Assistant Professor of the School of Arts and Social Sciences Dr Lok-yin Law has recently been awarded over HK$80,000 from the Korea Studies Grant of the Academy of Korean Studies. The funding will support his research project, namely “Exploring New Frontiers in Yŏnhaengnok Studies: Unveiling the Spatial and Visual Dimensions of Qing-Chosŏn Relations”, making HKMU the first self-financing institution in Hong Kong to receive the grant.

By developing a historical geographic information system, Dr Law will study Qing-Chosŏn relations, related diplomatic and economic activities during the Qing Dynasty by reconstructing social scenes in the famous Korean literary work “Yŏnhaengnok”.

“Yŏnhaengnok” records the adventure of Korean envoys in Beijing (then Yanjing) during the Qing Dynasty. Dr Law's historical geographic information system will be supported by a map software to recreate the visual and spatial landscape of Yŏnhaengnok, realising the footsteps of Korean envoys in Beijing at that time. Through this, he will study the political, economic, social and cultural aspects reflected in the work, so as to enrich the historical materials for future research in humanities and social sciences.