Dajeong Choi, M.A.

Research interests

My academic interests lie in the intellectual history of China during the late imperial period, with special emphasis on the translation of Confucian scriptures written in Classical Chinese into Manchu and Mongolian. I have conducted philological and philosophical research on materials preserved in libraries and archives around the world. My recent research examines the historical context surrounding the production of Manchu–Chinese and Manchu–Mongolian parallel editions of the canonical scriptures during the Qing dynasty, a multicultural empire in which Manchus, Mongols, and Han Chinese coexisted. I also explore how the Confucian canon, originally established in ancient China, was reinterpreted and subsequently recanonized as it was rendered into Manchu and Mongolian during the Qing dynasty. Ultimately, my doctoral project seeks to demonstrate how these bilingual and trilingual editions were closely intertwined with the imperial examination system, the Eight Banners system, and the educational institutions of the Qing state.

Personal information

I am currently pursuing a PhD in Sinology at LMU Munich. I received my master’s degree from the Academy of Korean Studies, where I wrote a thesis examining the literary exchanges between Joseon envoys and Qing scholars through Classical Chinese and Manchu sources. I completed the coursework for my doctoral program at Korea University, where I majored in Classics Translation Studies with a specialization in Classical Chinese Literature and Philology. At the Institute for the Translation of Korean Classics (ITKC), I received intensive training in reading a wide range of Confucian scriptures written in Classical Chinese. I also pursued advanced study of the Manchu language at the Manchu Studies Center of Korea University. Together, these programs equipped me with the linguistic and philological expertise to interpret primary historical sources of central importance to the field of Sinology.

Other activities

• Principal Investigator (Research grant: National Research Foundation of Korea), “A Study on Manchu Translation Practices in the Manchu–Chinese Editions of the Four Books during the Qing Dynasty” (Sep. 2023 – Aug. 2025).
• Researcher (Research grant: National Research Foundation of Korea), “A Study of Surveying and Analyzing the Research on Korean Studies in English-speaking Academia, and Creating a Topographic Map of the Research in the Digital Environment” (Sep. 2024 – Feb. 2025).
• Research Assistant (Research grant: The Academy of Korean Studies), “Compiling and Building a Database of 19th-Century Accounts Written by Joseon Envoys to Qing China” (Jun. 2019 – Feb. 2021).,