[KS] Earliest European account of Korea?

[Frank Hoffmann]

>but who was "Pere Regis" whose Memoires are 
>given as the source of the geographical account 
>pp529-537?


Père Régis ... the Jesuit Pater Régis:
His birth name is Jean-Baptiste Régis 
(1663-1738), born in Istres près d'Aix, France, 
and from 1698 in China. He was a trained 
cartographer and mathematician, and also know his 
way through astrononmy. Together with his fellow 
missionaries Joachin Bouvet (1656-1730), also a 
trained mathematician, and Xaver-Ehrenbert 
Friedelli (1673-1743). They followed the Chinese 
emperor's orders to create an atlas of the 
empire, beginning in 1708. In order to do so, 
they were able to travel to and along the Great 
Wall and to Manchuria, which is were Régis was 
able to get other Chinese and likely Korean maps, 
and other written accounts of Korea.
Having looked through Korean sources as regards 
to connections to Westerns painting, I noticed 
that the mentioned Fridelli had also direct 
contact with Koreans in the Chinese capital ... 
paintings, medicine, and other items were 
exchanged with Korean delegations. See e.g.: Yi 
Ûihyôn, To'gokchip, k. 26, 5a-5b.

Among other things, it seems, Régis (also with 
Bouvet and others) was also the first translator 
of the Yi Jing ['I Ching' in Wade Giles, Book of 
Changes] -- into Latin -- later edited by Julius 
Mohl and published in Stuttgart and Tübingen in 
1834:
http://stabikat.sbb.spk-berlin.de:8080/DB=1/SET=2/TTL=21/SHW?FRST=22


Hope this helps.

Best,
Frank


-- 
--------------------------------------
Frank Hoffmann
http://koreaweb.ws