From the “Nationals of the superior country” to the “Scumbags”: The reversal of the image of Chinese in Korea at the late 19th century (1896–1899)

After the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, the social status of the Chinese in Korea changed dramatically, and so did their image. They were viewed as the nationals of the superior country beforehand, but were considered “unruly,” “uncivilized,” “barbaric,” and “unsanitary and dirty” thereafter. This research aims to explore how and why this reversal of image happened by focusing on the reportages of the Independent from 1896 to 1899. The Independent, or Tongnip Sinmun, was one of the modern newspapers influenced by the Western civilization. Published fully in Korean, the Independent was meant to enlighten the Korean multitudes by reporting the situation of the nation to the general public. From 1896 to 1899, the Chinese were put in a position of “nationals without treaty,” which led to the fall of their status in Korea due to lack of protection of their country. Their image was further damaged because of the rise of Korean nationalism, which was elaborated along with the modernization. By examining the Chinese in Korea at the end of 19th century and the change of their image, this research tries to illustrate an intensive case of “Othering,” (that is, the birth of the Overseas Chinese) for the reason that they were considered to be not only superior, but also “Us” in the Hua-Yi system(華夷體系)before the War, and foreigners because of the Korean nationalism.