A Comparative Study Of Translation-led Western Learning In China And Korea In Early Modern Times

Since the first encounter of Western culture with Eastern culture in the 16^th century by the coming of Western missionaries to China, cultural exchange between the two has been active and productive. Translation-led Western learning in China and Korea has brought great influences in various social aspects in the two nations. While according to cultural morphology theory, China and Korea belong to the same Confucian community in East Asia and share the same value system and moral standards, differences can be found in their respective modernization courses initiated by the translation-led Western learning.This comparative study analyzes the historical and social backgrounds of Western learning in both countries after a chronological review of their translation history and the history of their respective cultural exchange with the West. Due to the crucial and leading role translation has played in the introduction of Western learning and the reshaping of national culture in both nations, this thesis also explores, via a comparative analysis of their translation works and cultural activities, the deep-felt impact of the activities of the Chinese and Korean translators, the translation organizations and Western missionary translators in the two countries during their Western learning processes.The paper conducts a comparison of cultural impacts wrought by translation-led Western learning and the cultural flexibility in China and Korea, focusing on major differences created by translation-led cultural choices of the two countries, assisted with a discussion on differences in time and modes in Western learning. This comparative study intends to seek possible enlightenment for the modernization and cultural regeneration of China and Korea.