So observed Xu Jing (1091–1153), a celebrated calligrapher and eclectic scholar of late Northern Song (960–1127) China, in the summer of 1123 while on the envoy to Koryŏ (935–1392) commissioned by Emperor Huizong (r. 1100–1125). Marveling at what to him are the bizarre local customs of ordinary Koryŏ people, Xu Jing forms his self-identity as “Chinese,” as reflected in his conscious choice of the term “zhongguo ren.”

Xu Jing's Illustrated Account describes the various aspects of Koryŏ in its prime; at the same time, it offers important clues as how Song elites conceptualized the “Chinese” civilization vis-à-vis the others in a post-Tang world characterized as “China among equals.” Undoubtedly, the Illustrated Account is an invaluable source for research into Koryŏ society and culture as well as Northern Song foreign relations. The field has long awaited the translation of this work into English.

Under the title A Chinese Traveler in Medieval Korea, Sem Vermeersch offers a fully annotated translation of the Illustrated Account with a remarkably informative and deftly crafted fifty-page “Translator's Introduction.” In the introduction, Vermeersch provides the reader with a substantial body of knowledge for understanding the far-reaching implications of the Illustrated Account. Based on an extensive survey of the relevant classical Chinese sources, modern Korean-language research, and scholarship to date in the English-speaking world, Vermeersch gives a detailed historical account of the Song-Koryŏ relations.

Among the neighboring “barbarian” states, Koryŏ was the model vessel state to Song's (960–1279) suzerain. In order to keep Khitan Liao (907–1125) in check, Song had to ally with Koryŏ since its dynastic founding. The Song-Koryŏ relations were not without tension: the diplomatic contacts between the two were cut off for four decades starting in 1030, after Koryŏ made peace with Liao. However, throughout the Song period, Koryŏ regularly traded with Song merchants. According to the Official History of Koryŏ (Koryŏsa), after the first Song merchant arrived in the Korean peninsula in 1012, over 5,000 merchants came to trade with Koryŏ for 206 years until the end of the Southern Song (1127–1279). Of all diplomatic missions in the history of the Song-Koryŏ relations, the Xuanhe embassy attracts special attention because it took place only three years before the Jurchens laid siege to the Song capital Kaifeng. Apart from the rituals of condoling the death of the former king and bestowing the emperor's investiture on the new king, the Xuanhe embassy had the covert purpose of persuading King Injong (r. 1122–49) of Koryŏ into aligning with Song against the formidable Jurchin Jin (1115–1234) state.

In the introduction, Vermeersch also reconstructs the biography of Xu Jing, building upon the “account of conduct” of Xu Jing appended to the original text. Mustering relevant information from a broad range of secondary sources on the late Northern and early Southern Song eras, Vermeersch explains why Xu Jing composed the Illustrated Account and describes in vivid detail how the original text survived the fall of the Northern Song. Moreover, in comparison with Chinese embassy reports on Koryŏ as well as the relevant documents on the other countries, Vermeersch also argues that Xu Jing's work belongs within the tradition of “embassy accounts,” and reveals the possible limits of Xu's views of Koryŏ.

Rather than a personal travelogue, the Illustrated Account is an official embassy report, which incorporates previous reports of earlier envoys, for Emperor Huizong's view. Xu Jing intended to produce a definitive version of “foreign intelligence gathering” on Koryŏ by gathering all relevant information on its geography, culture, political and social institutions, customs, mores, culture, etc. Subdividing the contents into a number of short, descriptive entries, the Illustrated Account features the historical background of Koryŏ; the dynastic lineages of the Koryŏ kings; the layout of the capital city; information about bureaucratic systems, military organizations, religious practices, local customs, reception rituals, and renowned Korean intellectuals such as Kim Pusik (1074–1151); and detailed information on maritime networks, sea lanes, and travel routes between Mingzhou, China, and the Korean peninsula, as well as the Northern Song shipbuilding industry and seafaring technology.

The annotated translation of the text, combined with a set of well-made illustrations, some reconstructed from existing research and some of Vermeersch's own creation, makes it a highly accessible, informative, and enjoyable read. Scholars of Chinese classical learning might disagree to a certain extent with some of Vermeersch's translations of technical terms and archaic Chinese phrasings; however, his translation on the whole deserves praise in many respects. By collating Vermeersch's translations with the original text, one can see the careful steps he took to combine precision with readability, and appreciate the full strengths of his translation. For a long time to come, Vermeersch's work will serve as the standard translation of the Illustrated Account. This work will encourage aspiring scholars and students of both Korea and China studies not only to revisit the Song-Koryŏ relations but also to reconsider the full implications of the “Chinese world-order,” especially during the period when an affluent and culturally efflorescent “China” underwent the “disgracing” chapters of dynastic fall and alien rule amidst massive socioeconomic changes.