Abstract

JangSi in the late Joseon Dynasty had a very important role. It was used as a social, economic and cultural space. JangSi, regular market, was held every five days and had a lot of influence on the social and economic life of rural communities. As early as in the 18th century, most of the JangSi were unified as a five day interval village market and a market area was formed in each region. The periodicity of JangSi brought about a transformation the life cycle of local residents, which pivoted around the market day. The five day interval market day came to be the unit of interest being charged for a loan. The local market day returning every five days was considered as the time when the goods came out. JangSi was used for the purpose of commodity trading as well as for identifying the price movements and trading situation. People often looked around JangSi for these reasons. As JangSi was invigorated, the production and distribution of goods was developed. Various agricultural produce, handiworks, seafood and livestock were converted to the goods being traded in JangSi. In the process of social and economic changes, women were actively involved in producing and selling goods. Back then it was limited for women to go out freely but economic activities in the market day returning every five days enabled women to go out of town, to have access to information about various culture and life style. As merchants came to have a wide range of activities, product was transported in large quantities and market places were formed by regional groups, the level of economic connectivity between different regions was increased. New shortcuts and byways were formed by JangSi itinerant travelers or travelers. And a lot of inns sprang up near marketplaces, mid point between towns and villages and ferries. One of the factors that inns increased in numbers was Gwageo(科擧) exams and essay contest(白日場) which were performed in each region. The market day was the opportunity to gather necessary information for daily life in situations where transportation and communication was inconvenient. JangSi users could figure out how their relatives were doing, trends of the market trading, the course of prices, features of goods and the shipping date of seasonal products. People could grasp the changes of supply and demand in the marketplace. JangSi took place on a regular basis which meant it had continuity. It was the place where lots of people could trade with others in the given location and come into contact with various information and cultural life. JangSi was characterized by popularity, anonymity and forming public opinion. For this reason the ruling class made the most of JangSi. JangSi was filled with a variety of socio economic changes and life in rural communities in the late Joseon Dynasty.