In this study, I selected poems that portrayed Korean among Chinese literature that were produced during Japanese the Japanese colonial period of Korea, and analyzed the contents of “anti-Japanese” and “independence”. In addition, I studied intensive ...
In this study, I selected poems that portrayed Korean among Chinese literature that were produced during Japanese the Japanese colonial period of Korea, and analyzed the contents of “anti-Japanese” and “independence”. In addition, I studied intensively about “How Chinese writers viewed Korea and Korean people at the time?” and “Why did they created literatures about Korean or Korea?” through this study.
In the Japanese colonial period of Korea, many of Korean either immigrated to China to avoid Japanese dominance, or were sent to China in order to the needs of Japan. Independent activists also conducted anti-Japanese campaigns in Korea and China to regain independence of Korea, which had been transferred to the colonial region. Therefore, Chinese writers at the time could directly see the appearance of Koreans under the colonial rule, or contact the news about situation of Korea and Korean independence movement in Chinese newspaper. So those Chinese writers who directly or indirectly contacted the situation of Korea created poems that portrayed the situation of Korea and independence movement in Korea. This is the “Korean sanctions poems” that this study intends to analyze.
In this study, I analyzed the contents of anti-Japan and independency by uncovering the “Korean sanctions poems” that were unknown or not noticed, and merging them with history, society, and cultural background. As a result of analysis, the poetry about anti-Japanese is compressed with the contents of the praise of the independence activists’ courage, mourning to the sacrifice of patriotic martyr, and opposition to the imperialism of Japan. The poetry about independence is mainly composed by promotion of relationship and confirmation of cooperation between China and Korea, Describing a miserable reality of a nation that lost its sovereignty, emphasize the importance of the independence, and Korean people being prosecuted for losing their country. What is unusual about this is that Chines writers used most of actual characters as motif, such as independence activists, support soldiers that participated Chinese-Japanese war and International students who wishes independence of the country.
Then, what would be the reasons why so many Chinese writers created literatures that portrays Korean and the situation of Korea? The intention Chinese writers behind of creating “Korean sanctions poems” can be largely divided into two.
First, it was because they felt sympathy for the reality of Korea because they felt that they were in a similar situation. Around the time when Korea had fallen as a Japanese colony, the Manchurian region of China also had been occupied by Japanese force. After that, Chinese-Japanese war corrupted. In that time and situation, Chinese writers wanted to portray the lives of impoverished Koreans, informing Chinese people about the situation in Korea, and encouraging sympathy for them, which made the Chinese people wat to awaken themselves. In addition, they created works expressing sympathy and compassion for Korea or Korean people to clearly show a positive attitude toward Korea and an attitude against Japanese imperialism.
Second, it was to emulate the patriotism of Korean patriots. At the time, Korean independence activists resisted against Japan in Korea and China, and struggled for the independence of their country by devoting their lives. The Chinese writers created works that portrayed the activities of Korean independence activists and informed public that they wanted to inspire the patriotism of the Chinese people. He also created a work depicting Korea’s massive anti-Japanese movement and the rebellion of independence activists to encourage Chinese people to look back to themselves.
The Chinese writers expressed in various and concrete ways about Korean people and the reality of Korean colonial either negatively or positively, in order to overcome the reality of their country which had become semi-colonial. In addition, through these expressions, they showed their desire for anti-Japanese, independence from Japan and wealth and power, and so on.