KOREAN LITERATURE

LAND OF THE MORNING CALM

DIVIDED INTO TWO DISTINCT SOVEREIGN STATES

 South Korea

 North Korea
 EARLY KOREAN LITERATURE

 Early Korea literature was heavy influenced by Shamanism,

Buddhism and Confucianism.

 Began as an oral tradition.

 Korean writings were poems called hyangga.

EARLY INFLUENCES ON KOREAN
LITERATURE
-particularly influences Korean
 Shamanism
emotionalism

 Buddhism - Influences the tendency to control and to

be controlled.
 Confucianism
and Taoism
LANGUAGE

 Korean is the official language of both North and South

Korea.

 Korean has borrowed much vocabulary from the Chinese

or created vocabulary on Chinese models.

 Korean alphabet is known as Hangul in South Korea and

Chosungul in China and North Korea.
CHINESE LITERATURE
 EARLY CHINESE LITERATURE

 Chinese literary works include fiction, philosophical and religious

works, poetry, and scientific writings.

 Traditional Chinese literature developed under the intellectual

influences of Confucianism, Daoism (Taoism), and Buddhism.
PRE-TEST

CHINA KOREA

Cheongsam
Hanbok
 NATIONAL COSTUME
 The cheongsam became a national dress of the Republic of China,
along with the aoqun, a traditional clothing attire of the Han
Chinese women.

 Hanbok is Korean traditional clothing. It is handed down from ancient

Korean times, but today's Hanbok is similar to the style during the Joseon
Dynasty (1392-1910). Since Korea has abundant materials for making dyes,
rich colors are expressed through Hanbok.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
KOREAN AND CHINESE
LITERATURE AND CULTURE
ORIGIN

 Koreans, also known as Hanminjok or Joseonminjok are an East

Asian ethnic group native to the whole Korean Peninsula and
southeastern Manchuria.
 The Han Chinese, Han people or simply Han are an East Asian
ethnic group. They constitute approximately 92% of the
population of China.
CULTURAL DIFFERENCE

 The Chinese culture has evolved from many different Chinese dynasties
and cultural influences. Food, clothing and rituals like tea drinking are all
associated with the Chinese culture.

 The Korean culture is not historically as ancient as the Chinese.

WRITING SYSTEM
 Chinese and Korean writing may look similar at first
glance, but there are quite a few differences between the
two.

 Chinese writing is based on ideograms.

 Korean writing is based on phonetic symbols

WRITING SYSTEM
CHINESE KOREAN

IDEOGRAMS PHONETIC SYMBOLS

FAMOUS LITERATURE

CHINESE KOREAN

FOUR GREAT NOVELS The sijo is the longest-enduring and most

popular form of Korean poetry. Although
• Journey to the West
some poems are attributed to writers of
• Outlaws of the Marsh
the late Koryŏ dynasty, the sijo is primarily a
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms and
poetic form of the Chosŏn dynasty (1392–
• Dream of the Red Chamber were
1910).
written during the Ming and Qing
dynasties.
COMMON THEMES

CHINESE KOREAN

• Nationalism • Loyalty
• Humanism • Order
• Progress • Relationships
• Memory
• Pleasure and
• “cultural china”
 COMMON LITERARY FORMS

CHINESE KOREAN

• Han fu-rhapsody • hyangga ("native songs")

• Tang shi-poetry • byeolgok ("special songs"), or changga
• Song ci-song lyrics and ("long poems")
• Yuan qu-drama • sijo ("current melodies") and
• gasa ("verses").
 CHINESE KOREAN

• Handshake is more preferable • Bowing is more preferred for

than bowing. upperclassmen or elders.
MUSIC
CHINESE
• The music played on the
Chinese instrument is
generally very fast, technically
brilliant, and high in pitch.
KOREAN
• The Korean instrument, by
contrast, is typically played in
a low register, with less
emphasis on technical
brilliance than on the depth
and meaning of the music.
WORK ETHIC
 Working overtime is expected in the work culture in China. Most
Chinese workers hold on to the belief that those who work hard
will be rewarded. And they pride themselves on being hard
workers, and laziness is considered a sin in Chinese culture.

 The Korean work culture is often compared with the military culture.
The reason is the nature of the work ethic. The strict ranks, respect, status,
etc.
 FACTS ABOUT CHINA
 Mandarin is not the only language in China.There are others such as Yue,
Wu, Minbei, Minnan, Xiang, Gan and Hakka. Some regions in China also
have their own dialects.
 Family members living in one home is a reflection of Chinese
success. Elders are highly revered in China. Younger generations are also
expected to take care of their aging family members. They even have an
Elderly Rights Law!

 China is a multi-religious country. Because of its large population,

many world religions have adhered there. However, most Chinese usually
practice Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.
 FACTS ABOUT CHINA
 Chinese people avoid using or mentioning the number “4” as it is
associated with death.

 football (soccer) was not invented in Europe. The first recorded

information about the sport was 2,200 years ago in China. Ancient
Chinese people created the world’s first soccer ball made of
leather. The ball was filled with feathers and hair and the sport was
original called ‘Tsu’ Chu,’ which means ‘kicking ball.’
 You will never eat the same food twice in China. Every region in the
country has their own dishes, distinct flavors, and cuisine.
 FACTS ABOUT KOREA
 Koreans is that they’re automatically one year old at birth.A newborn
baby is considered one year old in South Korea.

 Koreans are the largest drinkers

in Asia.
 FACTS ABOUT KOREA
 South Korea is that Valentine’s Day is when the males receive chocolate
from females, while girls receive sweets on White Day.

 Both men and women are obsessed

with makeup.