The Jehol Diary

The Jehol Diary (Yeolha Ilgi) is a work by the Joseon dynasty silhak scholar Bak Jiwon, written in classical Chinese. Bak, also known by his pen name of Yeon'am (燕巖), made an extensive tour of what was then the northern territory of the Chinese Qing Empire, including Shenyang, Beijing and Rehe Province (formerly romanized as Jehol), in 1780, in the company of his cousin. Bak's cousin had been dispatched to the Qing imperial court by the Joseon king Jeongjo to attend the 70th birthday celebrations of the Qianlong Emperor.

The Yeolha Ilgi (the result of the trip) takes the form of a travelogue. However, the scope of the diary is vast, covering such disparate topics as history, customs, natural surroundings, politics, economics, and poetry. Both the scope of the work and the quality of its writing have earned it a place as a masterpiece and an important source for Chinese and Korean historians.^[1] A partial English translation was published in 2010 under the title The Jehol Diary.^[2]

The Yeolha Ilgi is divided into twenty-six chapters in ten volumes. The chapter headings are as follows:

Prologue (서 序)

This is a 15-day record from the Yalu River, which shows interest in the welfare of the use of ligature and bricks.^[3]

This is a five-day collection of events ranging from ten years old to a small Mt. blacksand.^[3]

It is a description of the area encompassing the bridge from Shingwangnyeong to Sanhaigwan.^[3]

It is a record of travel from Sanhaigwan to Yeongyeong. In particular, it features a story about Baek-I and Sukje, and a story entitled 'Hojil'^[3]

It is a five-day record from the Yeongyeong to Yeolha.^[3]

It is a discussion with Chinese scholars in Taehak about the theory of sturaculture.^[3]

It is sixty different stories heard outside the Old North Gate.^[3]

It describes the transportation system as a six-day record that returns to the Yeongyeong from heat.^[3]