Abstract
The aim of this study is to outline conceptions of Korean history and identity among Confucian literati of Yi dynasty. Main source of the analyse is the primer for young students Tongmong sonsup (....), which was used for the basic education through the most of the dynasty.
Content of this textbook offers us a common and standard view on Korean and Chinese history and allow us to draw general conclusion about the content of education related to this topic. Both Korean and Chinese history are in Tongmong sonsup treated from the Confucian point of view and show a remarkable similarity to the concept of the Genealogy of the Way (daotong).
Another focus of the primer is the constructing of cultural proximity between China and Korea based on the Korean uphold of Confucian values. Strategies to proof that Korea belongs to the civilised Sinosphere and not to the realm of barbarians included various methods like selective interpretation of classical Chinese sources and others but above all the highlighting of Jizi/Kija figure and stressing his legacy and importance for the history of Eastern country.
Concluding part of the book defines the concept of fully civilized and Confucian Korea, rhetorically described as a “Small China”. This metaphor symbolizes equality and close relationship between two Confucian countries and presents the ideological foundation of the Korean traditional education.