This presentation aims to explore the world as imagined by the Chinese during traditional times. First, it examines their early conceptions before substantial contact with the outside world, when only minimal movement was allowed. It then compares this to the imagined world after they became aware of foreign lands. The former can be divided into two categories: the vague, mythical world imagined in ancient myths, and the world envisioned by those who consciously attempted to remove mythical elements. The latter traces the imagined worlds beyond the Taklamakan Desert, Northeast Asia, the vast steppe, and finally, across the sea, highlighting the gradual expansion of their imagined world.
Presenter: Kim Byung-Joon (Department of History, SNU)