy
was improved, while the Yuan almanac "Shuigkili" was
imported. Metaphysics was introduced from Yuan and the
scholars of metaphysics propelled many social and
cultural reforms. The skills of gunpowder manufacturing
and cotton cultivation were also imported from
Yuan.
In these ways, the Koryo-Yuan exchanges gave
rise to the development of much of the culture in Koryo.
|
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| (5) Exchanges with Japan
and the Southeastern Islands |
Between the 9th and 12th
centuries, diplomatic relations with Japan had been
severed, but with the weakening of the Japanese legal
system, local Japanese military officials began to grow
in power and the Daimyo's or local lords' post-military
forces expanded their power in the west. Thus traders of
western Japan and Tazaifu actively engaged in relations
with Koryo. Japanese envoys and merchants brought
sulphur and mercury to Koryo while Koryo sent them the
Taejanggyong, books and ceramics to be used for tea
ceremonies.
In the latter period of Koryo, relations
with Japan deteriorated. The expedition of Koryo-Yuan
allied forces to Japan failed and the repeated invasions
and attacks by Japanese pirates meant huge losses for
Koryo. Pak Wi, during the reign of King Ch'ang, once
attacked Tsushima, one of the island posts of Japanese
pirates and overturned the pirate forces in 1389.
In
the last days of Koryo, the Loochoos and Thailand of
southeast Asia sent envoys to Koryo to offer their
native products, and Koryo returned the gesture by also
sending them gifts. In this way, there were some
exchanges with the Loochoos and Thailand.
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